As many probably know, Barry Bonds fell nine plate appearances short
of qualifying for the on-base title last year. Scoring rule 10.23(a),
which allows for exceptions for players who don't meet the 3.1 PA/game
requirement, did not include the on-base title, though the rule has
been amended for the 2007 season.

There were some posts here last October indicating that Elias had
decided to recognize Bonds as the OBP leader anyway. However, there
still appears to be some confusion or disagreement about who should be
recognized as the "official" leader:

* The leaders listed on-line by USA Today at
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/leaders06.htm show Pujols
as the leader. Those leader boards were apparently compiled on Oct.
2, which may have been before Elias changed its mind.

* The 2007 Sporting News Baseball Register has Pujols listed as the
leader. I'm wondering if perhaps TSN is sticking with a strict
interpretation of the rule as it was written last year.

Does anyone know of a reliable source for a statement from Elias or
MLB on this?

Doug