Watching Barry toss the ball around was a revelation, at least according to the few desperate souls who witnessed it. But what does it really mean? Passing the Babe may be all that?s left for him. As Bonds progresses toward his first 2005 at-bat, two questions are: Will he return soon enough to salvage a sinking ship, and, why would he even want to try? School is out, summer is here, and baseball is all the rage. Not so in San Francisco, mind you. The Giants are lucky not to be 15 games behind, considering the way they play the game these days. They are an absolute mess, and it?s gonna take a lot more than one creaky 7-time MVP to put it back together. They rebounded from a similar situation in 2002; but that was then, and Barry had knees that were livelier and 3 years younger. The starting pitchers rarely achieve success, rarely pitch deep into the game. Maybe they feel sorry for their buddies in the bullpen ? don?t want them to have to sit too long. Walking people takes time, you know. And revamping that entire pen might make sense ? bring in the trucks and hose everybody down. Keep Scott Eyre and maybe Scott Munter. Everyone else goes. Let?s see what those minor league guys have got before we trade them away. There?s no doubt about the effect of Bonds in the lineup. Moises Alou shifts to the fifth spot where he belongs, and the intentional-walks parade begins. The rubber chickens proudly attach their plucked seats on the wall. Opposing managers quake with fear. But if you are 40-years old, coming off three knee surgeries and wincing dumbfounded at this abysmal team, you?ve got to be wondering if your last chance at a ring vanished with the jubilant Angels in 2002. And wondering if catching Ruth is really necessary. Some questions for Barry to think about, if he hasn?t already: Why didn?t Jason Schmidt fess up to misplacing his ?ace? badge during the winter? Has Brett Tomko ever met a gopher ball he could refuse? How many years again, did it take for Kirk Rueter to finally decide to pitch inside? Is Jeff Fassero really 82 years old? Can Noah Lowry?s changeup be found hiding with Schmidt?s badge? Do Jason Ellison?s bobbles indicate Parkinson?s, or dishonesty about his real age? Is this all there is from Michael Tucker? Seriously? Does J.T. Snow have ANY power left? Even a little? How do the bullpen people determine the best time to ?groove? one? When Ray Durham runs, is there an expectation of hearing things pop? Are Omar Vizquel and Mike Matheny wondering what they got themselves into? Does Moises? brain need to freeze when he is on the bases? Why was it a problem for Marquis Grissom to stay on the DL? Is Pedro Feliz really serious when he swings at those? Does Felipe get outrageous horselaughs from using ALL his relievers, EVERY day? Will Brian Sabean trade every hot prospect for some undesirable retread? Is it considered a true art form to hit into a double play, again and again? When do the young guys get called up? There are plenty of reasons for Bonds to allow the idea of retirement to invade his mind. He certainly doesn?t need the money (although nowadays it takes more for athletes to ?feed their families? than it does for the rest of us). Loads of the green still await him, if he desires. However, his competitive nature won?t allow him to call it a career just yet. Mr. Mays has probably given him the ?when it?s done, it?s done forever? talk to excess. And there is still that Babe guy waiting ? beckoning and sneering. Plus, why would he want to miss out on all this fun?