Just like the good ol' days

Had I not known better, I may have thought I was watching stock footage from 2002.

Barry Bonds clobbering the ball with ease. Russ Ortiz pitching a gem. The Giants winning.

Just like 2002.

The heartwarming aspect of the game was that Ortiz notched his first victory since August 24, 2005, a string of 32 appearances. I think I speak for most Giants fans when I say, "Good for you, Russ. Now you better keep doing it."

The main story, of course, was Barry Bonds. 3 for 3 with two homers and four RBI. Bonds simply overpowered the Pittsburgh duo of Zach Duke and Shawn Chacon. You just got the sense in his third at bat (against Chacon) that he was going to homer again. When Bonds puts on a display like he did last night, there's nothing better to watch. The man can leave an entire stadium in awe. It was very telling that the same fans who showed up just to boo Bonds ended up giving him a standing ovation after his second homer (well, half the fans gave him a standing ovation).

By the way, one of the cool aspects of having the Extra Innings package on DirecTV is that you get to hear the home team's announcers. A couple of days ago I gushed over the San Diego announcing team, placing them right behind Kruk and Kuip on the entertainment scale. With that in mind, I had a thought about the Pittsburgh duo of Johnny Boredom and Richard I'mfallingasleep: They suck. At least I only have to listen to them for two more days.

Barry Zito goes tonight, trying to improve upon his rough start to the season. 30% chance of precipitation for the game.