Boy, that was fun

This is what I'm talkin' about!

Winning is one thing, but it can't be expected at this point in the season for the Giants. While nothing can replace the feel-goody-ness that winning brings, exciting baseball will do for a substitute if win they cannot.

Just so happens that both things occured yesterday:

• It seems that events will conspire to make all of us who did not like the Randy Winn trade look silly, even though the reasons for many of us not liking the trade are still in effect. Winn goes cycling, and does it neatly in the minimum four at-bats. The triple was easily the most impressive -- hitting a home run in the Great American Ballpark can't be viewed as some kind of superhuman feat, the double was a function of Winn just being late and fighting off on outside pitch, and the single was garden variety. The triple, though...heh, that was a thing of beauty. He's currently running a 1.054 OPS since joining the Giants, something that simply cannot continue, but something that I'll enjoy while it lasts. Go on witcha bad self, Randy.
• Todd Linden broke out a bit with a two-hit game that included a solo home run. I'm loath to hope that this is the breakout game, because he still struck out twice yesterday. He's currently striking out at a pace slightly under once every three at-bats, which of course just cannot continue. Let's see if he can get that cut down to about once every four at-bats by the end of the season, something that would give me a lot more hope for him going into next season -- although I'll be darned if I can figure out where the kid will play if he does break out and hit something like he did in Fresno. Bonds in left, Winn in center, Alou in right -- what's the plan, "Brain" Sabean, if this guy really can put up numbers similar to his AAA production? What, trade him, too?
• I'm realizing after typing that out that there's no way Jason Ellison makes next year's club, unless perhaps as a 5th outfielder. If they play Linden like they're supposed to (pretty much everyday in RF), then Elly is going to ride a lot of pine the rest of the year. He'll get a few games here and there when Winn isn't playing center, but Feliz will log most of the games in LF, and Michael Tucker's got to play a game or three here and there as well...
• Speaking of player's who I wish could play more: Lance Niekro. You have no idea how happy it makes me that J.T. Snow is swinging a hot bat lately, but it serves no real purpose if Sabes is thinking about having Niekro be the everyday 1st baseman going into 2006 -- something which I doubt seriously. Sabean may be smart enough to not re-sign Snow, but he won't hand the job to Niekro, which of course is a pretty big gamble, but one that I think is worth it based on the fact that Niekro will make peanuts in salary next year. All the guy has to do is hold that production against lefties, then run about a .700 OPS against right-handed pitching and he'd be golden...
• I still do not know what is up with Kevin Correia and all these gopherballs he gives up.

Oh, and while hitting for the cycle is neat and all, I willing to put a bit of money on which is more rare -- hitting for the cycle, or Pedro Feliz walking three times in one game, and consecutively, at that. My money's on Feliz's walks. I'm willing to bet that it's likely Feliz has never walked three times in a game, and has most certainly never walked three times consecutively.

Any takers?