Four days out of town with no opportunity to watch some uncharacteristic performances by the Giants. Before leaving town, however, word of the Ponson trade hit the news wires. Ponson, from the accounts one reads of his performance this year with Baltimore, is an accomplished pitcher who should occupy the number two spot in the rotation and eat up the innings. The Giants can use a pitcher who meets that description. The team has a 12 game lead in a division that for the past month has provided no opposition. What we are talking about, therefore, are the playoffs.

Click Below for Ed Stern’s analysis of the current state of his favorite team. With a Bay Bridge Series a distinct possibility this season, Ed’s thoughts are much appreciated by AL fans…… Marty LurieBefore getting to that, however, let us consider the Ponson deal. Put together the two trades which involved Moss, (who, by the way, had an impressive start for Baltimore yesterday). When these two deals are looked at together it turns out that the Giants traded Ortiz and Ainsworth for the right to rent Ponson for the remainder of the season. Ponson is a free agent when this year ends. Before trading him, Baltimore tried to work out an agreement with him extending his contract and offering many dollars over a number of years. Ponson turned the offer down, preferring to test the open market at the year’s end. The Giants are going to be in the competition with the other clubs at that time, the same competition they would be entering if they hadn’t made these deals. Did they pay too much for the right to have Ponson’s services these remaining days of the season? The answer may have to await the end of the year. It appears that they must at least get into the World Series. Winning it would stop all the nay-sayers. After all, isn’t winning what this is all about? Sabean has always taken the position that he wants to win it all, right now. The future will take care of itself. He has been reasonably successful in that approach. He did , however, give up a great deal in order to position himself to accomplish the desired end, winning it all, right now. We shall see. With respect to their recent road trip, they had what might be considered an inevitable let down, after a great run since the All Star break. Their success since then, prior to the recent road trip, managed to put away the Dodgers and Arizona as worthy competition. These teams simply cannot generate enough hitting. The Dodgers, in particular, have been pitiful the entire year. Henderson. Ventura, Burnitz were available only because no one else wanted them. There was a time when LA had one of the most envied farm systems in the majors, bringing up good young ball players on a regular basis. That time has long since passed. Ownership is simply waiting for the sale of the club. Until that happens LA is not going to be a factor in a pennant race. This is unfortunate since it lessens the interest in the Giants-Dodgers rivalry. Arizona was always a club which depended on Johnson and Schilling to win 20 or more games a year. It couldn’t go on forever and it hasn’t. Johnson is pitching tonight with one win on his record. Pitchers do age, and are subject to all of the frailities which are predictable. The Giants have 51 games to play. Do the arithmetic and one simply begins to consider what their chances are in the playoffs. There is no longer a race to see who wins the division. Respecting the playoffs, the Giants now have two pitchers, Schmidt and Ponson, who appear to be as likely to dominate a short series as any other duosome around. In addition, Williams, in particular, may be a welcome surprise. Playoffs, as it is said over and over again, have a different dynamic than the grinding regular season. The Giants have put the regular season behind them. A team with two dominating pitchers can go all the way. After all, Arizona did just that a few years ago. The interest the remainder of the regular season holds for the Giants will be watching Ponson attempt to prove Sabean right in his maneuverings, seeing whether Williams and Foppert are as good as their early season pitching leads one to hope, staying healthy, giving Bonds plenty of rest, finding a right fielder who can hit (possibly Hammonds). When Rueter comes back it remains questionable whether he has a role in the playoffs. It isn’t a pleasant prospect to think of him going up against Atlanta’s lineup. All of the above should keep a Giants fan pleasantly involved in the remainder of the regular year.