Mark Kreidler
In so many words.

A very quick Monday roll, with more to come…

·        Bruce Jenkins, blogging for the SF Chron, raises the point that, win or lose in court, the delay in Barry Bonds’ federal perjury trial effectively ends his baseball playing days.  Absolutely correct.  Then again, Bonds’ career has been over for at least two years – three, if you count straight back to the 2006 debut of “Bonds on Bonds” on ESPN, a career-killer if ever there was one.  Take that man’s SAG card and burn it, boys.  You won’t be needing it anymore.

·         Meanwhile, in an alternate universe, trainer Greg Anderson goes on seeing clients in Foster City, girding for another jail term for his refusal to testify against Bonds.  Anderson’s lawyers say the man thought he had a deal with prosecutors way back when, that his plea bargain in the BALCO case meant he’d never have to testify against his longtime pal.  (The idea that Bonds would never go to jail to protect Greg Anderson, though illuminating, is apparently secondary here.)  Anderson thinks the feds lied to him and tricked him into his deal, and if so, they did a hell of a job, because Anderson hasn’t got a shred of documentation to back up his claim.  He’s headed for prison again.  Pathetic.

·         With Scott Boras having gone public with his 437^th counter-counter-proposal down in L.A. and Dodgers owner Frank McCourt acting like a kid whose buddies won’t play the cool new yard game he just invented, we still assume that Manny Ramirez will wind up a Dodger.  Strange, then, that there’s still such a good feeling around the punchless Giants right now.  But the week down in Arizona has been full of pitching promise: Matt Cain lighter and stronger; Tim Lincecum throwing bullets; Randy Johnson healthy; Barry Zito freezing hitters with the wave-like break of his curve.  It’s barely March, and it barely counts – and they may barely score enough for it to matter – but the Giants have plenty in the rotation, with or without Noah Lowry, to make this season very, very interesting.

·         So here come the 49ers, marching right up to the table with Kurt Warner, full of naïve enthusiasm and a sort of “Hey, he’s says he’s interested!” desperation.  Not that S.F. has a superior option to Warner at quarterback, but, look, the front office is getting played like a woodwind.  Warner, said to be a man of high moral character, has gotten his feelings hurt by the Cardinals just enough to take the meeting – but, in the end, nowhere near enough to actually leave a Super Bowl entrant and a first-rate receiving corps over a few silly comments here and there.  Not so long ago, Warner said flatly that it was Arizona or retirement (why not both, really?).  San Francisco?  Not gonna happen.  It’s grandstanding in the extreme.  But enjoy the visit.  Have a good meal.  Send a postcard.

·         Absolutely love the Cavaliers’ potential pickups this week vs. what the Celtics have done, and they well may determine the Eastern Conference championship.  Danny Ainge, either panicking or deeply in love, brought aboard toxic Stephon Marbury (and Mikki Moore), which leaves Cleveland free to pursue Joe Smith and the mending Drew Gooden, each of whom will clear waivers Wednesday.  If the Cavs somehow pick up both, they’re loaded for the post-season – which will be just about the time that Marbury’s bad vibes take down a defending NBA champ’s team chemistry in Boston.  I just don’t figure it.

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