Here We Go Again

OK. I'm being sucked into the vortex again. I'll admit it: I quit on the Giants last year. Gave up. Sold all my tickets after August 1st and just stopped caring.

But I'm jacked again, and the reason why is the guy you see crawling up the outfield wall in the picture. The butt belongs to Aaron Rowand, and history says Giants fans will see a lot of shots like this. Aaron Rowand has just signed a five-year contract with the Giants, and he's a hard-ass.

I mean that in the best possible way. He plays full-out. This is the guy who made headlines in 2006 when he caught a bases-loaded drive just before smashing into the wall. He broke his nose and needed facial surgery. His manager, Charlie Manuel, said at the time, "That might be the best effort and determination I've ever seen." Here's the key: this play was in the first inning of a game in May.

Cool. A guy who plays hard even when it's not Showtime. But even better: Rowand doesn't mind being a hard-ass off the field. In other words, that famously blase' Giants clubhouse may have the heat turned up a couple of notches.

The Rowand signing also means the Giants no longer need to consider trading pitching phenoms Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum for an outfielder. Good. If they'd traded either of those guys, I might have been able to stay out of the vortex.