Nine Losses and a Funeral: Bond's Absence Costly

In all probability, anyone with an afternoon to waste would have a hard time telling the difference between the Giants and the Devil Rays. In fact, without Barry Bonds the Giants more or less are the Devil Rays--although with considerably less potential. From their flaky offense to decidedly dicey bullpen, from streaky defense to one and a half man rotation, these teams have a lot in common: Give or take the $53m difference in payroll. On Thursdsay, with their perennial difference maker on the sidelines (or rather, nowhere in sight) the Giants struggled to break free of their .500 price tag. In games without Bonds in the lineup, the Giants are 4-9.

Not that anyone is asking questions. As of Friday Bonds, and his crippling $18m, has missed almost a quarter (22%) of the team's games. That's not good. It's also worth noting that no team in history has won the World Series with a player who has taken up more than 15% of the team's payroll. Barry's share of the proverbial pie is the same same as his truency rate: 22%. The only one whose absence is more conspicuous than the No. 25 is Robb Nen. At $9m, he accounts for 11% of the budget--and at least 20% of the team's success.