CHICAGO -- Right before taking batting practice -- wearing a special helmet with a lower guard to protect his once-broken jaw -- at Wrigley Field on Saturday, Giants infielder Kevin Frandsen said he'd talk to the media for the first time in several weeks.
"I'm gonna talk like this ... grrrrrrrr," he said through gritted teeth.
Funny guy. Out since Aug. 18 after suffering a fractured jaw on a pitch five days earlier in his final Minor League game, the 23-year-old Frandsen had the wires removed in San Francisco on Friday and was activated Saturday.
Quite an ordeal. No solid food for two weeks. Lost 10 pounds. Constant teasing by teammates devouring clubhouse feasts.
"I was fortunate," said Frandsen. "I've been doing everything possible -- I've been running, lifting weights, didn't take weeks off from hitting. I kept my strength up and I don't feel weak. If I had lost all that weight and felt weak, I would have been a little nervous."
Best day of all was Friday, when he wolfed down an 8 a.m. breakfast of hash browns, eggs, you name it, although Frandsen must still wear removable rubber bands hooked around brackets to protect his mouth the next two weeks.
"It was the [worst thing] I've experienced," said the second baseman, who used memories of his older brother D.J., who died of a rare kidney cancer, as motivation. "I never even said anything to anyone, but everything my brother went through kept me going. I felt like I sounded like him when he was on chemotherapy. That kept pushing me through."
The timing of the injury was the worst, as Frandsen hit .340 with three doubles, a homer and seven RBIs over 13 August games until hit by the pitch. Although hurt, he still played in three Giants games and went 3-for-5 with three runs, two doubles and his first big-league homer Aug. 17 at San Diego.
A test eventually discovered the jaw fracture.
"It was frustrating," said Frandsen. "Physically, I could do everything possible. You're around all this food and you can't eat it. Guys are screwing around, bringing you to the table and eating in front of you. I'm eating milk shakes and smoothies."
And mixing all kinds of nutritious foods in blenders. "It was all nasty," he said, "all disgusting."
Frandsen, expected to compete for a starting infield job next season, will bolster the Giants' bench this month.
Baker on Bonds: Cubs manager Dusty Baker, who skippered Barry Bonds in San Francisco from 1993 to 2002 before joining Chicago, said Saturday outside influences will affect how long Bonds will stay in the game.
"You get tired of outside stuff," he said. "That's a lot of it. You start wondering if it's worth it. You get tired of being away from your family, you get tired of traveling, you get tired of hotels. After a while, these are the things you get tired of."
Still, Bonds revived his game in the Giants' series at Atlanta, going 5-for-7 with two homers and three RBIs.
Baker said the man can still hit, and he proved it in the fourth inning Saturday by slamming his 20th homer of the season off Cubs pitcher Sean Marshall.
"Most guys can hit as long as they don't get too thick in the midsection," Baker said. "That's where guys lose their quickness, their hip rotation to get to the ball. I'm not surprised Barry's hitting. Usually that's the last thing to go. Usually it's your legs that go and that's why a lot of older guys are DH-ing. They can't cover the same ground. Defense is when you usually get hurt."
Knoedler's fans: Giants rookie catcher Justin Knoedler grew up in Springfield, Ill., and was a longtime Cubs enthusiast. Friday was his first time at Wrigley Field as a player, and a contingent of family and friends have watched him practice.
"I'll have tickets being abused on Sunday," he said. "My twin brother and I used to go to Cardinal games [about 1 1/2 hours away] but to Chicago games, too."
Coming up: Giants right-hander Jason Schmidt (10-8, 3.37 ERA) is riding a six-game winning streak against Chicago heading into Sunday's 11:20 a.m. PT finale vs. the Cubs, but comes off a poor outing and a loss when he issued eight runs (four earned) in the Giants' 13-8 defeat in Atlanta. The Cubs counter with right-hander Angel Guzman (0-4, 7.20).
CHICAGO -- Phil Nevin packed his bags and headed for New York on Friday to join the Minnesota Twins and the pennant race.
"It's a good situation for Phil," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said of Nevin, dealt to the Twins on Thursday for a player to be named later. "He's going to a team that's right in the thick of things. I told him I think that ballpark is perfect for him and his stroke. I hope he does well and helps them."
Nevin got the news while sitting next to his pool in San Diego. He'd gone home on the off-day and returned to Chicago on a red-eye flight.
"I loved it," Nevin said of his brief stay with the Cubs. "Besides not winning a lot of games, there are great people here. It was fun to be part of a great, rich tradition. Playing in front of these fans was unbelieveable and something I'll never forget."
"With Derrek [Lee] coming back, he'll be playing five days a week and Phil's time would be decreased," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said. "When you're this far out, you help a player get in the pennant race and you do the best you can. I don't think Phil's ever been in a pennant race, so hopefully it works out for him, too."
Nevin frames jerseys from all the teams he's played on and hangs them in his home.
"I'm sure the Cubs' one will be one I point to and I'll have a heck of a lot of stories to tell," he said.
Hendry said he wasn't contacted by the Twins until noon Thursday. He anticipated the trade to be completed within a week. Nevin, 35, was acquired by the Cubs from the Texas Rangers for Jerry Hairston Jr. on May 31 this season. He hit .274 with 12 home runs and 33 RBIs in 67 games for the Cubs.
Nevin will be watching what happens to Baker with interest.
"If you ask me, I always had a lot of respect for him playing across the field from him," Nevin said. "To see everything he's gone through and how he's handled it, if for some reason he's not back next year, there's no question he'll land on his feet, and I'd be more than happy to play for him again."
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