It is fun to watch Darren Ford run

And that's really all there is to it. Whether it's on the basepaths or in the outfield -- heck, it's almost fun to watch him get picked off -- it's pure excitement to be able to see him go flat-out and hit 5th gear.

I'm not going to delve into how it's possible to get him more playing time, because that would involve things like an injury to Aaron Rowand and make things scary for the Giants outfield depth. It would also mean he'd get to hit in normal situations, and we'd likely see a guy giving the old 110%, but someone who is overmatched by big league pitching.

But whenever possible, whenever there's a chance to score a tying run or take a lead late in a game, Bruce Bochy should throw Darren Ford into the game. You could just see how his presence unnerved the Pittsburgh Pirates, and that can be a valuable commodity.

I'm also not going to speculate on what moves the Giants could make later to keep Ford around, because I tend to think a couple of games of him wreaking havoc on the basepaths and making what normally would be a double look like a can of corn shouldn't change what the Giants will do when Andres Torres returns...which would be to send Ford back to Fresno.

But my goodness, it is certainly a ton of fun to watch him run...son*.

*channeling RUN-DMC*