Maybe ever.

We're talking about Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, and if you believe the seven-time Most Valuable Player's value to the club has diminished despite being four months shy of his 42nd birthday, you haven't been paying attention.

No need to dwell on what and who Bonds is. Love him or hate him, he's one of the most explosive players on the planet, and the obvious key to San Francisco's division-winning chances in 2006.

When knee problems kept Bonds out of the first 148 games last season, the Giants plummeted to third place in the National League West, logging an uncharacteristic 75-87 record, the low-water mark since a 68-win 1996 campaign.

As Bonds goes, so go the Giants.

It was a fluky, bizarre 2005, with the rotation and bullpen going through injuries and funks, the defense struggling early, and the offense sputtering too often.

You'd rightly figure that if Bonds had been healthy for even 50 games, the ending might have been a happy one.

So here we go again. As in years past, the Giants are a veteran team -- now even more with the acquisition of pitcher Matt Morris, outfielder Steve Finley and backup infielders Jose Vizcaino and Mark Sweeney.

How much does Bonds mean to the Giants? Let them tell you.

"No doubt about it," said infielder Sweeney of the big man's positive impact. "A lot of it has to do with the way guys are pitched. You know he's up at a certain time and you know you have to be perfect to keep people off base when he's hitting.

"As a visiting player, that's all we talked about," said Sweeney, who's played for five NL teams in his 11-year career. "We're a better team when he's out there."

Manager Felipe Alou is likewise a Bonds booster, and he decried the team's downfall last year, partly -- nah, prominently -- due to the latter's absence.

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"I don't care how good an offensive team you have; if he's missing, a lot is missing. It's not the same," said Alou. "I know I feel better, and I'm not even in the lineup. Everybody is better -- the pitcher worries more, your own pitcher feels better about his chances of winning the game."

All eyes and ears will be keeping track of Bonds' quest to surpass Babe Ruth's fabled 714 homer total, but that is nothing new. Neither is how much Bonds' presence propels the Giants to another level.

But the concern in 2006 is how Bonds' thrice-repaired right knee will do, for the outfielder says he's finished as a ballplayer if he needs another surgery. He doesn't limp and says a new lightweight knee brace gives him protection and confidence.

So far this spring, Bonds continues to live up to his legendary hitting standards. Entering action on Wednesday in Arizona, he is batting .777 (7-for-9) with three homers and six RBIs.

And no one has brought a folding chair out to him so he can rest in left field.

His knees haven't been really tested so far, but Alou says Bonds will be cautious to protect those fragile hinges.

"We know he's going to hit home runs into the next county, but we want to get him ready on defense [for the regular season]," he said. "In his prime, he was one of the best left fielders in the game, and there's still a lot of that left."

For the Giants, they can only hope those MVKs -- most valuable knees -- hold up for one more season.