Doing it is playing baseball at a Major League level, and while there are no dire predictions about when or where or how Barry Bonds will return to action, the Giants are all too aware of the relentless march of time ... and how it's running out for the slugger.

Right now, Bonds isn't even marching in place.

The team's medical news is good, with right fielder Moises Alou slated to come off the disabled list Friday after recovering from a right calf strain -- "He's ready to play," said his skipper-father -- and first baseman J.T. Snow day-to-day with a mild right groin strain.

Both should see action this weekend.

As for Bonds, it's a wait-and-see -- then wait some more -- scenario, although no one believes the superslugger will call it quits and not come back this season unless there's a career-ending medical problem as he rehabs from a second surgery on his right knee five weeks ago.

"I asked [trainer] Stan Conte about Barry and he said swelling is still there," said Felipe Alou, who desperately wants Bonds to come back sooner rather than later with the Giants struggling at the moment. "He's better ... a normal situation from surgery. It was a big setback for the second surgery.

"You get up to that age (40) ... as long as the player still owns that quickness, we like to see him come back," said Alou. "When you get to a certain age, you never know when it's going to go. We've all been through it -- Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Matty Alou. Some guys last longer than the average guys and Barry's obviously one of those guys."

There's still no timetable for Bonds to return, as he's not doing any baseball work per se, only letting the knee heal. It's a slow, frustrating process, but the Giants aren't taking any chances with their star player.

June? Maybe. July? Nobody knows. Nobody's even guessing.

When will the Giants know?

"We're waiting until we see him taking batting practice and fly balls like he did in Spring Training," said Alou. "In Scottsdale, he was hitting balls nine miles in BP."

Moises Alou, meantime, ran the bases in San Diego and shagged balls in the outfield. He's been hitting well in batting practice. Snow didn't do any hitting or fielding Tuesday.

Poor start: With San Francisco's record at 7-7 heading into Wednesday night's contest vs. Arizona, memories of the club's 10-14 mark in April 2004 have been revisited. By mid-May last year, the Giants were only 15-23, and Alou doesn't want a repeat. Despite a great second half, they missed a chance for the postseason by only one game.

"It would be nice to have a good homestand," said Alou. "It's still early and we'll see what happens this first month. Last year -- that's a bad start. The Dodgers took off last year, just like this year, but at the end we had a great shot at catching them."

The bullpen has rebounded after a difficult start, but the starters are still struggling, despite the team's batting third overall in the league.

"We've been swinging the bats OK," said Alou, adding he expects the team to have a turnaround when his son and Snow return.

Orange Friday: The Giants celebrate the second Orange Friday of the season this Friday at SBC Park when San Francisco hosts the Milwaukee Brewers, with the first 20,000 fans receiving orange baseball caps presented by Jackson Rancheria Casino. "Casual Fridays" are out, say the Giants, encouraging fans to wear traditional orange Giants gear on those home night games.

Also on Friday, Bonds will meet with 50 kids from the Martin Luther King Middle School on the field. He'll sign autographs and give photo ops. The event, "Buses for Baseball," is administered by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and sponsored by Microsoft Xbox.

Free posters: Posters of Snow will be handed out to the first 15,000 fans Saturday when the Giants host the Brewers. On Tuesday vs. San Diego, posters of Jason Schmidt will be available.

On deck: Schmidt expects to rebound from his rocky outing against the Rockies last Saturday in Denver when he faces National League West rival Arizona on Thursday at SBC Park.

Schmidt, who will oppose former Giants pitcher Russ Ortiz, is 10-6 lifetime with a 3.13 ERA vs. the Diamondbacks over 20 games.