Eastern League Extra: What would you say is your best moment in baseball?

Justin Knoedler: My best moment so far...I would say right now, I got a chance to catch a complete game at the end of the year with Brett Tomko. (It was) my first start in the big leagues, the last game of the year. I was pretty excited about it. I didn't get any hits, but I think they got like six hits and Tomko needed eight and two thirds for the last incentive in his contract and we pulled it out. So I'd say that's one of the more exciting moments so far.

ELX: The Giants have called you up in 2004 and 2005. That first time in 2004, how did you find out you were going up?

Knoedler: It was actually in the Eastern League about two years ago. It was about two in the morning, and I got call from my roommate, actually. I was in the room next door playing cards, it was the night before our last game and I knew I wasn't playing, so we were just playing cards. My roommate goes, 'Hey, Shane's looking for you.' Shane Turner - our manager, and I was like oh gosh what's going on, maybe he's doing curfew check or something.

So I rushed back and called the manager and he goes, 'Get back to my room right now.' He sounded all mad. So I go down there and knock on his room, open the door and there's Shane Turner, Bob Stanley and the trainer and they said, 'Congratulations, you're going to the big leagues.'

I had a smile from ear to ear. I couldn't believe it. But I got up there and I only got one at-bat, it was the last game of the year then as well and I flew out to the warning track. It was worth every minute. I spent a whole month learning and observing and doing what I could. Not on the field, but watching, and I took a lot out of that. Then last year, I got up there for the last month and actually got a little more playing time.

ELX: So what do you feel like you need to do to stick up there?

Knoedler: You know, I just need to be consistent. I'm pretty consistent defensively, at the moment. They'd like to see me put up a little bit more consistent numbers with the stick. I think on a year to year basis, I've been consistent, but on a week to week or a month to month basis, I'm a little sporadic with my bat and that's just going to come with time.

I feel like I've got a lot of good years left in this game - I'm 25 right now, I'll be 26 by the end of the summer - and I think it's coming along real nicely. I'm happy with the progress I've made. It's a game of frustration and you've got to rise above that. I try to do that - if you have a bad day, the best thing about it is you get four at-bats the next day. This year, I'm trying to take it game by game and work on the things I need to work on and try to make it back to the big leagues.

ELX: You talked about this being a game of frustration, is it a little frustrating to have to come back to Double-A after getting a taste of the big leagues?

Knoedler: Well, there's a reason I'm back here, obviously. They want to take a different route with a veteran team up there. My time in Spring Training was limited, they didn't get to look at me like I thought they were going to, but it is what it is. I'm here, and they sent me here to play every day. The opportunity to play every day in Triple-A wasn't there, they went with another guy there. They still have plans for me, which is good, and I'm still on the 40-man roster, which is excellent. This is an opportunity for me to play every day, and I'm going to take every advantage I can of it.

ELX: You've had the chance to play with Barry Bonds in Spring Training and in the big leagues over the past few years, tell me about playing with him...

Knoedler: Barry Bonds is a very unique player, obviously, he's probably one of the best hitters of all time. For him to come back and do what he did last year, those were two of the better moments that I've gotten to observe. I saw him hit 700 in 2004, and then last year he came back from missing the entire season and in his first at-bat, (he) hits a double. Just watching him go about his work - people might think he's cocky and that he doesn't have to work, but that guy works harder than anybody in the game.

I mean, he's there getting worked out by his guys, getting stretched out, taking extra swings. He works just as hard or harder than anyone else in this game and that's one thing I take from him. There's a reason he's as good as he is, and it's because of all the hard work he's put in over his 20-year Major League career.

ELX: How was he with the call-ups?