Barry Zito– Full Circle

Posted in Uncategorized by Flavor on February 17, 2015

How about the life that Barry Zito leads? He takes a year off to surf and bang his hot wife and then decides he wants to play in the major leagues again. The A’s gave him a minor league deal for a $1m should he make the club with additional incentives built in.

What a brilliant move by Zito. He goes back to the club and fans who have nothing but love for him. And they know him so it won’t be a big deal when his breaking balls don’t break in the thin, dry Arizona air. I’m sure they’ll just look at his velocity, which should be there after taking a year off, and happily welcome him to the staff.

And make no mistake about it, the A’s need a veteran starting pitcher to lead that staff—they have Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir and a bunch of kids. Zito’s experience will go a long way to helping them.

And the best part about it is that I can root for him from a distance. Free from having to worry about his albatross contract and frequent blow up starts, I have nothing but well wishes for a player who is directly responsible, along with several others, for us taking down the 2012 crown. Don’t ever forget what Zito did for us in that post season. I never will.

How rad will it be if Zito pitches against the Giants in Spring Training?

______________________________

and for those of you following the Panda on his first day, here he is….Yikes. The core workouts must have been few and far between this Winter….

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dirtnrocksnomo said, on February 17, 2015 at 10:38 am

With Zito being a soft tossing junk baller I don’t think being no hit in spring training will be rad at all.
unca_chuck said, on February 17, 2015 at 10:51 am

You have a link to that shoptaw blog?
unca_chuck said, on February 17, 2015 at 10:52 am

Zeets pitching for oaktown would be something. Might have to catch a game if it gets that far.
willedav said, on February 17, 2015 at 11:30 am

I’d tell Coco to make sure the hamstrings are warm.

I can understand the props for what he did but it’s impossible to ignore 7 (not 1 or 2) years of continuous suckitude that made so many of his starts unwatchable. Compare his numbers with A’s to Giants and every single stat is worse.
Even pitching in NL and at ATT his career ERA with SF was 4.62.

If he does OK for A’s fine, but I’m glad he’s not in SF uni (yet). Also so I don’t have to listen to K and K, who constantly stuck up for him, rave about how he was “a good Giant.”
- Flavor said, on February 17, 2015 at 11:37 am
  
  I recognize this is kinda skewed in the favor of my point, but if I told you that you get no Zito as a Giant ever and you get 2 world series wins or Zito for 7 years and you get 3 world series wins, which one would you pick?
  - willedav said, on February 17, 2015 at 11:46 am
    
    “Kinda skewed…” lol. I understand. But 1 of those 2 he got purposely left off the roster. As far as being a contributing factor over the years to Giants success, he’s pretty far down the list…for me anyway.
dirtnrocksnomo said, on February 17, 2015 at 11:37 am

I’ve moved to the acceptance stage of Sandoval’s defection. It looks like he’s planning on playing himself into shape. It will be interesting to see how he deals with the upcoming season.
salty said, on February 17, 2015 at 11:37 am

As I posted on the other thread, will be eager to see how this plays out. Zito good and bad still always an intriguing guy. He can look great for a month, then just flat out awful, so anyone evaluating his ST numbers has to be wary. I wouldn’t want him back here. Think everyone involved knows that would be a mistake.
willedav said, on February 17, 2015 at 11:58 am

I’ve always had a problem with labeling guys disdainfully with the tag “can’t win the big one.” I think is very unfair to a lot of very good athletes and fierce competitors who for one reason or another never won a title.

John Stockton and Oscar Robertson (who did win one in college) are 2 of the best guards ever to walk the planet but had the misfortune to be playing vs. teams in NBA that were just plain better. And I think you could say that about a lot of guys.
After Dean Smith finally won a title with UNC he famously said he’d all of sudden got much smarter.
- zumiee said, on February 17, 2015 at 12:42 pm
  
  That’s a good point, Ted Williams never won a World Series, and he may have been the best overall hitter of all time. But Oscar did win an NBA championship with the Bucks, back when Jabbar was still Alcindor.
  - willedav said, on February 17, 2015 at 1:25 pm
    
    Right, Zum I forgot about that and I saw that team play Warriors too; Thurmond usually gave Kareem a tough time and played him very well. Nelson had really good Milwaukee teams too that were known for their excellent team defense. go figure.
  - Alleykat said, on February 17, 2015 at 2:17 pm
    
    To this day,Kareem Alcindor/ Jabbar says:Nate Thurmond was the toughest guy I ever played against.Better defensively on me then Russell or Chamberlain bar none.
    He just had a knack of keeping me out of position in the post forcing my patient sky hook farther out then I would have perferred.
pawliekokonuts said, on February 17, 2015 at 12:37 pm

I’m with you. All is / was forgiven in 2012, in the Barry Zito Department. I wish him the best. As for Pablo, must be those tight-fitting, New England puritanical clothes he is wearing that makes him look so FAT.
zumiee said, on February 17, 2015 at 12:46 pm

We’ve been there before with Sandoval. We all know the ups and downs with Pablo that the Red Sox and their fans are in for. The big difference is that the Giants fans, in the ballpark, gave unconditional love to Sandoval, and the Red Sox fans don’t have that kind of history with their players.
For Giants fans, Sandoval will be one of the highest non-Giants interest stories of the season.
xoot said, on February 17, 2015 at 1:14 pm

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Pablo’s gut look so huge. Yet look at how good his posture is, anyway. Born athlete. Still that’s a helluva load. As to Barry Z–his heroics in the 2012 PS eclipse all the bad times for me. Best to him. If he pitches at the E Coli this year I may catch a game and get there early just to watch his warm-up regimen. His long toss from CF to the catcher in the pen, belt-high strike every throw, is especially memorable.
Flavor said, on February 17, 2015 at 1:35 pm

I still can’t get over that Pablo pic. I mean, at leas humor the team that gave you 100+ million and come into camp in shape before you blow it all to hell. People talk about his production on the field but the reality is, 2011 is looking like his outlier year, fat or skinny. His production come playoff time is unquestioned. But there’s 162 games he’s gonna have to get through with the Sox making the post season before he gets to showcase his Reggie Jackson-like talents.
giants54 said, on February 17, 2015 at 1:39 pm

I’d guess his gut was bigger in 2012. Jersey worn loose hides it better.
- xoot said, on February 17, 2015 at 2:16 pm
  
  I saw him on the street in SF in 2012, after a day game. He looked fairly fit; big and powerful, but not fat. The guy in that pic is FAT. (Maybe someone told him to prepare to be a backup DH. “H” being silent and “I” being pronounced “EE” in Spanish, the word “hitter” would sound exactly like “eater.”)
  - giants54 said, on February 17, 2015 at 4:34 pm
    
    I meant 2010
Alleykat said, on February 17, 2015 at 2:00 pm

Since Zito was originally drafted by the A’s, it will come down to him retiring an A, after he get lit up all spring!
Just a promo to let him go out with.
oto said, on February 17, 2015 at 2:08 pm

isn’t it time to replace that lame ass potd?
Nipper said, on February 17, 2015 at 2:44 pm

Yes Pablo looks like a middle-aged softball player who plays only on the week-ends.
- Nipper said, on February 17, 2015 at 2:45 pm
  
  He’s out of shape even for a DH! He’s out of shape even for the clubhouse card game!
  - blade3colorado said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:21 pm
    
    Good one Nip . . . That is a POTD if I ever heard one. 🙂
  - xoot said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:51 pm
    
    Nice pic for Fat Tuesday, though.
Nipper said, on February 17, 2015 at 2:48 pm

Players like Zito who are getting old before our eyes have tough time walking away from the game. Is he coaching material? Maybe……maybe not.
zumiee said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:08 pm

You could count the times on one hand, Mordecai “Three Fingers” Brown’s hand, the number of times I’ve ever agreed with Nipper, but that comment he made the other day about how awesome the Pebble Beach scenery looked on TV was right on. I don’t watch golf on TV usually, but I watched some of that for the breathtaking camera shots. The beautiful California coast on display for the nation.
My wife and I rented bikes one day in that area and took a ride along the coast. It was a really cool experience. The bike rental price was relatively low, and the bikes were terrific, with state of the art suspension. Really comfortable. There were a few uphill parts; a good work out, but always great scenery.
blade3colorado said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:14 pm

Great thread Flav! I just read it and the cherry on the top was the Pablo photo, which = me laughing non-stop for about 3 minutes. As Xoot said, I can’t recall his gut “done lap” over his belt this bad. EVER.

Yeah, Zito could have lost all his regular season games as a Giant and I could give two shits, i.e., his playoff and World Series performance was key in giving us a championship in 2012. Also, him being off the roster and sincerely playing the roll of the “good soldier” was probably almost as big in 2010. One thing about Barry, he always gave 100% and was a team player.

I am still processing Wendell Kim’s early death. Perhaps someone else already posted this article, but I think it’s worth posting again. Made me cry:

http://www.stlsportspage.com/CARDSBASEBALL/tabid/91/entryid/1908/whatever-happened-to-wendell-kim-the-sad-story.aspx
- Flavor said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:41 pm
  
  and the thing that Pablo doesn’t get, apparently, is that the love from the fans is contingent on production. He could be fat here, he’s got 3 WS’s rings. He’s a king to SF fans, a god. But Boston is going to be like, “what have you done for me lately?”
  Showing up fat with 100 mil in tow is not an endearing quality. He better be hitting .320 right out of bed or he’s fucked. And again, if you look at his regular season and the peripherals his 2011 season is a total outlier.
  - blade3colorado said, on February 17, 2015 at 4:04 pm
    
    I like this line at the end of an article from Deadspin (which had the exact same photo you posted):
    
    “But if Sandoval happens to slump…I guarantee you’ll have never heard “you fat fuck” yelled so many times in New England accents.”
unca_chuck said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:16 pm

They just had a 2012 playoff recap on csn that was great.

Zito against the Cards in game 5 was just flat dominant. Him getting the game 1 start and win in the WS wasn’t bad either.
- xoot said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:19 pm
  
  Crazy first inning in that game 5, but Zito remained cool as can be. If I recall correctly. Then things got easier.
  - xoot said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:21 pm
    
    no. it was the second inning. had to check, dammit.
- dirtnrocksnomo said, on February 17, 2015 at 3:59 pm
  
  You mean Big Game Barry?
unca_chuck said, on February 17, 2015 at 4:27 pm

“Hey laaahd asss!”
pawliekokonuts said, on February 17, 2015 at 4:54 pm

Nipper’s 2:45 and xoot’s 2:16 are GEMS.
- blade3colorado said, on February 17, 2015 at 5:10 pm
  
  Agreed . . . I am lobbying for Flavor to throw Nipper a bone and give him POTD.
  - Flavor said, on February 17, 2015 at 6:47 pm
    
    he’s won it several times before
pawliekokonuts said, on February 17, 2015 at 5:00 pm

my 17yo daughter is more bitter than i am; calls Pablo a traitor; and can’t stand B wilson for same reason. that’s my gurl!!!
- blade3colorado said, on February 17, 2015 at 5:13 pm
  
  Shit, I’m personally down with Brian Wilson being a covert Giant for the last 2 years in Dodger blue. His excellent work there was especially instrumental in our march to the 2014 WS crown.
  - pawliekokonuts said, on February 17, 2015 at 5:47 pm
    
    hey, Steve, how many Asian wives did you come back with? just curious
  - blade3colorado said, on February 17, 2015 at 5:58 pm
    
    My answer is a bit X rated and I don’t want to stir the masses Pawlie. I sent you an email.
  - snarkk said, on February 17, 2015 at 9:12 pm
    
    Blade’s philosophy seems to be more skewed towards renting than buying…
  - blade3colorado said, on February 17, 2015 at 9:34 pm
    
    Absolutely snarkk! 🙂
pawliekokonuts said, on February 17, 2015 at 5:48 pm

Pablo is giving up giving up food for Lent.
snarkk said, on February 17, 2015 at 6:30 pm

I was just fine not having Zito to discuss for a year. As for Pablo, he ‘s got a boiler bigger than mine — by a lot. I can already hear the Bahston boo birds …
- Flavor said, on February 17, 2015 at 6:50 pm
  
  I don’t see us discussing Zito much, unless he pitches against us in ST. Who knows tho, he’s a lightening rod for convo
blade3colorado said, on February 17, 2015 at 7:02 pm

I seriously see Pablo doing a “Prince Fielder” face plant this year. The only saving grace is playing in that bandbox. However, the pitchers are better in the American league, coupled with him not knowing them. I didn’t think it would be too bad this season, then I saw that photo. Yeah, I can seriously see his season going south quickly. lqtm.
dirtnrocksnomo said, on February 17, 2015 at 7:25 pm

Well, it is Fat Tuesday. Somebody had to say it.
- snarkk said, on February 17, 2015 at 9:02 pm
  
  You started it, Dirt.
  Panda Gras…
Alleykat said, on February 17, 2015 at 7:58 pm

Well if we’re playing a board game,I would call Panda, ” Chubby Checkers”
Bozo said, on February 17, 2015 at 8:30 pm

I’m curious, do y’all really follow the A’s? I’m probably in the minority, but I used to get pissed off that the SF sports section was called the Sporting Green.

Zito? My guess is that he picked the A’s in hopes of being traded by the deadline.
- Flavor said, on February 18, 2015 at 6:41 am
  
  Sure, I follow them. I’ve even gotten to the point where I don’t hate them anymore. They can get some cool shit going over there every now and again (before Beane sets it on fire and starts over again)
  - Bozo said, on February 18, 2015 at 9:34 am
    
    I don’t know man, I took so much shit over the years about how great the Coliseum was compared to the Stick, the 89 WS, 100 loss season etc. I’ve just never let it go. The 88 series with the A’s and Dodgers was a nightmare for me, except for a plane ride home from So Cal. Me and some buddies flew down to see the Niners play the Rams. It was a close game but the Niners beat the Rams, it was the game Roger Craig scored 3 TDs and the Rams couldn’t tackle him. There was some epic brawls in the stands that day. Over in LA the A’s got beat down by the Dodgers. The plane ride home was jammed with people from both games, Niner fans still fired up and A’s fans who probably just wanted to drown their sorrows. Needless to say a whole lot of shit talking was going on, so the Stews decided not to bring out the beverage cart, wise move? Maybe, maybe not, it was just lucky that it was a short flight because it sure wasn’t the “friendly skies”. So I do have that memory from the WS where I couldn’t root for either team.
Macdog said, on February 17, 2015 at 8:46 pm

This could be the opposite of Deflategate in Boston if Pablo doesn’t drop some of those pounds.
snarkk said, on February 17, 2015 at 10:25 pm

Doghair’s closer out for up to 3 months. Not that I’m crying for the Doghairs, but how does this stuff happen, get discovered, right before STraining starts instead of two months ago during the off season?…
http://www.csnbayarea.com/giants/dodgers-jansen-out-8-12-weeks-following-foot-surgery
- blade3colorado said, on February 18, 2015 at 12:01 am
  
  That is big. Jansen is the only competent reliever they have in that organization.
Raymond said, on February 18, 2015 at 6:19 am

Agree 200% on Zito…believably unbelievable on Pablo..
Flavor said, on February 18, 2015 at 6:42 am

a new thread is up and at ’em