by Trevor Freeman
I remember Bill Simmons once wrote that every city has a player who never quite lived up expectations. For Boston it was Drew Bledsoe. There are other names you can throw out there on both a pro and college level. Ron Pawlus at Notre Dame and Mike Bibby in Sacramento both come to mind. For fans of the Oakland A’s, there is only one guy who could possibly have this tag bestowed upon him. That man is Barry Zito.
As I sit here and get ready to watch the Mets, Rangers, Mariners or San Francisco Giants open up their wallets and bestow upon Barry Zito the money to last a lifetime, I felt it would be remiss if I didn’t use my featured writer status to write my thoughts on Barry Zito. If I didn’t take the time to provide my evaluation of the premier free agent left on the market.
If you walk around and talk to the average Oakland A’s fan about the defections of key players, every single one sparks a different emotion. With Jason Giambi it is hatred. Jason could open a string of orphanages up and down Northern California and we still would not forgive him for the things he said about Oakland on Letterman. With Miguel Tejada it is sadness. We loved Miggy and it was unconditional. They could dig up pictures of Miguel Tejada sticking a needle in his ass and we would still make arguments like, “you know they can superimpose these things with computers now”. The emotion Barry Zito provokes is a, “maybe it is time we part ways.” We are “Hubbell” in “The Way We Were”. Watching and rooting for Zito for this long has just exhausted us. The postseason was like a microcosm of his entire career in Oakland. Brilliant and then decidedly unbrilliant.
I say this knowing that it will be tough to find another pitcher who can rack up the 102-63 record that Zito did over the last seven years. And I know that sitting on his mantle is a Cy Young Award earned by throwing a dominant 23-5 season in 2002. And I have seen that curveball……..a curveball that most major leaguers could only dream of having. However after watching him lose Game 1 of the American League Championship Series…….a loss that not only took the wind out of our sails, but set the tone for the entire series, I can honestly say that it is time to cut the cord.
The thing with Zito that I always used to tell people was that he was more “actor” than “athlete”. His psyche and demeanor was never one that truly inspired confidence. For example, when you compare Barry Zito’s seven seasons in Oakland to Dave Stewart’s the numbers are actually quite close. Stewart in his stretch had fourteen more wins and six more losses. When it is all said and done, Zito will probably end up with career numbers that warrant a bust in Cooperstown while Stewart is going to have to hope the veteran’s committee takes a strong second look (especially at any footage that involves games against a certain individual nicknamed “The Rocket”). That being said, I would take Stewart to pitch Game 7 of the World Series every day of the week against any lineup over Barry. Zito just never exuded the confidence that Stew did. He lacked the glare, the presence, the “I’m the baddest pitcher on the planet and I don’t care who is walking out of the other dugout” persona.
So I say this to the fans of the teams that are about to shell out tens of millions of dollars for Barry. Know that the money you are investing is in a guy who is a class act. Know that Barry Zito is a lock for fifteen wins and a sub-4 ERA every year for the next six. However, also know that you need to put expectations on him that are lower than the ones we placed in Oakland. Zito is what he is. A very good pitcher, but one who can frustrate you with his inability to become great.
As for us, we’ll take our chances with Harden, Haren, Loiaza and Blanton. None of the “Big Three” remains and maybe that is a good thing. For they represented a stretch in which we kept finishing close but no cigar. As for the new addition we have to make to the rotation. I’m hoping it is Shane Komine or Jason Windsor. It is always nice to get young blood in there. Just like it was when Barry came up seven years ago.
If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
9 replies on “One Last Look At Our Barry Zito”
zito — Nice piece, although one can make a strong argument that Zito’s postseason performances, as a whole, surpassed all other members of Oakland’s big three; it will be interesting to see if Zito’s post-Oakland production mirrors that of Hudson and Mulder.
Zito’s Postseasons What’s funny is Zito’s postseason career is exactly like his regular season. The postseason was a great microcosm of it. First he goes out and outduels Johan Santana to get a pivotal Game 1 at the Metrodome. The next series he completely sh*ts the bed and immediately takes the wind out of the A’s sales. He’s just so up and down and got so frustrating after seven years.
Of all the “Big Three”, Zito had the best pure stuff. No doubt about that. Hudson had the worst, but he had the biggest balls. If Atlanta really wanted to get rid of him, I would take Hudson back in a heartbeat.