The Anti-Barry
Zito brings more than wins to Giants organization
SAN FRANCISCO - It seems only appropriate that baseball's highest paid pitcher has the highest uniform number ever worn in Giants history. Yesterday while Barry Zito was introduced in a press conference, you could see precisely why Magowan believes the 28 year old lefty was worth a seven year committment. He's young, marketable and all in all is everything Barry Bonds is not; He's the anti-Barry and San Francisco should love him for it.
Ask anyone around the league what comes to mind when they think of Barry Zito. It likely involves a yoga mat, surf board and a pookah shells necklace. The guy is as California as they get. In the press conference, after mentioning the charity he created that benefits hospitals for soldiers wounded in military operations, he explained how one of his first acts after signing his 126 million dollar contract was to contact the rest of the Giants rotation to introduce himself.
Hear that Giants fans? It's the sound of something we haven't heard in a long time. Class.
Let's be honest. We all know Bonds' entourage, lounge chair and half hearted late season play were all suspect before, but it was alright because he was the dominant figure that he was. Now, with age catching up to him, Bonds' usual antics just look even more ridiculous when compared to Zito.
Maybe, just maybe, that is why the Giants overpaid.
Peter Magowan and Larry Baer are not stupid. Notice I don't say Brian Sabean due to my personal belief that he has less say in the big contract decisions. After Bonds was re-signed, he seemed more out to defend his own name than the decision itself.
Regardless, Giants management deserves more credit than they have been given so far. The Barry Zito signing brings them three priceless rewards that are included in the young lefty's large price tag.
One, they had to make a splash this offseason to replace Schmidt and Zito gave it to them. They inched closer to their original gameplan of getting younger and averted the non-stop negative publicity from the Bonds agreement the month earlier.
Two, Zito will sell tickets not only to Giants fans, but from Oakland as well. I promise you that Zito's quote on A's fans "coming accross the bridge" when the A's are out of town was something that was fed to him. It is no secret Oakland plans on building a stadium further south which will open a completely new fanbase to China Basin. Who better to usher them in than the former member of their big three.
Most importantly though, the Zito signing made a statement to future free agents that the San Francisco Giants organization is willing to spend dollars to win. Beyond the cash that teams like New York, Boston and Texas spend to cement premier players to longterm contracts, players are just as attracted to a winning organization when pursuing their options. Certainly a Zito-Cain one-two punch is something to build on.
So what are we supposed to see in Barry Zito? A kid who works hard, has class and who wants to win. Whether that is worth 126 million dollars has yet to be seen. Either way, it's nice to know the Giants signed a ball player that values not just winning, but how its done.
SAN FRANCISCO - It seems only appropriate that baseball's highest paid pitcher has the highest uniform number ever worn in Giants history. Yesterday while Barry Zito was introduced in a press conference, you could see precisely why Magowan believes the 28 year old lefty was worth a seven year committment. He's young, marketable and all in all is everything Barry Bonds is not; He's the anti-Barry and San Francisco should love him for it.Ask anyone around the league what comes to mind when they think of Barry Zito. It likely involves a yoga mat, surf board and a pookah shells necklace. The guy is as California as they get. In the press conference, after mentioning the charity he created that benefits hospitals for soldiers wounded in military operations, he explained how one of his first acts after signing his 126 million dollar contract was to contact the rest of the Giants rotation to introduce himself.
Hear that Giants fans? It's the sound of something we haven't heard in a long time. Class.
Let's be honest. We all know Bonds' entourage, lounge chair and half hearted late season play were all suspect before, but it was alright because he was the dominant figure that he was. Now, with age catching up to him, Bonds' usual antics just look even more ridiculous when compared to Zito.
Maybe, just maybe, that is why the Giants overpaid.
Peter Magowan and Larry Baer are not stupid. Notice I don't say Brian Sabean due to my personal belief that he has less say in the big contract decisions. After Bonds was re-signed, he seemed more out to defend his own name than the decision itself.
Regardless, Giants management deserves more credit than they have been given so far. The Barry Zito signing brings them three priceless rewards that are included in the young lefty's large price tag.
One, they had to make a splash this offseason to replace Schmidt and Zito gave it to them. They inched closer to their original gameplan of getting younger and averted the non-stop negative publicity from the Bonds agreement the month earlier.
Two, Zito will sell tickets not only to Giants fans, but from Oakland as well. I promise you that Zito's quote on A's fans "coming accross the bridge" when the A's are out of town was something that was fed to him. It is no secret Oakland plans on building a stadium further south which will open a completely new fanbase to China Basin. Who better to usher them in than the former member of their big three.Most importantly though, the Zito signing made a statement to future free agents that the San Francisco Giants organization is willing to spend dollars to win. Beyond the cash that teams like New York, Boston and Texas spend to cement premier players to longterm contracts, players are just as attracted to a winning organization when pursuing their options. Certainly a Zito-Cain one-two punch is something to build on.
So what are we supposed to see in Barry Zito? A kid who works hard, has class and who wants to win. Whether that is worth 126 million dollars has yet to be seen. Either way, it's nice to know the Giants signed a ball player that values not just winning, but how its done.
posted by chris.daglow at 10:11 AM
6 Comments:
I've been so weary of reading all the east coast biased articles on how this deal was so terrible. Fianlly someone that agrees with me. The Giants needed a new face, a new image, and someone with good PR. On the field and off, signing Zito make the future look a whole lot brighter.
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Thanks,
David
I think it's a not-bad sign, but I just can't buy him doing anything to the Giants' reputation. Frankly, I don't really think any Bay Area teams have one, but it doesn't matter to me. There's a definite east coast bias, and I'm more than happy listening to people who actually know what they're talking about talk about the Giants on KNBR.
Yea, I'm sure reporters in the Bay Area now exactly what's going on. I had a feeling they didn't but in the past week, I've actually had proof to back it. The reports on the Bonds greenies test and the recent contract negotiation blunders have not been coming from San Francisco, Sacramento, even Oakland. Somehow reports in New York, on the other side of the country, have been breaking the big stories as of late. Even SFGate is sending links to their articles. Beyond the Bonds steroids investigation, Bay Area reporters in my opinion have been pretty weak for a long time now.
I love what you are doing with this site. It is very well done. Keep up the good work.
Come on back! The Sporting Green is really starting to bug me. I could use some real insight.
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