Barry Zito News: Pro Sports Daily

Zito ends year with bruised arm, not ego

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October 3

San Francisco Chronicle

"Zito called it the hardest and most painful comebacker he ever took off his body, which jibes with catcher Buster Posey's observation that it "came off the bat hot." "I'm guessing it was going over 100 miles an hour when it hit him," Posey said. This was no way for Zito's season to end, taking a shot off Adrian Gonzalez's bat on his pitching arm in the sixth inning of Friday night's 7-2 Giants victory. At least it missed his elbow, hitting him in the forearm just above. X-rays were negative, and Zito heads into the offseason with a bruise. "He got me as square as it could have gotten me," Zito said. "But the baseball gods treated me well tonight. I didn't die and it didn't break." The only ..."

Turnaround season ends painfully for Zito

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October 3

San Jose Mercury News

"Barry Zito turned catcalls to cheers in his third year as a Giant, but a respectable season came to a sudden, painful and ultimately lucky end Friday night. Zito was struck just below the left elbow by a line drive in the sixth inning of the Giants' 7-2 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The left-hander reflexively held both arms in front of his chest as he was struck by Adrian Gonzalez's vicious liner, which caromed high in the air. X-rays were negative, Zito was diagnosed with an elbow contusion, and he should be fine to make his next start. It helps that his next start won't come for seven months. Zito can't wait for that day. "I think I made a lot of strides," said Zito, ..."

Giants get win, Zito does not

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August 20

San Francisco Chronicle

"Why does the Giants' offense, which has had its share of drowsy spells this season, fall fast asleep on Barry Zito's watch? "I wish I could explain it," manager Bruce Bochy said. "I can't." Zito threw six scoreless innings Wednesday night, but he took a no-decision because the Giants waited until Zito's departure to cross the plate and secure a 1-0 victory over the Reds. Which seemed fine with the 31-year-old lefty. "It's not about individual achievement anymore," Zito said. "We're in a race. It's about the team getting a win every day, no matter how it happens. I think all these guys are willing to make sacrifices with statistics for the team to win." It was the ninth time in Zito's 25 ..."

Zito overcomes walks as Giants defeat Braves

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July 24

San Jose Mercury News

"Barry Zito shut down his Twitter account last week. He is done sending 140-character missives to the smartphone-clutching world. "I thought it'd be better to use that as my outlet," said the Giants left-hander, pointing to the clubhouse exit that leads to the field. Zito's expressive pitching Thursday included five walks and an ongoing battle with his command. But he rose to a very dire occasion as the Giants avoided a four-game sweep with a 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves at muggy Turner Field. "That showed a lot against a hot team to throw a game like that," Manager Bruce Bochy said after Zito held the Braves to three hits in seven innings. "It looked like he was determined to get us ..."

This is cue for Zito to give some back

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July 23

Oakland Tribune

columnist Monte Poole

"BARRY ZITO pitches today, and by now every baseball fan in the world knows the pregame ritual. The Giants hope. Their fans pray. Their opponents swagger and prepare to launch. And then Zito takes the mound, his back straining under the $126 million burden he accepted upon leaving Oakland after the 2006 season to go to San Francisco. Zito is being consumed by great expectations, which he embraced upon signing the largest contract in Giants history, becoming at once the symbol of ownership's desperation and the Great Southpaw Hope for a franchise that had gone 52 years without a World Series championship. Now that Zito is 2?1/2 years into his seven-year contract, 26-40 as a Giant, nothing ..."

Zito, Romo combine to blank Marlins

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July 8

San Francisco Chronicle

"Three years have passed since Barry Zito was an All-Star. He is traveling an uphill road to re-establish himself as an elite pitcher and must be content to cheer teammates Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum as they go to St. Louis for the All-Star Game on Tuesday. If Zito cannot be an All-Star, he can take pleasure in beating one, as he did Tuesday night. In a 3-0 Giants victory, the team's majors-leading 12th shutout, Zito pitched into the ninth and held the Marlins to four hits. In a rare twist, fans booed manager Bruce Bochy for removing Zito after Wes Helms' one-out single. Zito fell two outs short of his first complete-game victory since 2003. Bochy wanted to ensure a win more than a nice ..."

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants blank Florida Marlins

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July 8

Miami Herald

"Barry Zito. Jamie Moyer. As far as the Marlins are concerned, the two soft-throwing southpaws are one in the same -- same meaning the two hurlers always seem to put them in a hypnotic trance. On Tuesday, it was Zito's turn to leave the Marlins in a stupor. The left-hander handcuffed the Marlins in a 3-0 win for the San Francisco Giants, who will be gunning for a series sweep on Wednesday. ''He definitely stuck it up our tail,'' said Marlins third baseman Wes Helms. ``He looked like the Zito of old.'' How bad is it for the Marlins when it comes to Zito? Consider that the left-hander is the poster child for horrible free-agent signings, going 26-38 with a 4.75 earned run average since the ..."

Zito and Giants baffle Marlins 3-0

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July 8

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Perhaps the Marlins should've started catcher John Baker against Giants soft-throwing left-hander Barry Zito Tuesday night. After all, Baker, who grew up in nearby Walnut Creek, began hitting wiffle balls when he was 18 months old. As it was, Zito (5-8) had Marlins batters, including Baker's replacement, Ronny Paulino, flailing at his off-speed curves and change-ups all night long as the Giants also used a two-run homer by Juan Uribe to roll to a 3-0 victory over ace Josh Johnson to take the first two games of this seven-game West Coast road trip. Zito, 30, who allowed four singles with six strikeouts in a season-high 8 1/3 innings, was two-outs away from his first complete-game shutout ..."

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants top Florida Marlins

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June 6

Miami Herald

"The Giants don't exactly light up too many scoreboards across major-league baseball. Entering Friday night's game against the Marlins at LandShark Stadium, San Francisco was tied with Seattle for the fewest runs scored in the majors. And with left-hander Barry Zito -- who makes himself at home in the Marlins ballpark -- the Giants didn't need much offense. Pablo Sandoval cracked a two-run home run off Marlins right-hander Chris Volstad and the Giants received another solid pitching performance from Zito in Miami to defeat the Marlins 2-1. Giants closer Brian Wilson, who walked the bases loaded in the ninth, got Jorge Cantu to ground out to shortstop to end the game. Before Friday night, ..."

Zito pitches well again in defeat

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May 31

San Jose Mercury News

"Barry Zito couldn't win. He could only lose. Yet when he walked off the mound in the seventh inning of his 10th start, the usually raucous Saturday night crowd serenaded him with modest cheers. Zito remained stuck at one victory — exactly where he was through 10 starts last season. The similarity to last year's misery ends there, though, and the home fans seem to be aware of that. Zito (1-6) couldn't protect a one-run lead in the seventh, giving up three doubles over a four-batter span, and the St. Louis Cardinals padded it from there to take a 6-2 victory at AT&T Park that snapped the Giants' four-game win streak. Albert Pujols hit a pair of solo home runs, but the game hinged on the ..."

Zito finds his way back to the land of the living

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May 11

San Francisco Examiner

columnist Bob Frantz

"Maybe it was that last shovelful of dirt that splashed into the face of the career of Barry Zito, which lay at the bottom of a 6-foot-deep trench, that finally woke him up. His career was dead and almost completely buried, with the Giants on the hook for a prolonged $126 million funeral service, when the lifeless corpse suddenly opened its eyes. And when the cold, motionless body suddenly broke through the ever-tightening grip of rigor mortis and sat bolt-upright, what in those eyes did the stunned crowd of mourners, well-wishers and morbidly-fascinated onlookers see? A moment of Zen. The Barry Zito experiment has, of course, been an abject failure since the Giants poured a dump-truck full ..."

Dodgers make Manny disappear, Zito does same to L.A.

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May 9

San Francisco Chronicle

"The Dodgers conjured quite a magic trick. They made Manny Ramirez vanish. The Mannywood section at Dodger Stadium was gone for the series opener against the Giants. So were the posters bearing his image and the dreadlock wigs in the gift shop. In political parlance, the Dodgers "disappeared" their best player after he was suspended for 50 games. The face of their franchise exists in name only on a few T-shirts in their main souvenir tent. Barry Zito, who was paid $126 million to be the face of the Giants, is anything but an apparition. He is a force again and was the real story at Chavez Ravine on Friday night as he captained a 3-1 victory against the Dodgers. Zito allowed a run in six ..."

Zito superb again but remains winless

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May 4

San Jose Mercury News

"Zito superb again but remains winless The first victory of the season again eluded Barry Zito, who allowed two hits in seven shutout innings Sunday. The left-hander has become the tough-luck starter of the rotation, allowing just three runs in 20?1/3 innings over his past three starts — all without receiving a decision. "It's not that important to me, to be honest with you,'' said Zito, who is 0-2 after five starts. "If it was, I'd be frustrated at this point, but I'm not. I feel good about the way I'm throwing the ball, and we've won my last three starts.'' Sunday's game was the second time in three starts that the Giants failed to score while Zito was in the game. "He's throwing the ball ..."

Zito zips through Rockies for seven shutout innings

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May 4

Denver Post

"San Francisco left-hander Barry Zito, who got a seven-year, $126 million contract when he joined the Giants in 2007, finally proved his worth to Giants fans who serenaded him with a standing ovation. Zito pitched seven shutout innings. The Giants are 6-2 against the Rockies in games started by Zito. In those eight starts, Zito is just 2-2, but his ERA is 2.25. "What a great outing," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's hard to throw better than he did." Sinking fast. The Rockies fell to 5-10 in the current stretch of 19 consecutive games against division rivals. The Rockies have four remaining in the stretch, in San Diego today and Tuesday, followed by home games against the ..."

Is Zito ready to be Zito?

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April 28

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist Gwen Knapp

"About six hours before he threw his first pitch Monday night, Barry Zito posted a favorite quote from Abraham Lincoln on his Twitter page: "I don't like that man. I must get to know him better." Was this a sign of softness, of meek passivism rather than the hostility appropriate for a confrontation with the Dodgers? No, it was just Zito being Zito, and on his way to preventing Manny from being lethally Manny. Zito thoroughly stifled the Dodgers until the seventh inning, when his control vanished so dramatically that a pitch flew sideways out of his hand, resulting in a balk. He still hasn't registered a win in the 2009 season, and his first two starts hinted at a repeat of last year's 0-8 ..."

Zito says he's fed up with poor outings

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April 24

San Francisco Chronicle

"Barry Zito is finally fed up. He's fed up with the media's line of questioning, he's fed up with the negative reactions of some fans and, mostly, he's fed up with his own performance. "It's just a matter of getting fed up with going out and pitching below my potential," Zito said after throwing seven shutout innings in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Padres. "I'm going to keep fighting." Zito's new outlook might be just what manager Bruce Bochy ordered. "I think he's put everything behind him, and he's had a different attitude from the get-go this season," Bochy said. "Even after his first game, he came in and said, 'Hey, I'm going to be fine.' "I believe that." If the Giants are going to ..."

Young aiming to get back on track against struggling Giants starter Zito

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April 22

San Diego Union-Tribune

"This is a big day for the Padres. Beat San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon in the final game of an abbreviated two-game series and the Padres stop their first two-game losing streak of the season and return home from a winning 5-3 road trip. Lose and they'll have dropped three straight going into Friday night's opener of a three-game homestand against Pittsburgh at Petco Park. And the road trip will be a push. The good news is the Padres are facing left-hander Barry Zito, who is again struggling at the start of a season. The bad news is that Chris Young has not had great success at AT"

Zito gets beat up by Padres

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April 11

Oakland Tribune

"Barry Zito can talk about reincarnation and redemption, but only his record will make a compelling statement to Giants fans. After his season debut, Zito found himself on the wrong side again. He couldn't pull the string on his curveball in the first inning, and the San Diego Padres batted around while touching him for three runs in the Giants' 7-3 loss at Petco Park. "It's frustrating because I felt great, and I had great stuff in the bullpen," said Zito (0-1), who allowed four runs in four innings while losing his season debut for the sixth consecutive year. "It's just a shame to start off that way, not being myself and doing what I can do." Padres center fielder Scott Hairston, who ..."

Zito wastes no time notching a strikeout

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March 1

San Jose Mercury News

"There will be no strikeout vigil for Barry Zito this spring. The Giants left-hander made his Cactus League debut Saturday against the Seattle Mariners and struck out Ronny Cedeño, the second batter he faced. Last year, Zito didn't record a Cactus League strikeout until March 21 — on his 73rd batter of the spring. Zito has talked about pitching with a new outlook. Now it appears he has sharper stuff to go with it. "I had late life on the fastball and good movement on the two-seamer," said Zito, who threw 30 pitches in two scoreless innings. "Things are finishing late." Zito credits his long-toss work this off-season — he played catch across a canyon from Brian Wilson — with helping him ..."

Zito in comfort zone in 3rd year

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March 1

San Francisco Chronicle

"The fans in San Francisco must be allowed their skepticism over any "Barry Zito is back" talk. Two subpar seasons after signing a $126 million contract will do that to the faithful. The Giants, though, have reason to believe they will get a better Zito in 2009 based on what they see in camp following a better second half last year. Even before he pitched two hitless innings in his Cactus League debut against the Mariners on Saturday, Zito seemed comfortable on the mound. He changed a lot of things last year, including his delivery and pitch repertoire. This spring, Zito seemed comfortable with the pitcher he has become the first moment he grabbed a ball. "This is the third year," pitching ..."

Johnson and Zito post scoreless innings

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February 25

Contra Costa Times

"In an early spring intrasquad game, you expect the pitchers to be ahead of the hitters. Many believe that pattern will hold for the Giants all season. But any lineup probably would have struggled at Scottsdale Stadium on Tuesday. Instead of Single-A pitchers, the 4?1/2-inning scrimmage featured two scoreless innings apiece from Cy Young winners Randy Johnson and Barry Zito. On the eve of the Giants' first Cactus League game, Johnson allowed one hit - a double by phenom Buster Posey - and Zito attacked the strike zone while yielding two singles. Johnson made the biggest impression by just being himself. He paused during warm-ups to shoo a group of photographers working in front of the ..."

Time for Giants to cut Zito loose

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February 17

San Francisco Examiner

columnist Glenn Dickey

"It's time for the Giants to start discussions about a buyout of Barry Zito's contract, or perhaps a trade, though they'd have to agree to pay a big part of his contract. Officially, with the signing of Randy Johnson, Zito has been dropped to No. 4 in the starting rotation. That's a big demotion for a pitcher who before the 2007 season signed what was then the largest contract ever for a pitcher, but he may not even be that good. Jonathan Sanchez had a solid first half last season before tailing off, probably because it was his first full season as a major-league starter, to finish at 9-12 with a 5.01 ERA. He has pitched well in winter ball. Noah Lowry, who was 40-33 with a 4.01 ERA in ..."

Zito and Paris Hilton — who's the overpaid one?

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January 14

San Jose Mercury News

"Zito and Paris Hilton? Who's the overpaid one? Barry Zito and Brian Wilson were off-season workout partners in Southern California. But only one Giants pitcher captures the paparazzi's attention, and it isn't the guy with the tattoos, strangely enough. People Magazine's Web site's Caught In The Act feature noted that the $126 million man was drawing the attention and affection of none other than Paris Hilton at the opening of Hollywood nightclub MyHouse. "Whether it was drinking, hugging, whispering, holding hands, the two were focused only on each other," People writes. Hey, Zito is a big Bull Durham fan, so if Paris can be his Annie Savoy, that can't hurt. n"‚Also Tuesday, a video ..."

Haren, Zito still support each other

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September 9

East Valley Tribune

"Dan Haren and Barry Zito formed a bond in Oakland that neither time nor trades can destroy. So when Zito struggled early in the year, Haren was there to commiserate and offer words of support. The first text message Haren received after his 7-0 loss in Los Angeles on Friday was from Zito, and the two texted back and forth for 20 minutes. "It's funny - the things I was telling him early in the season are the same things he was telling me," said Haren, who will make his next start Wednesday, missing pitching against Zito by a day. "He gave me the same advice back. When you are trying to do too much, you press. He helped me a lot in '05 (when they were teammates in Oakland). He's always been ..."

Girls softball team, Zito combine for complete game for veterans

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August 31

San Francisco Chronicle

"Harold Smith, 66, a Vietnam veteran, attended his first baseball game in 50 years. "Can't tell you what it's like to experience the sounds and smells at the ballpark again," he said. Smith is blind and a patient at the Veterans Hospital in Palo Alto. He and 16 other veterans, including recent casualties from the Middle East who are in the poly trauma unit, were escorted onto the field before a Giants-Rockies game by a dozen girls softball players - a 16-and-younger traveling team, the Fremont Flyers - who have visited vets at the VA hospital and raised money to send 75 care packages to soldiers from the Fremont area serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. "This is one of the best things for the ..."

Zito's missteps pave way for 11-7 loss to Reds

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August 30

San Jose Mercury News

"Giants Manager Bruce Bochy started a new, farm-fresh combination on his infield Friday, knowing that young mistakes would be part of the deal. Sure enough, third baseman Pablo Sandoval made a blunder that a more experienced player probably would have avoided. But Barry Zito, a 30-year-old former Cy Young Award winner, had no such excuse while committing many more missteps in an 11-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Zito (8-16) allowed a grand slam to Edwin Encarnacion in the third inning to trigger fireworks over the Ohio River. The Giants' youth brigade stormed back in the fourth to tie with a four-run rally off hard-throwing Edinson Volquez, but Zito found more trouble in the bottom of the ..."

Zito can't do it for kids

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August 30

San Francisco Chronicle

"This is what makes the Barry Zito saga so maddening for the faithful. Just when he starts to pitch well enough over three or four starts to stop folks from saying, "What are the Giants going to do about Zito?" he has a game that forces everybody to say, "What are the Giants going to do about Zito?" Friday was such a night. The Giants handed 15-game winner Edinson Volquez his worst earned-run beating of the season, six in 51/3 innings. Rookies Pablo Sandoval, Travis Ishikawa, Emmanuel Burriss and Eugenio Velez combined to go 8-for-15 with five RBIs. Yet none of that was nearly enough in an 11-7 loss to a Reds team that that was 8-17 in August and had not scored in double digits since ..."

Giants' Zito has new role: male fashion model

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August 28

San Jose Mercury News

"There were times this season when Barry Zito wanted to crawl into a dark hole. Now he's being plastered to multi-story buildings around the world, and he couldn't be more excited about it. Presenting Barry Zito, male fashion model. By sheer luck, Zito was discovered by a national clothing company, True Religion, and offered a modeling contract in April. Massive billboards featuring a jeans-clad Zito are beginning to show up in major urban areas. The Zito ads will appear on the sides of buses in Japan. In San Francisco, a True Religion billboard is planned for a building near the intersection of Bush Street and Van Ness Avenue. "It's crazy,'' Zito said. "I got a text message from (former ..."

Trust in Zito pays off for Giants

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August 24

San Jose Mercury News

"Barry Zito must be confident about his transformation as a pitcher. Now he's talking about improving his hitting this off-season. "I want to be more of a threat up there,'' he said. When the Giants' season melted away like spring snow in April and May, Zito was the wrong kind of threat on the mound. The game was imperiled every time he threw a pitch, and Manager Bruce Bochy all but used a Vaudeville hook to lift him from games. That hook isn't so quick anymore. Bochy demonstrated that Zito has restored his trust, eschewing a chance to pinch hit for the left-hander in the sixth inning of a tie game Saturday. Zito rewarded Bochy with two more scoreless innings, and the Giants rewarded Zito ..."

Late summer puts spring back in Zito

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August 24

San Francisco Chronicle

"Barry Zito has become so comfortable with his pitching that he already has offseason plans to work on his hitting. I definitely want to be a little more of a threat up there," he said. You know a guy had a good game on the mound when his biggest complaint is how he looked at the plate, but that's the mind-set of Zito these days. The recovering left-hander tossed eight solid innings and won consecutive starts for the first time in 2008. In the Giants' 4-3 victory over the Padres on Saturday, Zito also had a couple of feeble swings-and-misses, which curiously drew some boos from fans who thought a pitcher holding lumber ought to be more presentable, but his fourth-inning RBI single - two ..."

Does Zito's fizzle keep Sabathia's sizzle away?

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August 20

Sacramento Bee

"C.C. Sabathia did it again Monday night. He aggravated Astros hitters to earn his eighth win in nine starts with the Brewers. The Vallejo native should be in the conversation for the National League Cy Young Award, even if he was acquired in early July. Just as his fastball has hitters baffled, general managers are just as befuddled where he will pitch next season. Because Sabathia, 28, is a dominating left-hander in his prime, he will command a ransom in free agency this offseason. For that much loot, the suspects are the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Cubs and Dodgers. It would be great to see Sabathia come home to be a Giant (sorry, the A's would never spend that much). There's one reason that ..."

Zito settles into some success

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August 19

San Francisco Chronicle

"Winning a Gold Glove award doesn't make anyone invincible. Over a full season, even the best defenders will have hiccups. Aaron Rowand admitted to two Monday. Both times, Barry Zito got out of it. "That's fine," Zito said of Rowand's defense. "These guys have been picking me up all year. It's nice to do the same to them." Zito threw seven shutout innings, his second scoreless effort in four starts, and the Giants beat the Braves 5-0 for their first series win in Atlanta since 1993, snapping a string of 20 winless series. They won three of four after losing four straight in Houston. At one point 2-11, Zito has gone 5-4 in 10 starts since June 25 to improve to 7-15. He has seven starts ..."

Giants pull trigger on youth insurgence, then watch Zito implode again

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August 14

San Jose Mercury News

"The Giants' youth movement just wrote a whole new stanza, even if the music wasn't so sweet Wednesday night. Prior to another Barry Zito self-detonation in a 6-2 loss to the Houston Astros, the Giants remodeled their infield corners while adding three fresh faces to the team photo: first baseman Travis Ishikawa, third baseman Ryan Rohlinger and catcher/first baseman Pablo Sandoval. Struggling first baseman John Bowker was optioned to Triple-A Fresno along with backup catcher Steve Holm; third baseman Jose Castillo was designated for assignment, almost assuredly ending his Giants tenure before he could make it through a season. "We're sputtering offensively, and with John's struggles, we ..."

Zito throws batting practice

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August 6

San Jose Mercury News

"It wasn't surprising to see Barry Zito throwing batting practice Tuesday at AT"

Impressive Zito finds his 'mojo'

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August 3

San Jose Mercury News

"It's hard to generate pregame hype for the two worst teams in the National League West, so the TV promos billed Saturday night's game at Petco Park as a battle of former Cy Young Award winners.It didn't matter that one of them, Barry Zito, is six years and roughly 6 mph removed from his trophy season.But this time, Zito lived up to the billing - and then some.He pitched eight shutout innings, his longest outing of the season, to outperform San Diego's Jake Peavy, and the Giants won 2-0 at Petco Park.Zito (6-13) probably didn't have his best stuff of the season - his 10-strikeout game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 5 might rank a little higher - but he attacked the strike zone, ..."

Zito looks like $126 million man

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August 3

San Francisco Chronicle

"When manager Bruce Bochy jogged to the mound with two outs in the eighth inning, he didn't want to pull Barry Zito even though the Padres' scariest hitter, Adrian Gonzalez, was coming up with two runners aboard. "That was his ballgame at that point," said Bochy, who left the mound without signaling to the bullpen. Closer Brian Wilson called Bochy's decision "one of the greatest, most respectable things I've seen." Zito thought it was pretty cool, too. He retired Gonzalez on one pitch to complete eight shutout innings for the first time since Aug. 21, 2004, against Tampa Bay, and Wilson threw a perfect ninth to earn his league-leading 30th save and close out a 2-0 victory. Before Saturday, ..."

Zito takes mound in BP in his quest for answers

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July 31

San Francisco Chronicle

"Several Giants took early batting practice Wednesday. That happens a lot, with coaches usually throwing. The unusual part was who was on the mound. In his unfortunately ceaseless quest to get things right, Barry Zito pitched what amounted to a simulated game against the Giants' hitters rather than throw a normal side session in the bullpen. This is old school. When teams had four-man rotations, pitchers usually threw full-speed batting practice. "It's always a great benefit throwing against hitters in game situations," said Zito, coming off a loss against Arizona in which he allowed six runs and five walks in five innings. "It's something I've done in the past in Oakland here or there. ..."

Zito factored tabloids into choice of team

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July 10

San Francisco Chronicle

"All week, the tabloids here have gone cuckoo over the impending divorce of Alex Rodriguez and his wife, Cynthia, as well as their alleged love quadrangle with rockers Madonna and Lenny Kravitz. Wednesday's New York Post, for instance, wrote about a stripper who supposedly had an affair with A-Rod. The story quoted friends of the woman describing Rodriguez as "beautiful," "very attractive" and "well-endowed." Barry Zito, who pitches in today's series finale at Shea Stadium, acknowledged that stuff such as that played into his decision to sign with the Giants rather than the Mets, who also pursued him. "I knew that would be a factor, the media markets," Zito said. "You get exposed ..."

Indians zapped by Zito, Giants

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June 26

Akron Beacon Journal

"Does it get any worse than this? The Indians played patsy to Barry Zito and lost their second game in a row to the San Francisco Giants, 4-1 at Progressive Field on Wednesday night. As if that weren't embarrassing enough, the Tribe can quit worrying about the first-place Chicago White Sox and focus on staying out of the Central Division basement. Last place is the Indians' new home in the wake of the Kansas City Royals' win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night."

Zito trying to refine his altered delivery

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June 24

San Jose Mercury News

"Pitching coach Dave Righetti confirmed that the Giants had Barry Zito throw his bullpen workout off the main mound at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday to help the struggling left-hander better envision taking his stuff into games. Zito, who pitches Wednesday at Cleveland, is working to repeat an altered delivery in which he throws from a lowered arm angle. The adjustment has helped him gain velocity as well as movement on his sinking, two-seam fastball. But his improved stuff in the bullpen hasn't made it into competition, hence the decision to let him work off the game mound Saturday. "Hopefully this will help him," Righetti said. "It's no big deal.""

Zito trying to refine his altered delivery

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June 23

San Jose Mercury News

"Pitching coach Dave Righetti confirmed that the Giants had Barry Zito throw his bullpen workout off the main mound at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday to help the struggling left-hander better envision taking his stuff into games. Zito, who pitches Wednesday at Cleveland, is working to repeat an altered delivery in which he throws from a lowered arm angle. The adjustment has helped him gain velocity as well as movement on his sinking, two-seam fastball."

Zito does a sitdown with his good friend

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June 22

San Jose Mercury News

"The man who can best explain Barry Zito to the masses - except perhaps for Zito himself, and even then it's close - knows what you're thinking. Mychael Urban is the pitcher's very good friend. He wrote the book "Aces" about the A's final season with Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. He still covers the A's for MLB.com; the site allows him to spend his days off as the weekend host on KNBR's Giants pregame and postgame shows. On Urban's bio at KNBR.com, the station says he "has a very close relationship with Barry Zito which we hope will help us this season." So before their elaborate sitdown interview Tuesday, Urban said he and the butt of all Giants jokes laid out the ground rules. ..."

Giants' Zito (2-11) beaten by Tigers

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June 19

San Jose Mercury News

"How do you solve a problem like Barry Zito? If you're an opposing hitter, it isn't too difficult. You do what the Detroit Tigers did Wednesday afternoon: wait him out, take walks, force him to dump a pitch over the plate and punish it. If you're the Giants, the answers get a bit more elusive. The front office surely will be asking more of the same questions after Zito lasted only two innings in a 7-2 loss to the Tigers at AT"

Home is no place for Giants and Zito

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June 19

San Francisco Chronicle

"What's more embarrassing, 2-11 or 14-24? Barry Zito's season record or the Giants' home record? Actually, they're intertwined. One-third of the Giants' home losses have come on Zito's watch. They lost all eight of his home starts, and he's 0-7 with a 7.34 ERA when wearing the home whites or home oranges. "It feels terrible to let the team down," Zito said. "That's the hardest part, to go out there and have the guys bust their tail and come in here with a loss." In Wednesday's latest breakdown, Zito was pulled after two innings (the second-shortest start of his career) after he yielded five runs to the Tigers. Nine of the first 12 batters he faced reached base. Five hits. Four walks. ..."

Might Giants bring in Peterson to work with Zito?

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June 18

San Jose Mercury News

"A high-ranking Giants official said Tuesday he believes the organization should consider reaching out to fired New York Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson in an advisory role in hopes of helping get Barry Zito back on track. The official declined to comment because he said the topic is sensitive internally and Peterson still is under contract with the Mets. General Manager Brian Sabean said he would not "address anybody else's business" when asked about the Giants' possible interest in Peterson. Zito is 2-10 with a 5.88 ERA this season and has been mostly a disappointment since he signed a $126 million, seven-year deal before last season."

Reuniting Zito with old coach makes sense

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June 18

San Francisco Chronicle

"Rick Peterson was Barry Zito's pitching coach through the pitcher's best years in Oakland. Now that Peterson is unemployed, would it not make sense for the Giants to hire him as a special instructor to work with Zito and help right him? There were indications Tuesday that some in the front office have reached the same conclusion and are considering Peterson, who was canned as Mets pitching coach early Tuesday morning. New York manager Willie Randolph and first-base coach Tom Nieto also were let go."

Mission complete: Get Zito a W

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June 9

San Francisco Chronicle

"Throughout his difficult season, Barry Zito insisted he has not thought about wins and losses, but his teammates have. When Zito left Sunday's game with a one-run lead after five innings, the three relievers who followed Zito were especially motivated. After they accomplished their mission, and the Giants finished their 6-3 victory in the mind-frying heat at Nationals Park, Jack Taschner's voice sped with emotion as shared his feelings about Zito."