The Five Stages of Grief

The money is so freaking insane. This is "Roger Clemens in his prime" money. When does Johan Santana become a free agent and what could Boras get for him? His own planet?

no #1 for frank (who was a legit MVP contender), no #1 for zito (who gets the richest contract for a pitcher in history). what a bummer. this is supposed to be a really good draft, and i was looking forward to having multiple #1's to retool our barren farm system. dammit.

I thought the grief process was supposed to take a while. You've completed the cycle by the end of morning.

"It's also mine to decide to forget about the guy"

I'm with you here. Well, as much as I can be, seeing how Zito was never quite my favorite to begin with. He's going to make a boatload of money on a mediocre team. Good for him, blah blah blah. What's next for the A's? That's all I care about right now. Funny how a guy who was so much a part of the team for the last however many years so qucikly becomes a footnote.

I would've kept the jersey, if Z went to the Rangers, Mets or Dodgers -- but the Freakin' GIANTS??

Any suggestions on what I should do with it?  Whould I use it to wash the car? polish my shoes? Or just burn the thing, and consider it an offering to the Moneyball Gods?

Does any ANer ever root like I do when the Giants and the Dodgers play...go Dodger blue???  Even more reason to now.  OH, THE PAIN!!!

he aggravated and tantalized us for the last 4 years, and he was working on the ultra-cheap.  He may drive Giants fans absolutely insane, and we'll get to see it up close and personal.  Gimme that Zito jersey - I'll wear it over to BigPhone park as Zito goes 100 pitches thru 5 innings.

On the other hand, a fresh start in a new league without the DH may be just the ticket to re-start the clock on his trick pitch of a hammer.

No matter what happens, Scott Boras is THE MAN!  Why would any free agent-to-be ever hire any other agent?  $40MM more than the next highest bidder?  Say goodbye, Brian Sabean.

I needed to go thru the 5 stages too..  I've been over with Barry by end of last season.  It was all about 'show me the money' especially when he signed with Boras.

Here's why:

1. He was leaving anyway, so since he was leaving where would you rather he go.
2. I hate the Giants as much as I hate any team...
3. Now, if you're in the Bay Area like me, you can see Zito pitch for the rest of his career if you want to. You can hear his radio show--an obvious given on KNBR--if you want to. You can read about him as much as ever. Nobody's making you do these things, but you can. He's still around. That's cool.
4. He's in the NL. He didn't go to Texas or the Angels or even the Yankees.
5. God bless Barry, but it's a truly awful signing. $18 million a year for seven years. That's a nightmare contract. Does anybody fear the Giants will now be winners because of that contract? They've shown they have limited money to some extent. Well, down the road, that contract will limit them more.

he's with the Gnats! It could be worse if he signed with the Rangers...

Now when I talk about Barry with my Gnat friends I'll have to be more specific, like Barroids, or Z-Man, or Guitar Man, etc...

I'm glad Barry got all of this money.  He's a great guy and has been a great contributor.

But ...

I'm not bothered at all that he's leaving.  He's just not that good.  He'll beat most of the awful National League teams most of the time, but he'll struggle with average to above average clubs.  In short, his stats will look good, and he'll win some games, but he won't be a difference maker.  The Giants made a real mistake:  who would you rather have, Schmidt or Zito?

And Barry will discover that although San Francisco is an easy market, it is still less forgiving than Oakland.  Next time Barry has one of those games when every 0-2 count ends up running full and he then gets up to 96 pitches in the 5th inning ... the media might actually say something.  And Barry will come to understand that, however forgiving ATT Park may be, there's not a lot of foul territory, the third baseman and second baseman can't catch the ball, and the Giants bullpen is not what the A's bullpens were.  No more Calero to Duke to Street and Barry gets the win.

Remember that Giants fans are still angry at that horrible World Series game 7 pitched by Livan.  Imagine what they will say when Barry pitches a game as important as Game 1 of the Championship Series was against the Tigers ... and doesn't get out of the 4th inning, allowing 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out absolutely nobody.

The Giants over-paid.

FOX News, from all places.  I was going out to lunch and was listening to the news on the radio at 12 PM.  

"... storm in Denver... blah blah blah..."

".... Saddam Hussain... blah blah blah..."

"The Barry Zito Sweepstakes... <Held my breath, expecting to hear the Yankees> .... San Francisco Giants...."  <Sigh of relief>

I'm not upset by this.  At all.  

I had been preparing myself for this moment all year long.  Maybe the pollyanna in me was still wishing that Zito would be back in green and gold, but the realist in me knew better.  

I'll still get to watch Zito pitch.  If anything, I'll get to watch more Zito starts on tv than ever before.  Plus, when Zito has one of those starts where he can't find the K zone, it wouldn't bother me as much.  

Good luck to you, Z!  Thanks for the memories.  

I heard this and my main reaction wasn't one of disgust or anger... it was more incredulity.  Are you kidding me?

Pac Bell is probably the absolute best park for him (if his OF-ers can step up), but durability is not worth $18 dollars a year.

Well...Zito went across the Bay. At least he did not go to a team in the AL West and especially the New York Yankees (Imagine Zito in those Yankee pin stripes). The Giants over paying him $18 million a year is due to the market value. Just look at this year's crazy, insane market where Gil Mecehe and Jeff Suppan (both sub par/mediocre pitchers) both make around $10-11 million dollars next year (What a complete joke!).
Now he's gone and we know Beane has done and will do his best to make the A's not only a playoff contender, but more importantly, a contender for the  W.S.

I've always been a Giants fan, too, through the awful 70's and 80's, and I like Barry a lot. This is the second best place he could have ended up- and I'm just glad that my #1 team didn't cough up the ridiculous dollars. But I'm pulling for Barry to get his NL rings and a ticket to the HOF. Maybe his plaque could have one of those awful half A's half Giants hats we used to see during the Bay Bridge series back in the day.

Congrats to Barry. We'll see you in, what, June?

-MVK

You're paying a guy that much money who's going to pitch a game once every five days and he's probably not even in the top ten category for starters in either league.  Amazing.

When i first heard the news seeing the headline on TV, i was shocked and just turned it off. I'm thinking, "How could Zito do this???" I, personally, hate the Giants (mainly cause of the giants-based media and barry bonds like a lot of a's fans i presume) and don't know what to think now. Should i still cheer on Zito or boo him?

Btw, along with a ton of people, i agree that Zito got way overpaid. Do i see another Mike Hampton coming?

i instantly hate, some i still like somewhat such as Miguel Tejada..sure he mad some bonehead defensive plays and swung at too many pitches out of the zone...but he was clutch, i remember when the A's won over 20 straight games a few years back he won at least 2 or 3 at the end of the game..also he really wanted to stay w/ the A's but management did want to pay him what he deserved with Bobby Crosby ready to step up to the big leagues.
Hate List:
Jason Giambi
Reggie Jackson
Johnny Damon
Frank Thomas(still respect him greatly but he should have stayed with the A's since they offered him only slight less, rejuvanated his career and gave him a shot at a true WS title(05 w/ the Sox doesn't count)
Dotel(jsut cuz he sucked for us)
Zito(the 1st time i see him in a giants uni...ill never give him respect)

Still fan off:
Miggy
Hudson
Mulder...if he is willing to sign a frank thomas type deal..id love to have him back
Dye
Ricky Henderson...despite flipping between many teams and resurfacing w/ the A's..always liked his play and believe hes the best leadoff hitter in recent history

I was very glad when I heard he signed with the Giants. He had no chance of signing with the A's (not his fault we don't have enough cash).
As an A's fan who attends alot of games, I will see the Giants about 6 times, so I will get to see Curveball Boy allowing home runs and giving free passes to our guys!
Will he wear #75?
AT&T Park is a good park for him and the NL is better for him. Look what happened to Randy Johnson in NY.
The Giants are going nowhere. I thought Zito said he wanted "multiple World Series rings". Not on the Giants, Bud.
I will always remember him coming up big against Johann Santana in Game 1 of the 2006 ALDS. Us A's fans have that 3 game sweep against the heavily favored Twins to remember forever. We broke the 9 clinching game losing streak in dramatic fashion, and the East Coast biased national media had to give the A's some respect.
And then Zito laid an egg in the ALCS.
The Giants won't even go to the postseason anytime soon.

struggling just trying to make ends meet,  and you're hearing about all these bloated ridiculous contracts that'll ultimately drive tickets prices further from the reach of, not only families, but also maybe yourself--how does that make you feel, today?

that should be steadfast in the baseball universe.  

1.) The A's will contend for a championship every season.  If they are in a re-building phase, it's generally understood that that is not an euphamism for "we suck, and we don't care" by management.

2.)  The Giants will forever be consigned to an empty WS trophy case.

Does the Zito signing by the Giants further one of the two truths above?  Why yes, yes it does.  Here's to the Giants being financially hamstrung for the next few seasons!

1. Barry Zito is a good pitcher.  He's not going to be a Mike Hampton disaster.  Sometimes, as we've all seen over the years, when the curve is working and umpire is calling it, Zito can be a dominant pitcher.  By signing him, the Giants improved their team.  
2. The contract is ridiculous.  Seven years for a pitcher?  At $18 million a year?  I really never imagined he would get that much, even after some of the other pitchers got absurd deals.
3. I was reminded, the other day, of what drives me nuts about Zito.  In the Chronicle interview, he starts talking about how the team was too satisfied with beating the Twins in the playoffs and that he, too, lacked intensity against the Tigers in the ALDS.  

You've got to be kidding me.  Zito was our #1 starter, pitching for the pennant for the first time, and he's not jazzed about it?  And then, as outlined above, he fell apart following the Inge home run and followed it with his usual round of excuses about being too fine.

4. I will miss Zito's good health, and my general feeling that he would give the team a chance to win in almost every game.  I will miss the pretty curve and his generally cool vibe.  Zito has been part of the A's revival, and it will be strange, however expected, for him to be gone.
5. I will not miss the irritating pitch count watch.  Oh, it's the second inning and Zito has already thrown 37 pitches, even though the game is scoreless.  That drove me nuts.
6. Zito should do well in the National League, at least at first.  Their hitters haven't seen him as much, and AT&T Park seems perfect for him.  The Giants are struggling now, but are almost always a playoff contender.  And once in the playoffs, you know, it's a crapshoot.
7. Scott Boras earned his money.  Zito stayed out of Texas and New York, places that wouldn't have worked for him.  Instead, he remains on the West Coast AND gets paid an absurd amount of money by a team that overbid to get a pitcher who is unlikely to ever match his early-career success.
8. I don't really understand the bitterness.  We all knew this was coming.  And even if the A's could have matched the offer, would you really have wanted Beane to do so?

I have very mixed feelings about the signing:

Positives:

1.  I knew he was gone and am happy that he is not going to a team in the AL West
2.  He will still be in the Bay Area media scene so although he will be gone, he won't really be gone.
3.  I am glad to know that the Giants way overpaid for a pitcher whose skills have been deteriorating and will not be worth Gaudin money by the end of the contract.
4.  I think this improves the change that the Mets will rekindle talks for Joe Blantion.  It sounds like the Mets are willing to back up the loading van for Blanton.

Negatives

1.  I have always been a Zito fan and hate to see him go to a team I detest (not as much as the Yankees, but still detest).
2.  On a baseball purist level, I can't stomache giving any pitcher, even a Johan Santana a 7-year contract. Like the Dodgers' Kevin Brown signing, the Giants will regret the signing in two or three years if not before