Five things about the Athletics
PHOENIX -- Morning?
No, forget morning.
"My mind is crazy in the morning," says Oakland ace pitcher/guitarist/Renaissance Man Barry Zito, most definitely not a morning person. "How about noon? We can rap then."
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| Barry Zito tries to bounce back from his worst pro season. (AP) |
Because when Oakland general manager Billy Beane pulled the levers on his boldest moves yet, sending his fabled Big Three through a shredder this winter until it was reduced to the Big One, he did not just send Tim Hudson to Atlanta and Mark Mulder to St. Louis to rearrange Oakland's payroll and head off the Athletics' latest looming fiscal crisis.
No, in making the moves intended to fortify the Athletics' competitive status for the next several years, Beane anointed Zito as The Chosen One. High noon for Zito, indeed.
"It was the afternoon when I heard about the Mulder trade, I was sitting there with my girlfriend at the time and when we heard about it, she said, 'They picked you! They picked you to be the guy!'" Zito says. "It's flattering. From that day on, I got in the mindset of mentoring young guys and leading the staff. It was kind of a kick in the butt for me to step it up, on and off the field, and provide an example for the guys."
Yes, Hudson was to be a free agent after this season, so he was as good as gone anyway. But Mulder and Zito each had two seasons left on their deals, and the decision to send Mulder away dumped one big helping of responsibility directly into Zito's lap.
And you know what?
"He's loving it, to be honest with you," Oakland third baseman Eric Chavez says. "He's relishing the opportunity.
"Barry likes to be separated from the pack a little bit. I think he's really looking forward to stepping out and being the guy.
"To me, he looks like he's back to being focused, like when he won the Cy Young Award. Actually, his goofball things each year have gotten less and less. I think he's gotten the weirdness out of his system."
