they were rumors about undisclosed arm ailments for Zito last winter

Even at this speed, it wouldn’t be a fiasco if he had more control and movement. Our hope for Zito should become the new Jamey Moyer. Moyer blossomed in his 30’s without a real fast ball. He has to learn to pitch. What I’ve been wondering is whether there are other examples of relatively soft tossing lefties who were very successful early and then flopped at around age 30. No one comes to mind. Usually it’s the flamethrowers who burn out early.

Good point about Barry’s heavy innings and the possibility of a dead arm. Do you think the Giants realized when they signed Barry that aside from Livan Hernandez, he had thrown more pitches than any other major league pitcher in the six years before joining the Giants? Do you think they cared if they DID know?

At the time the Giants signed Barry, here were the factors that should have been considered, beginning with the positive side:

. Still young (28)

. Never missed a start.

. A move to the NL usually improves a pitcher’s ERA.

. Cy Young Award winner

. Innings eater

Then:

. Declining peripherals

. Poor Septembers the past two seasons, perhaps pointing to a tiring arm.

. Second-most pitches thrown over the past six years.

. Actually pitched slightly better against AL teams than NL teams during the months of interleague play.

. Only a 55-46 record over the previous four years after going a resounding 47-17 in his first two and a half seasons. (Barry’s rookie year was only half a season.)

. A 4.05 ERA over the past three seasons after a sparkling 3.12 ERA in his first three and a half years.

Yes, it’s easy to make these points with 20/20 hindsight and a badly-struggling Barry Zito. But these are the points the Giants should have been examining at the time of the signing—and the points I made on another Giants board immediately after the signing.

You could ask rxmeister, who posts here frequently. He backed the signing of Barry, while I decried it.

By the way, the two Giants’ signings I was most adamently against prior to the Giants’ signing Barry were those of Neifi Perez and Jose Vizcaino, both of whom were released by the Giants before their contracts were complete.

My question is, if I can see it in advance, why can’t the Giants? Hey, I’m not right all the time, either. But should a fool such as me, a layman who doesn’t get laid (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) be right more often than a paid professional? And if so, why is that professional being paid—and worse, rehired?