He lives on planet Zito

Raymond Ayala / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

Being from the Bay area, I know what it is like for a sports team to waste money on an athlete. True, when my teams spend the big bucks, I’m excited and pleased that my team obviously shows they want to win, but when those players do not pan out, it can be extremely frustrating.

The San Francisco 49ers decided to break the bank for quarterback Alex Smith, giving him a $50 million contract, even though he had never thrown a pass in the NFL. If you want my opinion, Alex Smith quite possibly could challenge Ryan Leaf as biggest NFL bust. You can’t hate him for making the money he does, but it is still frustrating that someone who gets paid so much is able to walk away with without producing anything worth mentioning. This article is not intended to bash Smith, but a different San Francisco athlete named Barry Zito.

The San Francisco Giants signed Zito in 2006 for a contract that paid him an average of $17 million a year. His credentials were impressive during signing: a Cy Young Award winner with a low career ERA and equipped with the best curveball in the league. Zito signed the contract and became one of the worst pitchers in baseball. To put it simply, Zito can’t do anything right.

A local radio announcer, appalled by Zito’s performance, called him out on his large contract. The much deserved jeers were answered by Zito, not with a simple laugh, but with an attack.

“I am doing well and it seems that in your eyes I am evil because I have money. When Timmy Lincecum hits free agency, will he be evil? ‘Cause everyone loves him now as they loved me six years ago.”

The conversation between Zito and the radio host quickly turned into something very unexpected. Zito made statements such as, “I was the Tim Lincecum seven years ago and everyone loved me and there were signs saying ‘will you marry me,’ to, ‘I’ve been through a lot of pain and a lot of struggle.’”

Zito’s true personality was finally exposed to all the local fans and he is one example of an athlete who thinks his life is tough because he has to perform under pressure. I had only a small excuse to dislike Zito before, since I did not know him as a person. Now I can officially say, I not only dislike Zito the baseball player, but Zito the person as well.