You can blame Zito for being horrible but you can't blame him for the money he gets.
No one told San Francisco to pay him that money and if Zito's agent insisted on that amount, San Fran could have walked (haha) from Zito. Most baseball management (not field managers per se') are so incredible dumb that it boggles the imagination. The entire planet could see Zito wasn't worth the $100 million contract they paid him, but for some unknown reason, San Fran went forth and signed the deal.
Baseball players are greedy for sure but the owners are just stupid making the same idiotic decisions on contract length and money over and over again ... if the agent ask for too much, the owners just need to say no to the demands. There is always one or two owners out there that bite on these massive contracts and then the next agent uses that new massive contract as a starting point for their player.
Being a Reds' fan, I saw it this year when they signed Patterson for $3,000,000 when he was unemployed and it seemed no one wanted him. Why would you sign him for anything is one thing seeing as he is not a good offensive player, but why pay him $3 million. Why - because there are very few owners who have a clue as to anything and they throw money around like a rich dad trying to buy his kids' love.
Players are greedy ... Agents are ruthless ... Owners are the dumbest mofo's on the planet.
I couldn't agree more. What are these general managers and owners smoking? Zito numbers got worse each years since his 20 win campaign and yet somehow those increasingly mediocre numbers were worthy of $100+ million over way too many years? The Giants were bidding against themselves.
Too many GMs are out of their league in negotiating with agents. Somehow, just like people stuck watching time share presentations to get their free one-night stay at some resort, the GMs get suckered in to doling out crazy money for a talent that any team can get. Zito, even if you were optomistic, was basically a .500 pitcher with a middling ERA. A pessimist would have said, stay away, he is Eric Milton reincarnate. How, how, how, could ANYONE be so weak-minded as to be talked up to many years and $100+ million over something so obviously mediocre? I would feel sorry for Sabean being so overmatched mentally, but I can't because somehow, this fantastic GM, who has completely driven the Giants into the ground, still has a job and gets to sit in luxury box and watch games for free. Good giggly gravy, what has the world come to?
What's even more sad, some team will overpay to scoop up the "coveted" general manger named Sabean once he is fired. Truly sad.
The only thing you can blame Zito for is actually taking the money. A real stand up guy would be embarrased and ashamed enough to tell the organization and it's fans that he has taken them to the cleaners enough and will start giving back 1/2 a game's pay for every loss. Now that's what I call history in the making, and a great resolution for every player who faces a full lifetime "loser" label for being WAY overpaid.
I was laughing when I heard that the Giants signed Barry Zito and I was laughing even harder when I heard how much they were paying him!
Now that he is a middle reliever is evenmore laughable! You can't feel bad for the guy, he is getting paid a butt load to suck! I wish I could do that!
A real stand up guy would be embarrased and ashamed enough to tell the organization and it's fans that he has taken them to the cleaners enough and will start giving back 1/2 a game's pay for every loss.
I don't know what you do for a living, but before you can write something like this on a forum you should have to prove you'd be willing to give back money if you stink at something you do. Really, if you are a teacher and several of your kids flunk, do you go to the superintendent and say "I didn't earn my salary, here's 25 percent of it back."
You wouldn't and Zito shouldn't have to either. That's just dumb.
The funny part is watching these AL pitchers implode. I read so much about how "easy" the National League is. The A's Big Three from a few years ago -- Hudson, Mulder and Zito -- have not been nearly as good in the NL. Our own Bronson Arroyo was 24-19 with the Red Sox before coming back to the NL with the Reds. Arroyo went something like 7-0 the first time around the league and is all of 17-29 since.
And in the AL? The best pitcher is Josh Beckett, who is dominating that league more than he ever dominated the NL.
Really, if you are a teacher and several of your kids flunk, do you go to the superintendent and say "I didn't earn my salary, here's 25 percent of it back."
You wouldn't and Zito shouldn't have to either. That's just dumb.
Actually, OU Tooo, your post defies logic much worse. A teacher makes about $50K per year, while Zito makes about $500K per start. Of course you don't give back your salary as the teacher because you're not looting anyone. Zito giving back 1/2 of his salary for every loss, even if he lost every game he started, would equal to a total loot of about $7Million he would still make for the year. What's "dumb" about my post is made much smarter by your illogical comparison.
I'm wondering if there's an injury he's not letting on. Also, come on, the Giants are awful this year. They have no talent and are a legitimate 100 game losing team. The amount of money a player makes is subjective. A team will offer a player what THEY think the player is worth. I wish Giants fans a quick season and better front office personnel(maybe they could hire another guy from across the bay to make the team better- Billy Bean)
A team will offer a player what THEY think the player is worth.And that was my original point when I started this thread. How could any GM/Owner ever think that Zito was worth $124 million?
