I was driving around on Sunday afternoon listening to the Giants pregame show. It was a beautiful day so I took a quick drive to Folsom Lake and ate lunch. While listening to the pregame show I heard the "Kruk & Kuip" portion of the show.
The announcing duo was talking about the previous night Barry Zito implosion. Zito's line for the night, 3.2 Innings, 7 hits, 8 runs, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts, 2 home runs. Bad Zito showed it's ugly face on Saturday night and the Giants-Padres game was promptly over by the midway point of the second inning.
Kruk and Kuip are at least honest and say they are "Zito apologists". K & K stated the obvious and said Zito can never catch a break in the eyes of Giants fans. Zito can have three great starts in a row (which he did) but once he has one bad start, Giants fans hate him (which is also true).
Kuiper ended the conversation which I guarantee every Giants fan listening to that segment nodded in agreement. When Zito is bad, he's really bad. Like 8 runs and 2 home runs in 3 innings bad.
And that is why Zito has always been derided with Giants fans. He's payed like Halladay, but he pitches like shit when everything is going bad. And when everything is going bad for Zito, there really isn't a worst pitcher.
Krukow suggested that Zito needs to pitch with something on the line. In the three starts before Zito imploded on Sunday, there was something the Giants needed from him. Namely they either needed him to pitch deep into the game because the bullpen was worn out from the previous game or they needed Zito to go on short rest. Krukow said that maybe Bochy needs to create something to be on the line for Zito to pitch well.
I'm sorry folks, but if you need an artificial reason to motivate yourself to perform at your best then you need to find another line of work. Everyone has off days. Those days when you feel like crap and would rather be anywhere else but work. I understand that. But do you really need to find an artificial reason to motivate yourself to perform at work every day?
"If Zito needs to motivate himself for every start, then I agree with you he needs to find another line of work," quips the Colonel. "When I graduated from law school I worked for an tax attorney. I couldn't stand that job. The work was boring and the pay too low. So I quit and went into a different practice that didn't pay much more, but the line of work was much more enjoyable. You need to have fun at work."
And that is the problem with Zito. Somewhere along the line he stopped having fun. I don't know if it was because he signed such a big contract and didn't really care anymore if he played well or not. Or did Zito hear the first boos from the San Francisco crowd and stopped having fun at the yard that day?
Like Jonathon Sanchez, Zito remains a mystery. His starts are a journey into the wilderness. One pitcher is the enigma and the other is the melancholy.
Full disclosure: I'm an off again on again wrestling fan. I can go periods without watching wrestling for a couple of years. When I get back into wrestling, I really get back into wrestling. I'll buy the DVD's, read all the online news, and immerse myself into Monday Night Raw again.
I'm in one of my periods of not watching wrestling. That was until the past couple of weeks and the craziness that has surrounded this CM Punk storyline. CM Punk has been doing a serious of shoot interviews during Monday Night Raw that a non-wrestling fan has no idea if Punk is reading from the script or really voicing his displeasure with the WWE. Even Jim Rome talked about one of Punks interviews on his radio show.
So the Colonel and I along with the usual crew pooled our money together and bought the Money In The Bank PPV card at the Mos Eisley Cantina. The only match we want to see is the Punk versus John Cena match. That is the only match worth watching.
"I can't believe I'm watching wrestling," says the Colonel who is drinking an Old Fashioned. "I haven't watched wrestling since the Ultimate Warrior days."
"You didn't mention the fact that we're all over the age of 15," says the Bandit which elicits laughter from the room.
"So this is a normal match?" asks the Colonel because the previous matches involved ladders. "I believe so," I respond.
"I love how into the match the Chicago crowd is," says the Bandit. "Hell I'm starting to get into this match. I hate you Keith for making me care about a fake sport."
"I'm sorry," I say with a smile."This will be a one night thing. I promise"
The Bandit and I are enjoying a pitcher of Coors Light and the Boz's famed pulled pork. The bar is cool because the windows are open and the temperature in Sacramento this week has been a surprisingly pleasant for this time of the year.
"Wait! Cena is suppose to be the good guy but he is being booed?" asks the Colonel.
"Cena has a weird dynamic with wrestling fans," I say ashamed with myself that I know so much about wrestling and the wrestlers even though I haven't watched wrestling in about a year and a half. "Cena is loved by young kids and teenage girls. But he has to be the most hated champion of all-time. Adult men wrestling fans hate the fact that Cena is the top guy in the WWE. Hate that he wears jorts to the wring. Hate the fact that he is so limited with his wrestling moves. Hate the fact that he beloved by children."
"I forgot that wrestling fans are a fickle bunch," says the Colonel who orders another old fashioned.
The match itself is a slow burn. Both men are taking big bumps* and hitting their moves. I'm enjoying this a little too much. I'm definitely taking a cold shower when I get home.
*I'll only use wrestling jargon this one night only.
I forgot to mention this. There is a stipulation for both guys in this match. If Punk wins he walks out of the WWE with the title. Like he quits and takes the title. If Cena loses, he has to retire. And if you followed wrestling for five seconds in your life, you know the retire match is a staple. Ric Flair wrestled in so many "retirement matches" that the match itself should be called a "Ric Flair".
"Ah crap. Now I'm with the Bandit. I'm really into this match," says the Colonel as both wrestlers tried a submission only to go into several near falls. "The crowd is great and the match has a nice pace. I'm enjoying myself."
The match has now gone over the 30 minute mark and I'm on the edge of my seat. Both guys have hit their finishing move only to see the only guy lift their shoulder before the 3-count. CM Punk is a great worker so I really shouldn't be surprised, but this is a really great match. How do I know this? The non-wrestling fans are at the edge of their seats.
Near the end of the match, Vince McMahon comes to the ring and attempts a Montreal Screwjob. Except Cena won't let him do it. Then Punk hits Cena with his finishing move and gets the 3-count. CM Punk is the winner! McMahon tries to get another wrestler to win back the belt, but Punk hits him with the belt and escapes through the crowd and the TV goes black. I can't believe how much I enjoyed that ending. I might to have to actually watch Raw tomorrow night.
"Oh no. That means we have to watch tomorrow night just to see what happened to the belt," says the Colonel. The Bandit and I nod in approval. We're watching Monday Night Raw tomorrow night.
Just another night at the Mos Eisley Cantina.
The Punk storyline has been fascinating for one reason. It feel real.
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