First off let me say how wrong I was about yesterday’s Barry Zito pitching performance.

I had theorized that Barry would get knocked around again by the San Diego Padres and the team would lose. What took place was quite the opposite as Zito threw seven scoreless innings as the Giants won their third straight game.

When I saw that Zito would be pitching yesterday I just assumed it would be another rough outing. After all, he has had more bad outings than good ones in his 2 plus years with the Giants.

It’s much easier to assume the worst when #75 is on the hill than to expect the best but I should be above that sort of negative chatter. I should give him the benefit of the doubt when he takes the ball and not be a hate monger.

Even though his ERA still hovers near 6, I will no longer expect bad things when he’s on the mound. I vow to take a positive tack both on and off the air when it comes to Barry Zito.

It’s clear that he still has the stuff to pitch well and get major league hitters out, even though he hasn’t done it consistently during his time in the orange and black.

Yesterday he had the curve curving, the fastball zooming (kinda), and the change up changing things up. Bottom line, he was dealing.

Zito is a man who thrives on positivity and self-assurance and I will no longer spread the kind of vitriol that could derail his confidence and psyche.

There’s too much hate in the world and I will no longer peddle such negativity.

Be great Barry. I’m behind you from now on into eternity.

126,000,000 has become a stigmatic number, not only in the Bay Area but in the world at large.

That figure of course relates to the gigantic contract signed by Barry Zito just a few short years ago. He’s being paid that much money over seven years to throw a baseball for the San Francisco Giants, regardless of how well he does.

Therein lies the biggest problem with the deal; he doesn’t  have to perform well to “earn” the money. He’ll be paid 126 million dollars no matter how many times he gets shelled, bombed, roughed up, or knocked around.

Zito is on display today as the Giants face the Padres in a matinee at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Today’s performance is a big one for Barry because the rest of the rotation has dominated over the last four games.

Already relegated to the #4 spot in the rotation, expectations for Zito have plummeted. At this point, most fans would take a 6 inning, 3 earned run performance anytime, a sad fact considering how high hopes were when he signed.

Just for perspective, here are the past four pitching efforts by Giants’ starters. I’ll give the numerical line score (IP, H, R, ER, BB, SO) for each.

Sanchez 6.2 2 0 0 4 4 WIN

Lincecum 8 5 0 0 0 13 No Decision

Johnson 7 1 0 0 2 7 WIN

Cain 6 9 2 2 0 5 WIN

The four horsemen of the Giants rotation have yielded just 2 earned runs over 27 and two-thirds innings over the last four starts.

If this was bowling, Zito would be staring down the barrel of a beer frame. This happens when all players on a lane bowl a strike and one player does not. This guy must then buy a round of beers.

Judging by the size of Zito’s contract, he’s able to buy a round of beers for the entire stadium.

Assuming there will be 30,ooo fans in the house today, multiplied by the cost of a beer (approximately 9 bucks at the yard), Zeets is looking at a bill of $270,000 for a bad outing.

That’s chump change. Zito probably has that much in his car’s ashtray or couch cushion.

There has been a tremendous amount of “early hope” surrounding the 2009 San Francisco Giants, cloaking a somber reality.

As much as we all are hoping for a prolonged pennant-sniffing run for this like able bunch, we must be realists.

The blueprint exists for a dreadful 100-loss season.

I’m pulling for this team to hit, field, and pitch at the highest possible level and I have a lot invested in this team personally and professionally. That said, the possible shortcomings need to be recognized.

Here then are the Top 10 reasons the Giants will lose 100 games. Each of these items is worth 10 losses (plus/minus 2) and all are potential scenarios that we must be prepared to face as the summer unfolds.

1. TIM LINCECUM LETDOWN

It would be nice if the reigning Cy Young award winner could replicate last season’s success but that’s not likely. Even if he has a solid year, the threat of the Verducci Effect is real.

2. THE BIG MILESTONE

Randy Johnson is two bad starts in and still an eternity from the magic 300 win plateau. Hard to win when you get knocked around and they’ll trot him out all year in search of the hallowed milestone.

3. 126 MILLION REGRETS

Full disclosure here, I’m a fan of Barry Zito. A good guy and a philanthropist. He just can’t get outs consistently. Already “demoted” to the #4 slot you have to wonder what happens next if he keeps getting shelled?

4. EDGAR’S INTEREST

Off to a terrible start at the plate, he has shown defensive malaise as well. With a two-year deal intact, can’t see him over-exerting in August.

5. YOUNG GUNS GET SOME

As the season slips and slides down and down, the team will turn to the young stars to get some experience. Buster Posey and Madison Baumgarner lead the charge as wins no longer matter.

6. CATCHING A COLD

The best example of a Gamer is Benjie Molina but he’s the only catcher on the squad right now. He’s already getting nicked up and could be in for a long year.

7. STUFF BUT NO STUFF

Current fifth-starter Jonathon Sanchez has been a letdown. He’s got electric stuff but struggles to win.

8. DIMINISHING DEFENSE

Renteria is a big downgrade defensively at shortstop and Pablo Sandoval has a long way to go at third base. Eugenio Velez is atrocious off the bench and this turns close games into losses.

9. BETTER WEST

Even after just a handful of games, the NL West is looking far better than most experts thought. The Padres have already demonstrated that they’re at least competitive and Arizona and the Dodgers are superior.

10. POWER OUTAGE

In order to avoid protracted losing streaks, it helps to have the threat of the long ball. This Giants team will not have a 20-homer player nor will it hit 100 as a team. Yikes.

For those of you who happened to catch me on KNBR 680 this past weekend doing Giants pre and post game , this is old news.

I love fractions.

I’ve always been a big fan of mathematics, especially the application to sports. I think there is incredible truth in the “math of sports”, especially as it pertaines to baseball.

I am trying to use the applied math to assuage my growing concern about the 2009 Giants.

Even though they are only 7/162nd of the way into the season, this year’s edition of the Giants does not look good. Not at all.

Suffering through a four-game losing streak and fresh off an 11-1 beat-down by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants are reeling. Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum has had two rocky starts and the suspect hitting lineup has not produced in its four-game road trip.

In fact, the only starting pitcher that has done quality work to date is Matt Cain. Randy Johnson, Jonathon Samchez, and of course the enigmatic Barry Zito, all had rough outings.

From a hitting standpoint, only Fred Lewis, Benjie Molina, and Randy Winn appear locked-in. Emmanuel Burriss looks overmatched and Edgar Renteria looks disinterested.

Add to the mix the fact that the defense has been dubious and you have the recipe for a very long season. All of a sudden, the Giants look like the team with 100-loss potential.

BALLS APLENTY FOUND

I am many things to many people but there is one thing I have never been and I hope to never be.

Mr. Fix It Yard Guy.

**disclaimer** I have nothing but respect and admiration for this person; the one who can handle the maintenance, landscaping, construction, etc. I don’t have the skills necessary nor do I have any interest in doing this work.

That said, my brother-in-law Devon and his crew came over yesterday and did an amazing cleanup of the weeds that circle my humble abode. They pulled major amounts of crap from the yard and made it look incredible and there was a great hidden bonus.

The crew retrieved 33 sports/games items that had been lost amid the jungle in our yard. The list includes…

13 tennis balls…3 stomp rockets…4 wiffle balls…5 foam footballs…1 plastic trowel…2 plastic horseshoes…3 super balls…1 percussion instrument…and 1 flying disc.

unbelievable.

I tend to be a guy who does not dwell on sadness and the grim reality of life-on-Earth but today’s events have rocked me.

I’m sure most of you have heard about the very untimely death of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenheart. The 22-year old was fresh off his arguably his best day as a professional baseball player, only to have his life taken in a horrific traffic accident.

It’s rare in my job as Sports Anchor for KNBR 680  that I have to actually “break” hard news that pertains to the sports world. We run an intentionally light-hearted Morning Show and most of the bad sports news can be sprinkled in accordingly.

Today’s jolt was far different.

I guess for me it hit home extra-hard because the man was on the cusp of truly realizing all the dreams he had worked so hard to achieve.

The nature and violence of the accident reminds me that all of this “life we get” is such a tremendous gift and can be taken at any moment that it must be appreciated and then appreciated again.

I want to say that I take nothing for granted and live every moment but that’s not entirely true. I’m just going to spend the rest of the monets of this one day trying to experience and really “feel” everything, knowing that it could be the last “now” at any time.

MASTERS BEGINS

As I debate whether or not to bring my kids to the yard for Giants-Brewers, I can’t wait for Masters coverage to begin.

Nothing like the opening montage of foliage and play-you-missed from earlier to satisfy my golf Jones. I’ve intentionally eschewed internet coverage since Tiger teed off, making that opening all the sweeter.

Again for the record, my cash (proverbial) is on Jeev Milkha Singh.

I’m super-glad to be back in Cali after a long (almost) week in Detroit/Dearborn. I’ve been thinking this morning about the upcoming week and how it feels like a Monday to me, despite the fact that the week is almost over.

The Final 4 trip was really good (except for the crappy title game) but I missed my family and the comfort of my little studio here at KNBR 680.

This week on the sports calendar has always been one of my favorites, especially in the four years that I have been going to the Final Four. Returning home always brings Opening Day and mopre.

Without further ado, here are my 5 Things To Look Forward To (with apologies to my dad for using a preposition at the end of the title)

1. The Masters

I know it has become a schmaltzy made-for-Tiger-and-TV event but I look forward to this event as a golf fan. The course is impeccable and it is a high-definition orgy on the eyes.

It all starts today with the even more schmaltzy par-3 event leading up to tomorrow’s 1st round. Tiger is the easy choice for the winner but I’m going with Jeev Milkha Singh in a shocker

2. Giants’ Big Unit

I haven’t had much of an affinity for Randy Johnson in the past but now that he’s a Giant, I’m definitely curious about how he’ll do. If he can stay healthy at 45 the Giants have a great chance at a winning season.

3. Easter

I’ll leave the religious ramifications of Easter aside and just celebrate what the holiday means for me and my family.

My family and I get together with other relatives for our annual Novato Easter Egg hunt and hike. It’s just a good time out.

4. Monday April 13

This day has significance this year because it’ll be the day the kids go back to school after Spring Break.

I love my kids and relish the time I get to spend with them but make no mistake; Spring Break is no break for parents. I have to fill my nap time with entertainment for the little guys or else they turn on me.

5. NHL Stanley Cup playoffs

There’s something about the NHL 82-game season that seems WAY longer than the 82-NBA season (and even the 162-game MLB campaign). I don’t know what it is but I’m stoked that the REAL season begins.

Despite having the league’s best record, the San Jose Sharks are underdogs. The Sharks have enough talent and with home-ice advantage, they CAN win it all.

I’m all for new things and I’m certainly a fan of global sporting events but the World Baseball Classic fell well short of the mark.   It was neither truly World nor a Classic to be sure and because of it’s place on the calendar, barely baseball.

Just because you have a number of countries from North, South and Central America, as well as a handful of countries from Europe and Asia, does not qualify it as a WORLD event.

Where is Africa? Greenland? Iceland and other lands? The Middle East? Too many regions ignored to have the WORLD moniker.

This event is a randomly regional event. Some regions play baseball and some do not. Therefore, it cannot be called WORLD. Soccer (futbol) is a world game.  Basketball is too.   Even tennis and golf for Gods Sake but not baseball.

An event in its’ second incantation cannot be called a CLASSIC.   I’m sorry.  Maybe you can call it a burgeoning classic and you can certainly call the WBC final an INSTANT CLASSIC.

Truthfully, the taut finale between Korea and Japan was a great ballgame but it will have no lasting traction. In three months, virtually no one will remember any details from the WBC, aside from the Netherlands gritty effort.

This event can be best called a jamboree or festival. The competition level was relatively low because most of the players were not playing in peak form.

Pitch counts, injury fear, and off-season malaise plagues the overall level of play.  Japan, Korea and other countries took it seriously but the US and others simply do not have the motivation to send their best players.

When all is said and done, maybe it’s just in need of a name change.

I’ll go with Randomly Regional Offseason Baseball Jamboree (RROBJ)