Just Say No to Zito

I said it yesterday on Twitter, and I'll say it again here.

I don't care if Barry Zito threw 4 perfect games in a row in he minor leagues, he's not better than Ryan Vogelsong, and he does NOT under any circumstances belong in the Giants' starting rotation (barring injury to another starer of course).

Zito is a cat that has run out of lives. Somehow though, he's still there, like a zombie that just won't die in a terrible movie.

He's a great human being, a good teammate, and a hard worker. That will endear him to people who know him and get to spend time with him, but for fans fed up with his act, it doesn't help at all.

If it wasn't for his asinine albatross of a contract, he'd have been signing minor league deals with the A's and Royals, trying to hook on with a major league club for the last 3 years. He's not a viable major league pitcher anymore.

I would rather have Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz come out of retirement, completely out of shape, and start every 5th day for the Giants than Barry Zito. In fact, I'd rather have Ryan Vogelsong than Barry Zito.

I hate kicking him when he's down, and repeatedly beating a long since dead pile of horses, but Zeets no longer has a place on this team.

The bullpen suggestion is absurd. Our bullpen is good. In fact it's really good. The only two guys in the 'pen with an ERA near 4.00 are Affeldt and Billy Mota, both who have pitched very well for most of the year. What purpose would Zito serve? We already have two lefties in the pen, and Zito had a higher ERA against lefties last year than righties. He's not a left-handed specialist. He's not a reliever, and he's not a starter. He's a man with out a use. He's useless.

Again, we're not talking about about Barry Zito the man. We're talking about Barry Zito the baseball player.

Barry Zito the man is funny, charming, philanthropic, and makes women salivate when he messes up his hair and let's gay guys photograph him for magazines. He's a great dude, and I want nothing but the best for him in his personal life.

But after his horrific second half last year, his rubbish-worthy start this season, and his overall track record in Orange & Black, he has no place on my team or in my organization.

If I'm Brian Sabean, I have a long talk with Mr. Neukom and Mr. Baer, and hammer out the most economically viable way to rid ourselves of Zeets. Any, and I mean ANY amount of money saved in a transaction ridding us of Zito is a net positive.

Would a team desperate for pitching pay 25 percent of his contract until it's completion? 20 percent? A quarter of his 2011 salary is around $4.6MM.

Surely a team could pay him that for a couple years. Maybe Washington or the Mets. Perhaps Florida or the Astros.

And you know what, if a team is desperate enough for a left-handed veteran starter, they might spring for him. They won't have to give up anything. Just take him.

And the benefit of Zito leaving is exponential.

No more dark cloud hanging over the rotation... No more "But what happens when Zito comes back?" questions to be asked.

And here's another thing. Last time I checked, $4.6MM could be used to help pay for an every day player, an expensive reliever, or used to put some goddamn backrests on our primitive bleachers.

If giving away Zito saved even 3 million, it would be a blessing.

Ryan Vogelsong thus far has been everything we wanted Zito to be this season and more. He deserves an all-star berth, and Bumgarner doesn't deserve to be rested, demoted or skipped. Zito has no place in the bullpen.

Just say no to Zito.