I went to Pablo Sandoval bobblehead day last Saturday. I got to the park around 2:00 for a 6:05 first pitch, which turned out to be a complete waste of time. My brother got there at 4:30 and still got one. Oh well, I just don't like the feeling of not knowing if I'm going to get one.
The game was amazing. It was the best outing of Zito's Giants career. I was down on Zito like any other Giants fan his first few seasons with the Giants, but I never took it to the extreme that other fans did. I'm not a fan of booing. Booing does not help your team. I wrote about this years ago when Warriors fans were booing Mike Dunleavy. Boo cheaters. Boo lack of effort. Don't boo when things don't go a players way - especially if you're going to cheer during times of success.
After all that Zito has been through, it looks like he has come full circle. The "Barry" chant that rang throughout the park on Saturday was amazing and truly was a moment to remember. I actually got goosebumps hearing it. Zito mentioned the chant in a post-game interview and said he could even tell where the chant originated - "3rd deck, left field line," which is exactly where I was sitting. It's also where the ridiculous wave started, but that's an entirely different story. I guess I just like stories of redemption. Hopefully Zito's success continues. If it doesn't, I'm still going to be supportive.
After the game when exiting down the stairs, most fans were raving about Zito's outing while talking trash to Cardinals fans. However, I also heard many fans say something to the effect of, "About time he pitches well with that 126 million dollar contract." He can't win...
Oh, and A's fans, where are you guys? You guys were out in full effect during Zito's struggles. Now that he's 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA, *crickets*. I fully expect a couple of texts after Zito has his first poor outing.
