Giants Shock the City By Signing Someone Under 35!

It jolted me out of my walking slumber when I heard it on the TV in my local coffee shop this morning -- Barry Zito signing a seven-year contract with the Giants! I think most A's fans had just become so accustomed to the idea of Zito being a Texas Ranger next year that this announcement took most of us by surprise.

So this is good news. Not only will we still be able to follow Zito closely, but the A's will only have to face him a couple times a year at most. And he won't be winning games for another team in our division. In fact, in a few years, Zito will be playing closer to the Coliseum than any of his now-former teammates.

But it comes as a bit of a surprise. For one thing, the Giants shelled out Yankees money for the soft-tossing lefty -- $126 million over 7 years with an $18 million option and $7 million buyout in 2014. Not to mention that Zito seems a little young for the geriatric Giants. Their signing of 35-year-old Ryan Klesko and resignings of 35-year-old Ray Durham and 42-year-old Barry Bonds only serve to underscore their recent insistence on a casket-aged roster.

Granted, Zito has never missed a start -- something that was beginning to become more of a concern with their previous ace Jason Schmidt. Zito's also only 28 years old. His curve will baffle NL hitters -- at least for a season or two -- and he'll be pitching in a pitcher's park. He's certainly used to having no offensive support, but will likely suffer a bit from a somewhat downgraded defense.

In any case, it seems likely that he will see more success in San Francisco than Mark Mulder saw in St. Louis or Tim Hudson saw in Atlanta. But that, of course, remains to be seen. As does how Barry will fare when he has to compete with Mayor Gavin Newsom and washed-up 'rocker' Stephan Jenkins for the city's eligible 19-year-old women.