SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - It’s a big-league crossroad, not a dead end for Barry Zito. After a majors-leading 247 consecutive starts without missing a turn, the soon-to-be 30-year-old is now baseball’s highest-paid setup man.

With an 0-6 record and an earned run average topping the magnitude of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Giants had little choice but to pull their $126 million left-hander from the rotation. But that doesn’t necessarily make Zito S.F.’s biggest bust since Carol Doda.

Pitching coach Dave Righetti told me during spring training that Zito was finally relaxed after struggling to live up to his contract and adjust to a new league in ’07. While Zito still looks like he’s pressing and stressing, it was refreshing to hear him say all the right things about the demotion, including a confession that if he was a fan, he’d boo himself, too.

So how do the Giants get Zito to pay dividends on his $500,000-a-start salary, which now comes out to about $10,000 a pitch as a reliever?

First and foremost, stop grooving weak, belt-high fastballs. Righetti isn’t concerned that Barry’s diminished heater barely hits 85 mph, saying Kirk Rueter never threw any harder but by keeping the ball down and hitting the corners won almost 60 percent of his games in 13 big-league seasons.

No. 2, break out the video and look at game film from 2002, when Zito went 23-5 and won the AL Cy Young.

Third, consider bringing back the slider. Barry dabbled with it a few years ago, but for some reason doesn’t throw it anymore. Hitters are sitting on his pitches because there’s little doubt what’s coming; when he’s ahead 0-2, look for the curveball. When he’s behind 2-0 in the count, hello, fastball, or the occasional changeup that all too often doesn’t find the strike zone.

No. 4, ditch the mellow mind-set and brush back a few hitters — it will make his curve more effective and restore some of the mound nastiness every pitcher needs to win. And finally, ask Peter Magowan to drop the no-surfing clause in his contract. The sharks swimming in Zito’s head are a lot more dangerous to his career.

» Back in February, the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks were buzzing with optimism about their blockbuster trades for two of the NBA’s all-time greats. But Shaquille O’Neal’s move to Phoenix and Jason Kidd’s return to Dallas both did more harm than good.

At 36, Shaq couldn’t keep up with his high-flying teammates. He also missed 32 free-throw attempts in the five games against the San Antonio Spurs, including 11 in the series finale Tuesday.

So much for his, “I make ’em when I need to” boasts.

Meanwhile, Kidd, with a lot of miles on those 35-year-old knees, averaged only 8.6 points and 6.8 assists a game against New Orleans while the Hornets’ Chris Paul ran him ragged, averaging 24.6 points and 12 assists in the series.

» Look for the Spurs to cool off the Hornets and the Utah Jazz to meet and beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the other Western Conference semifinal.

Are they still playing basketball in the Eastern Conference? Wake me when the Boston Celtics get to the NBA Finals.

Rich Walcoff is the sports director at KGO Radio (810 AM) and can be heard weekdays between 5-9 a.m. on the “KGO Morning News.” He can also be reached at richwalcoff@abc-sf.com.

Comments from Examiner Readers

1:07 PM MST on Fri., May. 2, 2008 re: "Dickey: Young Giants showing they belong"

Tom in SF said:
Hi Glenn, Nice article. However, I think the only reason they went young is because of injuries(Roberts, Vizquel), or incredibly bad play (Aurilia, Durham). Otherwise, it would be the same old story. If they have a chance to trade any of those guys (and Winn) at the trading deadline to a contender for any type of prospect, I hope they do it. Regards, T

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8:29 AM MST on Fri., May. 2, 2008 re: "Dickey: Young Giants showing they belong"

Sam in Reno said:
Of all the stupid moves Sabean made the third base situation puzzles me the most. He drops Feliz who signs as a backup in Philadelphia. Then he signs Castillo who was cut by two other teams? Castillo is a bench player at best with no upside. Feliz was a better option.

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8:45 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 15, 2008 re: "Dickey: Prospects will prosper with time"

Sam in Reno said:
As a life long fan of the Giants I would be happy to give them a break if they would just play the younger players. No one wants to watch mediocre older players like Aurilia,Durham and Roberts. They are getting in the way of the younger players, and they are not any better. I think they will have to get rid of them so Bochy will not be tempted to play them. If they can get a decent first baseman for Randy Winn I would trade him since they need infielders and have a surplus of outfielders.

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10:33 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 10, 2008 re: "Walcoff: Two diamonds in Giants� rough"

arnie said:
Hi Ric (Walcoff), Enjoyed the article. Agree with you on Nelson's reluctance to play younger players. Especially when some of his starters are off on their shots. If they are hot, leave them in; if not, give the rookies like Bellinelli, Wright, and anyone else a shot. Also he plays them too long when the starters are hot and doing well. A good coach, but never has been or will be a great one. Looking forward to your next essay. Arnie

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4:57 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 8, 2008 re: "Dickey: An instant love affair"

examiner reader said:
remember hank sauer? played left field in 1958 with the giants. he was at the end of his career having spent almost all of it with the cubs. well considering the mutts that the giants are trying to pass off as major leaguers; hank would be batting clean up and making millions. glenn thanks for the memories, for that's all we have now!

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9:51 AM MST on Mon., Apr. 7, 2008 re: "Dickey: An instant love affair"

Sam in Reno said:
Great memories Glenn, but they really show how this franchise has declined over the years. I doubt we will be remembering any of the current players years from now except for Lincecom and Cain who were amoung the league leaders in ERA while both losing twenty games each.!

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12:54 AM MST on Mon., Apr. 7, 2008 re: "Dickey: An instant love affair"

Examiner Reader said:
Fred Lewis will save the Giants.

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1:41 PM MST on Thu., Apr. 3, 2008 re: "Dickey: Building for the future? Really?"

Examiner Reader said:
I wonder when Matt Cain will finally lose his cool and demand to be traded to a team that will support him with some runs?

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4:52 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "Dickey: Building for the future? Really?"

Examiner Reader said:
Lincecum and Cain, and then the PAIN! Lewis and Ortmeier are the only other two I have high hopes for. Especially Lewis.

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4:23 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "Dickey: Building for the future? Really?"

Examiner Reader said:
Are they really trying? Why wait two months. It was just sad to see Aurilla, Durham, and Roberts in the opening day starting line-up. The young guys need to play and it's not like the veterans are going to take the team anywhere. Can you say five singles and no runs? No matter how good the pitching is (and Zito wasn't particularly), it can't win games without run support. This team could be a candidate to break Detroit's loss record. It would be a lock without the pitching strength.

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3:29 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "Dickey: Building for the future? Really?"

examiner reader said:
i thought that this team had a legitimate chance to lose one hundred games this year. frankly i was wrong.. this team will rock the record books with a minimum of one hundred and ten loss's and they "might" hit one hundred and twenty, can you imagine a season with forty two wins? do you believe in miracles? mcgowan might get close to 3 million paid this year, but wait till next.. walk up's welcomed!

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9:40 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "Dickey: Building for the future? Really?"

Sam in Reno said:
The Giants have a hard time with decisions on veteran players. They finally cut the ribbon with Bonds, perhaps that was too much for them. The starting line up had Castillo at third (cut by the Pirates and Marlins) Aurillia (cut by the Reds)and Durham who had the worst year of any starting player last year. What are they waiting for? They are going to lose. Why not lose with younger players? After they open the season with a six game losing streak perhaps the management will finally give up an make the needed cuts.The only way Lincecom and Cain are going to win is by throwing shut outs and hitting home runs. Don't think for a minute that Roberts,Durham,Aurilia and Castillo are going to get runs across.

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8:15 AM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "Dickey: Building for the future? Really?"

Phil in Lafayette said:
The Giants opener told the whole sad story. The offense cannot score, Zito's 'fastball' is slower than last year, the defense is atrocious (Durham still cannot catch popups), and there is NO committment to youth. Where was Lewis? Where was Davis? Where was Velez? Where was Ortmeyer? Where was Schierholz? With their current lineup and philosophy, I expect this to be the worst Giants' team since before their move west and probably the least exciting/watchable team in the majors. How Sabean kept his job is a total mystery to me!

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6:07 PM MST on Sun., Mar. 30, 2008 re: "Liotta: Giants fans, it�s time to pay the piper"

Examiner Reader said:
zito the biggest blunder? how about the liriano/bonser/nathan trade or accardo for hillenbrand? every time the giants bullpen blows a save the memory of those trades haunts us...

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12:24 PM MST on Sun., Mar. 30, 2008 re: "Liotta: Giants fans, it�s time to pay the piper"

Examiner Reader said:
no bonds, no baseball for me,he is the best

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8:40 AM MST on Sun., Mar. 30, 2008 re: "Liotta: Giants fans, it�s time to pay the piper"

Examiner Reader said:
Home against Pittsburgh with Lincecum on the mound. I think they'll be favored that night.

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6:29 AM MST on Sat., Mar. 29, 2008 re: "Liotta: Giants fans, it�s time to pay the piper"

Joey in chester said:
The Giant Org. has erased Bonds name from the park and i'm erasing the Giants memory from my mind. It's tough after being a hardcore fan for over 40 years but enough is enough, the Giants cast away players like we take out the garbage. Barry Bonds held my interest. Instead of investing in quality players, they chose to bank money and draw every dime they could from Bonds...and us fans. Now they don't want anything to do with him? Shame on the Giants. I'm Gone!

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9:58 AM MST on Fri., Mar. 14, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Sam in Reno said:
It is time that the fans turned up the heat on McGowan and Sabean. If we are going to lose 100 games why not do it with younger players who have an upside. Giving playing time to Roberts,Aurilia and Durham is just plain stupid. They should be starting Davis in right field, he has the speed and the arm required to play the position. Rowland is fine in center and move Winn to left field. Instead of rotating Frandsen to every position let him play second and see if he is capable. Durham,Roberts and Aurilia are bench players at best. Durham is an expensive pinch hitter and Roberts an expensive pinch runner. It would be nice if Sabean figured out a third base alternative since he decided not to re-sign Feliz.It is interesting that Feliz signed a two year deal in Philadelphia to be backup rather than resign as a starter with the Giants.

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11:20 PM MST on Thu., Mar. 13, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants failing at halfway approach"

Examiner Reader said:
I agree with Dickey except that I think Rowand is a good pickup. He's not real old, a great guy in the cluhouse and covers a lot of territory. He may not hit as well as he did in Philly, but he'll hit better than either Davis or Lewis would. Plus, he's not about to become a free agent soon...he's not just a rent-a-player.

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1:00 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 25, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

hisimon said:
The Giants have NOT had a decent GM since Al Rosen. Quinn and Sabean have done very little with all of the drafts they've had and it's painfully obvious we (the fans) will endure yet another sub .500 season. By now Sabean has to be (fired) so embarrassed by such an under talented team and such a BANKRUPT farm system. Each year it only gets mention in baseball America as one of the least talented and least productive systems and not mentioned for any other reasons. The Giants can't begin to make a new idenity and change directions until they get a new GM with new ideas and new energy and some ability to recognize talent. Big name FA's have refused to sign here the last 2 years no matter how much money the Giants have offered and the reason is obvious, NO DIRECTION/NO TALENT = No Ring. Sabean couldn't get it done when he had the best hitter in the game in his prime years and now he will get it done with what he's got in the system?

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12:31 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 25, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

hisimon said:
Glenn, I believe Torialba and Feliz were the last everyday players to come out of the Giant's system not Mueller. You are right about the Giant's not committed to a youth movement. Sabean, like Don nelson has little or no confidence in youngsters and has always (overpayed) for players on the down side. You didn't even mention Kline and Chaulk and now the Giant's have Threets and a rule 5 guy that likely will be castoff like Linebrink was way before Sabean new what he had. Same old Giants, it's always about the circus. Now that it's obvious to everyone that they were ill prepared for life after Bonds, they're worried about becoming Cleveland? The Giants deserve a red ink ass whooping for the way they run this Franchise, the stadium experience is old hat and they have little to show for a new direction and nothing to show for 50 years..

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9:52 AM MST on Sat., Feb. 23, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Sam in Reno said:
Joe Crede will be a free agent next year. With Scott Boras as his agent they will want a long term contract to play beyond this season. An average third baseman coming off major surgery and coming to a pitchers park does not make sense to me. If Sabean trades for Crede this will be one more horrible error in judgement. The Giant management will never learn.

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11:31 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 22, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Examiner Reader said:
Nailed it. The Giants are not truly committed to rebuilding. We'll see if more losing changes that. Last year was the time to start the transition: instead, Roberts, Aurilia, Durham and Molina were brought in to extend the mediocrity a few more years. Fans could have had the home run chase, the All Star Game, and a younger, more promising team for '08. It should also be noted that Sabean's reluctance to trade for/sign any "unproven commodities" or blocked prospects from other systems borders on moronic. He's tied his own hands, and now is considering an average third baseman from a hitters park (coming off major back surgery) as a long-term replacement at third. Four Joe Crede's would not be the answer. The Giants will be 150 runs of offense away from an AVERAGE offense in '08, and will depend on Winn and Molina to be two of their better hitters again in '09, when they are 35 and 34 years old.

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4:52 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 22, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Examiner Reader said:
Glen is correct. The Giants will start the veterans which is a major mistake. The Giants really need to see if Ortmeirer can play first, Schierholtz in right, Velez at second and Frandsen at third. The Giants had a great draft and either Burriss or their 07 draft choice, Noonan, will be their shortstop of the future. I really believe that the fans will not be happy with Roberts or Aurilla starting since this will only hamper the playing time for the young players. In regard to the possibility of obtaining Joe Crede from the White Sox I would be very careful with him and not about his health. Rather I would want to find out why the White Sox want to get rid of him and Scott Boras is his agent. I still remember the A. J. Pierzynski and Shea Hillenbrand trades and the attitudes they brought with them not to mention the closers we lost in the deal. Both of these deals were disasters and we don't need more of these type of deals. I think the Giants need to bite the bullet now.

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4:20 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 22, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Examiner Reader said:
Article points out exactly why, from a business perspective, the Giants should have started the rebuild last year. The fans would have come out with the ASG and the Bonds home run derby, so it was the perfect time to start the rebuild. Instead Sabean showed that he lost his mojo by signing Durham (re-sign), Aurilia, Roberts, and the horrible Zito contract. This season is all about Sabean's mistakes. If he had planned better for last year, he could have traded Durham and Schmidt for prospects to aid the rebuild. How Sabean could put the Giants in this situation and still get a new contract is a total mystery. Bring in DePodesta. AND PLAY THE KIDS

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3:08 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 22, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Lars said:
Sam, that website is not updated by Sabean or Bochy. It is a best guess by Chris Haft. There has been no statement from the decision makers regarding a leader in the 3B competition.

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1:47 PM MST on Fri., Feb. 22, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Sam in Reno said:
Lars, you might check the Giant WEB site and click on "DEPTH CHART". #B Rich Aurillia!!!

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8:54 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 22, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Lars said:
Are you really pining for Todd Linden? LOL Also: " Rich Aurilia, 36, is currently the leading candidate at third." That statement has no basis in fact. You have no quotes from any Giants official that lays out a standing depth chart for any position player much less 3rd base.

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12:31 AM MST on Fri., Feb. 22, 2008 re: "Dickey: Giants don�t seem fully committed to youth"

Sam in Reno said:
I agree, Durham and Roberts will be starters. They make too much money. Both are defensive liabilities. Both should be coming off the bench. We have to hope that since this is Durhams final contract year he may produce good numbers. If they have to play him put him on first.This is going to0 be a really ugly season. The management will start bringing in over the hill "vets" once the losing streak starts. If they committed to a true youth movement the fans would put up with a lousy season. Instead they try and straddle the gap between youth and attendance.

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