Barry Zito Quotes (49 Quotes)

I'm just frustrated with the up-and-down nature of my April.

The outfield is solid, so is the catching and the infield.

I think in the bullpen you can tell during your warmups, if you have a good feel for it. But anything can happen once you get into a game. Sometimes you just wind up throwing it better than ever before one day without knowing why.

I was just getting the ball up. It seems like we were playing guys one place in the outfield, and they kept hitting it to the other, you know Everything just went their way today.

He was sitting all over it. It would have bounced in the dirt. ... Obviously, it was what he was waiting for.

I'm not missing any starts. If I was going to miss a start, it would've been (Sunday). I know my body. It feels fine. There will be no controversy over this.

I worked on a change and they had some swings today that made it look like they were expecting a fastball. I'm focused on mixing all my pitches up like I'm going to do in the season.

I do look forward to keeping in touch with the guys, because we'll always be connected in people's minds.

He's better now than he was before he was hurt.

I didn't have great fastball command or a curveball tonight either until the last few innings,

Brown was way out in front of a changeup, ... That's just the baseball gods there. ... I haven't seen their games, but I figure they hadn't gotten breaks like that.

That, ... could have been ugly.

Oh, they'll be wearing those outfits around the house on off-days.

I'm not missing a start, no way. If I was going to miss a start, it would have been yesterday.

I hadn't focused on mechanics since I signed professionally.

It was just a great game, definitely playoff vibes. It's good for the team to come out on top in huge games like this, with a large crowd, so we can develop our psyche for that. Hopefully, when we get to the playoffs, we can deal with that in a good way.

Bill was definitely the heart and soul of the A's. He was legendary. It was a luxury to have him doing our games.

Some people pray to a totem pole, some people pray to a sun, some people pray to a god. It all works for them. It all comes back to what you think.

I think as they all get a little more comfortable, I think they'll all start picking my brain a bit. I'm open to all that.

It's pretty cool going into camp knowing exactly what the staff is going to look like on Opening Day. A lot of years, you've got a spot or two in the rotation open, and maybe another two or three spots in the 'pen. So there's definitely some comfort there. Everybody can just focus on what they need to do to get ready.

That was a pitch that was going to bounce in the dirt, you can't guard against that, ... He was sitting curveball and he got the barrel out.

Yeah, he was sitting all over it. It was going to bounce in the dirt, but he'd been waiting for it all that (four-pitch) at-bat. There's not much you can do about that.

It felt good to do that, but I've got to be able to do it during the inning itself. If something goes wrong, I've got to be aggressive in the strike zone and get it done.

You just learn these lessons and hopefully you only learn them once. I only want to learn the lesson last Monday just once. The key is just staying within yourself. I just have to trust my stuff.

I'm glad the offense is doing what they were doing. In spring you encounter just about every situation you'll face during the regular season. Today it was sitting for a while.

They were getting the breaks we were getting in our streak. I figured they weren't getting breaks like that. ... When you have that kind of losing streak, you really stop caring. They were doing things today that normally major league teams don't do, like every time I threw to first their entire dugout was yelling 'Back' They obviously were fired up.

It's so cool to see all these people stepping up and doing something for the real heroes in our country. More and more, people are seeing that this isn't about whether you're for or against war. It's about being there in whatever way we can for the people putting their lives on the line.

It's going to be nuts in there. I mean, opening night at home is cool as it is, but that it's against what some people are saying is going to be the best team in baseball definitely makes it more exciting.

So I'm going to get some grief about this. I don't say a word when I strike him out, but I'm sure I'll hear about this.

I think going on Howard Stern was great. I was such a fan of his for so many years. It was just so cool to be in that studio.

Money isn't the goal. It's more about me maxing out on the field, being where I want to be pitching-wise. This is my home team. I haven't spoken to my agent in a month or so.

I'm not missing any starts. No way. If I was going to miss a start, it would be (Sunday). Why am I so sure Because I'm in my body and I feel it. I feel fine. There will be no controversy from this. I hope you guys squash this. I'm not happy at all that it's out there.

He's been even better than he was when he was healthy before his injury, ... Elly has really proven how good he is.

Dude, he's, like, 38 or something. I'm not going to be the guy who makes a 38-year-old dress like the Village People.

I just write mechanical things.

He was sitting all over it. It was going to bounce in the dirt if he doesn't hit it. Can't really guard against that. You just have to tip your cap.

It wasn't so much the coldness as the wetness. I got so much mud in my spikes that it was hard to plate that front leg. There will be days you go out and its muddy. You just pitch through it. It's going to be cold in Seattle and I hope we have a nice day in Oakland.

It's not like I'm some kind of veteran and there is this huge age gap. I identify with them more off the field. I need to set an example, which is great, and I look forward to doing just that.

We were playing not anywhere near to our capabilities. But regardless, I don't think we expected to come out and contend for a playoff spot. Things changed after our great run in June and July. Now we're going to be upset if we don't win the division.

I got out of some (jams) but I left a couple of pitches up and that can cost you the game. I'm frustrated with (my) up-down approach in April.

I think there will be more of a baseball atmosphere.

Basically, I had to grab it and side flip it. I was trying to grab it with two hands and stop my momentum. In retrospect, I should have taken my glove off and used my right hand. Plays didn't go our way.

If we focus on this loss and take it to tomorrow's game, that's unproductive. Fans can look at it like that. But we can't look at it like that. We've got to focus on tomorrow and put this behind us.

Big league defense is going to get outs most times.

It was tough shutting the door tonight, ... And we still picked up a half-game against Anaheim on its day off.

We're having the bus stop five blocks away from the hotel, too. So they'll be walking the streets of Cleveland all pimped out.

Meyer and I have a bit in common because we're both left-handed. I think it's great that he seeks out that advice because he's not too cool or too uncomfortable to ask for it.

I understand why people think that way, but anyone who knows anything about me knows that money is not what drives me. My drive has always been toward being the best pitcher in Major League Baseball, and that will be my drive right up to the day I hang up my spikes.

I'm OK being the veteran, but I'm still just a kid.