10 Questions

Oakland's Zito on style, reputation and that wicked curve

Barry Zito developed his wicked curve at a young age. AP

Barry Zito, the reigning American League Cy Young award winner, is as well known for his off-the-field pursuits and California-cool lifestyle as he is for his awesome curveball. The Oakland A's left-hander, 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 2002, talked with SI.com's John Donovan at Phoenix Municipal Stadium for this edition of 10 Questions.

Q: Let's start with a baseball question: Didn't anybody tell you when you were a kid that you could blow out your arm throwing a curveball?

A: When I was growing up no one ever talked about that. No one ever said, "Don't throw a curveball, you might mess your arm up." I was the only kid with a curveball, though (Zito started throwing it at age 7), probably until we got to about 10 or 11. I just think the important thing is just being mechanically sound. If you just throw straight fastballs and you have terrible mechanics, you're going to get hurt. We (Zito and his father) were always focusing on doing it right. The Art of Pitching was a good book we followed, by Tom Seaver. Coaching Pitchers was another. We were always reading books, mechanics-wise, always doing drills. Over the years, it just paid off. It eventually becomes so ingrained that you stop focusing more on the mechanical side and it goes more toward the mental.

Q: Were you able to master the curve the first day?

A: I think it just came naturally. I think it probably was the first day. Someone said, "Throw it like this." And I said, "Oh, wow. It breaks a lot. That's cool." I never realized I had a special talent for that.

Q: What was more difficult, mastering the curve, surfing or learning the guitar?

A: I don't approach it the same way, since I've been [pitching] since I was so young. So I don't relate it to the guitar or surfing, 'cause I've only picked those up in the past five years. When you do something as a kid, you're not even thinking about perfecting it or mastering it. It's all you know. It's your life.

Q: You have the reputation as being a kind of renaissance man among ballplayers, maybe a little out there, a little different than most baseball players. Are you a little different?

A: I don't think I'm different. Why am I different? Because I surf? Because I play guitar? I challenge that, when people say I'm different. Why? Because I do things off the field, like everyone else in the world that has a good job and does other things? If you look at every other player in here ... they do things. Guys may not be as verbal about it. But I just want to get it out there that I'm just someone like everybody else who works his tail off that has had success in his field. Just the fact that I'm out here in the big leagues and I'm a ballplayer and all these things, people kind of expect you to have a one-track mind. Obviously, that's my first priority. That's my life. But, I do a lot of things. I like getting my mind off baseball, and just ... I'm not a golfing man. I hate it. I can't stand it. I'm terrible. It's so hard for me. I look at these other guys, and I go out golfing with them and I'm amazed. I think other people don't call other guys "different" because they just may not know. Everybody's got their own stuff.

Q: You'd have to admit that a lot of baseball players have pretty one-track minds, wouldn't you?

A: There's a guy on this team who's a preacher in the offseason. There's a guy on this team who loves riding dirt bikes in the offseason. There are guys who go grouper fishing 100 miles off the coast of Florida. Everyone's got their passion. Whether they talk about it or not, that's something else. I don't think I'm that different.

Q: You mentioned golf. A lot of ballplayers are into golf. Don't you think you'd probably like the game more if you weren't so bad at it?

A: Oh, yeah. Definitely. But I don't want to dedicate myself to golf. It's a lot of time. I don't have time for it. I'd just rather play guitar. Something a little more creative.

Q: What about the competition that golf provides a lot of players?

A: I get tired of it. I get plenty of competition on the baseball field. I'm not one who just thrives on it. I mean, I love it. But, shoot, I'd rather just be mellow and drawing a painting, stuff like that.

Q: You once said you'd like to get to the point where you pitch one night and play a gig in some club the next. How's that going?

A: I played some gigs this offseason with my sister, we played around L.A. She's a singer/songwriter. Played with her band. ... Maybe (I'd like to play during the season). Yeah. Eventually. When I get to that point. I'm still a couple of years away as far as having a lot of material of my own.

Q: You only want to perform stuff you write?

A: I do covers and I learn things, like John Mayer and Dave Matthews, to help me kind of figure out people's styles and ... it's like kind of force-feeding technique, you know? If I'm not going to write a song that involves a lot of right-hand individual string picking, then I'll just play someone's that does that. Then, eventually, once I get that technical skill under my belt, then I can start writing stuff.

Q: Do you have a style of your own yet?

A: I don't think so. You're always going to be a product of what your influences are. People criticize John Mayer. "Oh, he's like Dave Matthews." But I think no matter what ... OK, so what is Dave Matthews like? And what's Stevie Ray Vaughan? Well, he's influenced by this. Jimi Hendrix? Well, he took it to another level, but he was influenced by all the blues, Albert King, all these Kings. So I think I'll have to develop a style, eventually.

Q: Let's turn it back to baseball a little: What's more satisfying for you, nailing a guitar riff or pitching a good game?

A: I think in music, you're never truly satisfied, you know? In baseball, yeah, I'll pitch a game, I'll get a win, I'll go out and have a good day but I may not be truly satisfied, because I gave up one run and I wanted to give up none. But there are statistics that tell you how each outing was. You can be satisfied with that. Music is a lot more subjective. It's based on opinion. And people are always scrutinizing themselves. I've written some songs and my sister's like "That's a great song." And I'm like "Ahh, it's just not there for me right now." I keep trying to rewrite it, change the melody. I wrote a song a couple of months ago that I'm still rewriting. I'm just trying to get through it.

Q: So ... you were satisfied with the Cy Young?

A: Yeah, I'm satisfied. It was a good year, I'm happy about it. But I was only truly very content with seven or eight outings last year. You know, when you know that you did everything right, when you know that you really couldn't have done it much better.

 

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