Barry Zito won two titles while in San Francisco. By Cbl62 (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

Giants fans, how can you really hate Barry Zito so much?

Minutes after a co-worker told me today how excited he was that Zito’s last start was this week, I happened upon an extremely well-written article by Grant Brisbee on SB Nation’s McCoveyChronicles.com about the lefty’s last game as a Giant.

Before the ink was dry, the contract was over-priced. Seven years, $126 million. Even for a laid back guy who Bay Area fans already liked, Zito’s contract raised lots of eyebrows. In his seven years, Zito never posted an ERA under 4.00, went 62-67 (including four 10-plus win seasons), and never got anywhere near his Oakland days, when he won the American League Cy Young Award in 2002.

In the end, though, the Zito cynics cannot claim total victory. For baseball is a team sport. The Giants were in a transition when they signed Zito. His first year on the West side of the bay (2007) was the other Barry’s (Bonds) last. The Giants were trying to find a new identity to move forward and get back to the playoffs. During Zito’s time with the club, their team became one that depended on, more than anything, young pitching.

So I have to ask a few questions that I surely cannot completely answer.

How much did the presence of a former Cy Young winner help shape players like Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Brian Wilson, and Madison Bumgarner? Despite being left off the 2010 playoff roster, what did Zito mean to his teammates as they came up through the Giants’ farm system or were signed as free agents? How did the commitment to a player like Zito impact the entire organization in the post-Bonds era?

My last question is one I would like to answer. The answer is almost definitely YES. It is this:

If your team wins two World Series over the tenure of a contract, don’t the ends justify the means?

My prediction is that the Dodgers will probably sign Blanco for 8 years, $80 million during the off-season — because we know how much the Dodgers like those recycled Giants. Speaking of the Dodgers, we talked about them as well. In case you are wondering, Adrian Gonzalez is actually only 30 years old, a full year younger than me. That makes him almost a year and a half younger than Matt. Carl Crawford is 31, but younger than me. Josh Beckett was the old man in the trade. He is 32. One year older than me. That settles that.

Matt used the word “Machiavellian,” which is notable. He will hopefully be a regular contributor to the podcast to give some Bay-Area perspective to our Central Coast and Southern California-biased blog. Hope you enjoy.

THAT is a happy Giants fan aka Matt Dale.