From: "Andrew Zarzour"
BigZBigBlue@yahoo.com
Sent: Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2000 9:44 AM
To: "Jeff Innis"
BunnBaseballCoach@aol.com
Subject: The Big Fade in LA
Hey Coach Innis, Andrew here. Thanks for your emails the past few months. It's always good to hear from Bunn Wildcat Country! Glad to hear fall workouts are going well. And glad to hear my brother showing up some of the time. Do you really think he could be an all-state catcher this coming spring? If he commits to baseball with all his heart, maybe. But that's the big question mark, right?
Well, was that the biggest collapse you've ever seen by a team or what? Good grief, the LA Dodgers just hit the wall with about two weeks left to play, losing seven of our last 10 games and each of our last five. To be in the thick of the NL West title chase in mid-September and then to finish six games out (and to slip to third behind San Francisco), uggg. What can I say? I know we never tanked like that during my time at Bunn, that's for sure...
There has been chatter that Davey Johnson will be ousted as manager for our collapse. I don't know how you can blame him. We were the ones who didn't get the job done. But oh well. No announcement yet, but we're expecting one at any time. I enjoyed playing for him, but apparently he doesn't get along too well with the chiefs in the front office.
Our GM (Malone) also has been talking about "revamping some things around here" -- his words. We've got some money to spend, so we could be going shopping for some big names in the free agent market. All I know is that I've got work to do if I want to stay in the rotation next year. Like you said, maybe I was throwing too many strikes, thinking I could just blow the ball past people. I might sneak two strikes past but then *whammy* the next ball was out of the park. One newspaper goof wrote something about my whiplash from watching so many balls leave the yard being worse than my concussion in Triple A. For some reason that really upset me. I've never even talked to that dude. But I guess the criticism comes with the territory.
So here was my final pitching line: 4-4 record with a 3.98 ERA in 10 Major League starts. I guess I can't feel too bad about that. I'm still a "kid" right? But I also allowed 16 HRs, 11 of them to right-handed hitters. I struck out 70 in 72.1 innings but walked 22. I don't remember walking that many in my whole Bunn High career.
I am proud of one thing. My final batting average was .231 -- only trailing Josh by one point. One lousy point, and I would have been the 19-year-old batting champ for the Dodgers! Ha. I had six hits in 26 at-bats and finished with a whopping two RBIs. I don't think I had two RBIs as a senior in high school. Not sure why I hit it at key times. I just see the ball well I guess.
In a few days, I'm off to Phoenix to play in the Arizona Fall League. That should be fun. There will be six of us from the Dodgers organization playing for the Mesa Solar Sox. Also will be good to play some guys from other teams. And we're going to sight-see some (Grand Canyon, Sedona, Tucson, etc.) during our off days. Wahoo. Maybe I'll finally meet a girl that sticks around for more than a date or two.
When I'm home for Christmas, we'll talk about Bunn coming back to Vero Beach for spring break 2001. Provided something crazy doesn't happen between now and then, of course. There could be some major shakeups coming in our organization, so none of us feel too comfortable right now. Though most have assured us "young guns" that management is planning to build around us. Wonder if Piazza will get traded or maybe some of the other vets liks Eric Young, Todd Zeile or Steve Finley? Wonder, too, if they'll go after any more veteran pitching? No offense to my superiors but I'd rather be in LA next summer rather than Las Vegas...
Take care, coach. And thanks for supporting me during my up and down year in the "Bigs". Just remember, there will be always be tickets for you and your wife anytime you want to see the Dodgers play. I'll make sure of it. Thanks for all you do for Bunn High both in baseball and in the classroom. You were one tough history teacher but I learned a lot from you.
Your friend and a grateful former player,
Andrew "Big Z"
Bunn High Class of 1999
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I thought Big Z was going to finish the season on a winning/impressive note. In a meaningless season finale against the New York Mets (LA was already way out of the NL West race), Z and Al Leiter were duking it out in a 0-0 pitcher's duel through seven innings.
I should have pulled Zarzour out at that point, but left him in. He struck out Russ Davis looking to start the eighth, then gave up a single to Damian Jackson. I should have hooked him at this point, but he ended up walking the next two guys. Alan Embree comes in and throws a wild pitch, then the Dodgers commit an error that allows a second run to score. Embree later gives up an RBI double to Butch Huskey and a two-run homer to Javier Valentin. New York wins 5-0, and Zarzour is tagged with a frustrating loss (but hey, no home runs given up
)
I may decide not to sim out the fall league season. I started working on setting that up over the weekend, and it took me awhile to pull everything together for just one of the teams... Plus I'm eager to get going on the 2001 season. The Dodgers have some sweet free agents to bid for!