Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story

[AZTarHeel]

Dukes' Hamilton given PCL honor

May 2, 2000

Albuquerque outfielder Josh Hamilton was named the Pacific Coast League player of the month for April.

The 19-year-old, drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer, batted .385 for the month, with four home runs and 18 RBIs. Baseball America recently tabbed Hamilton the No. 1 prospect in all of professional baseball, and he certainly lived up to it as the 2000 season debuted.

"His stroke at the plate is so smooth, and his power has improved even since last season," Baseball America wrote in its latest issue. "It's just a matter of time before he gets the call up to the Big Show."

Todd Hollandsworth's job seems secure in left field for the Dodgers for now. He's hitting .357, one of the top averages on the team. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Hamilton could play center if he gets called up...


NEWS AND NOTES: Los Angeles, the team that Albuquerque feeds, is 14-12 as of May 1, one game behind the upstart San Diego Padres in the NL West ...

The top of the Dodgers' pitching rotation has been solid, with Ramon Martinez (4-0, 2.51 ERA) and Darren Dreifort (4-0, 2.67 ERA) leading the way. But from there, starters have struggled. Hideo Nomo owns a 1-4 record with a 7.94 ERA (and that's down quite a bit from after his first two dreadful starts). Chan Ho Park is 1-2 with a 6.84 ERA. No. 5 starter Ismael Valdes will miss four weeks with a strained back, which could open the door for Andrew Zarzour to move up from Albuquerque. Zarzour is expected to get back into the Dukes' rotation in a couple days after being sidelined with a concussion...

Trevor Hoffman has been a dominant closer for the Big Club thus far. Despite elbow trouble, he's yet to give up an earned run in 8.1 innings ... Kazuhiro Sasaki has been stellar as a set-up man for Hoffman, sporting a 2-1 record with a 3.38 ERA thus far ...

There are grumblings that back-up catcher Paul Lo Duca wants out of LA. He believes he's an everyday player now but feels he'll be stuck behind LA's starter, Mike Piazza, for awhile. Right now, both are batting just over .300 for the season. Lo Duca is a little more productive in the RBI department...

Pitcher Butch Henry, who was traded by LA to Tampa Bay in the off-season (the player that was competing for No. 5 starter's job with Zarzour late last season) is 1-0 with a 6.08 ERA in six starts with the Devi Rays. Good for him...

[AZTarHeel]

From: "Andrew Zarzour" AZarzour72@earthlink.net
Sent: Thursday, June 1, 2000 11:45 PM
To: "Brandon Weaver" BManWeaver@yahoo.com
Subject: News from New Mexico

Yo, yo, Brandon. What's happening, my friend! Thanks for emailing last week and glad to hear your first year of college went so well. Dean's List at Carolina!?!? You're the man.

So you have a new girlfriend also. I must admit, you and Robbie are getting around pretty well with the ladies these days. You asked about my dating situation. Well, let's just say that striking out isn't just limited to baseball for me. Ha Ha. We'll leave it at that.

So you're going to be a summer intern at the Zebulon Record! Wow, that's great. Send me some of your stories! How many times did their sports guy, Don I think was his name, have pictures of us in that paper during baseball season the past couple of years? You'll have fun there and hopefully you can do some sports, maybe even cover the Carolina Mudcats. Are they still affiliated with the Marlins? I can't remember. Before long, you'll be on the desk of the LA Times covering me and the Dodgers as we win the World Series! We can all dream, right?

I'm still plugging away for the Triple A Dukes. We're doing quite well actually, with a 34-16 overall record. I haven't gotten a decision in a couple of outings, but according to what I'm looking at in this morning's Albuquerque paper, I'm 4-3 with a 3.39 ERA after 10 starts. No bad, eh? No more headaches either (except when this one guy from New Orleans jacked one about 600 feet on me- ouch)...

How about this -- I've got 105 strikeouts in 74.1 innings! Of course, I have 22 walks, which frustrates me. I think I had better control last season.

I'm hoping the Dodgers will keep us all together. I think we can be the next wave of great players to hit that team. Josh Hamilton -- you know all about him already -- is still hitting the crap out of the ball. His average is around .320. Andy Tracy, a third baseman who is also learning to play short, is hitting .304 with nine homers and 27 RBIs. It might not be long before he gets moved up. We've gotten to be pretty good friends, and we've been roommates for a couple of weeks.

Cole Liniak, who spent some time with the Big Club last year, is hitting around .300. He and Andy trade time at third. You should see relief pitcher Ryan Franklin throw. Holy cow, the dude is plain nasty. He's pitched 20 innings in relief, and his ERA is 0.44. Yes, you read that correctly. I think it's a matter of time for him as well getting moved up.

We all love hanging out with Thomas Howard, a right fielder. He's about 103 years old (mid-30s actually), hoping for one more shot in the Majors. He may earn it this fall. His average is like .358 or something. He loves showing us "young guns" how to play the game. We're all pulling for him to make it back up.

Guess you saw the big trade the Dodgers made a few weeks ago. We all saw it coming, except for maybe Eric Karros. Paul Lo Duca walked out of contract talks because he was so mad at not getting playing time. Refused to even negotiate until he was made a starter. The brass knew they wanted to keep him -- and keep him away from other NL teams -- so they traded 1B Karros away. That will allow Lo Duca to play first base and leave Piazza at catcher. That seemed to satisfy Paul, although he'd obviously prefer to stay behind the dish full-time. Apparently, tensions were pretty high until that trade went down. Might explain why the team is still only around .500 and trailing the Padres by a few games when everyone thinks they should be running away with things...

I think my chance to move up this summer may have been squashed by that trade. In return for Karros and Chan Ho Park, the Devil Rays sent us pitcher Ted Lilly (and another catcher for us here in AAA, Ben Molina). They've plugged Lilly into Chan Ho's spot, so the Dodgers still have five starters. He's about 24-25 years old, so he's got more experience than me.

But as last year taught me, I've got to be on the ready every minute. You never know what may happen. Josh and I still have our motto that we say to each other every day -- "Big Club by September." For him, it may be sooner. But who knows.

Take care, my friend. If you and Robbie and your lady friends want to come West this summer, you can find me just off I-40 in New Mexico. Do your girlfriends have girlfriends who like tall pitchers? If so, bring 'em with you!

Take care,
Drew

PS: enough cracks about the moose already ... i suffered a concussion on that play for goodness sakes... ;-)

[Ragin Cajun]

Looks like Big Z is following his brother in falling off the Bible-Wagon. Dropping the "crap" in his e-mail? Heading down the path to damnation young man. Your daddy will whip your butt...lol.

[ifspuds]

I like a trade that moves Karros rather than Piazza. If only that'd happened in real life. Ironic that it brought in Ted Lilly, who was a Dodger farmhand in real life.

[AZTarHeel]

It's June 22, 2000 and the Albuquerque Dukes have just finished up a 6-1 win over the Nashville Sounds in front of a pleased home crowd. Players are jubilant as they head to the locker room, knowing that the Dukes remain on top of the South Division of the American Conference in the Pacific Coast League.

"Hey Hamilton, can I see you for a minute?"

"Sure, skip, what's up?"

"Come on in. And close the door."

Now anyone who has ever had a boss knows that phrases like "can I see you for a minute" and "close the door" don't often introduce positive conversations. Suddenly, Dukes left fielder Josh Hamilton, who had just enjoyed a 3-for-4 performance in the night's win, had a sense of dread as he entered manager Tom Gamboa's private office.

He slipped his red Dukes cap off and held it in his lap, thumbing the brim. He feared looking up at his manager.

Was he about to be traded? Had he come off as too arrogant or something in recent interviews with the press? He thought he had toned things down this season after getting a warning last year, but maybe someone was still unhappy with him. Maybe that was it, maybe a teammate had called him out on something or maybe the press had gotten wind that he had done some drinking with older players last season. But he had stopped and had been clean virtually all season. Maybe someone wanted him to nark on the older guys who supplied the booz. Maybe...

"So what's that written on your hat, Josh?" Gamboa asked, pointing to the letters B.C.B.S scribbled in black Sharpie ink on the underside of the brim.

What kind of question was that, Josh thought. Just come out with the bad news already!

"It's nothing vulgar, I can assure you," Hamilton said. "It's just ... you know ... some personal motivation."

"So, what does it stand for?" Gamboa pressed.

"Well, me and some of the guys have this saying, you know. Big Club By September. You know, to fire us up and help us keep our eyes on our ultimate goal of making the Majors by the time rosters can be expanded to 40 players. I wrote it on my hat to make a daily reminder to myself to give my all. That's it, I promise ... Does somebody have a problem with it?"

"You bet they do," Gamboa said. "The Big Club brass are going to have real problems with that."

Josh was perplexed. What was the big deal about some initials? Was this what this closed door meeting was all about, four letters written on a hat?

"You see, Josh, the Dodgers aren't going to like your little saying because they don't want to wait until September to get you. What I'm trying to say is, congrats kid. They are calling you up right now. BCBT should be your little catch-phrase — Big Club By Tomorrow."

Hamilton just sat there in his chair trying to absorb it all. He had feared the worst, feeling like a kid called to the principal's office, and suddenly he was learning that he was getting called up to the Big Show. Wow. Wow! WOW!

"Just to let you know, Josh. The Dodgers released Devon White today, presumably to bring you up. He refused assignment here and they ate a big chunk of change, and I mean big, to make room for you to be up there. I don't think they want to see you come back here, so knock their socks off, alright? We all know you can do it. Wouldn't surprise me to see you in the Hall of Fame about 20 years from now, if you're not still playing. You're going to be a star in LA."

Josh, normally a pretty outspoken guy, remained quiet. He got up from his chair and started to walk out, still letting the news settled in.

"One more thing, Hamilton," Gamboa said. "Save that hat. It could be worth a lot of money one day."

***********
Devon White out-performed his crappy ratings last season but the free-fall continued this year and at 37, he had turned to mush at the plate. His salary was in the $7 mil range, so this will hurt the pocketbook. But the Dodgers were on the hook for that anyway if they kept him.

It might be a little soon for Josh, but I think he can contribute right away...

Also need to mention that 3B Andy Tracy got called up a few weeks before Josh...

[GCCWolverine]

Excellent! Now, we just need to see Andrew follow in his footsteps.

I'm really enjoying the background stuff - it reminds me of an updated O'Farrell type thing - instead of handwritten letters, we're getting the email transcripts.

Looking forward to some more of the twists and turns you have planned for Zarzour, his family, his friends, and his teammates. Do you plan to have any reference to Hamilton's drug problems, or are those gone in this alternate universe?

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by GCCWolverine

Excellent! Now, we just need to see Andrew follow in his footsteps.

I'm really enjoying the background stuff - it reminds me of an updated O'Farrell type thing - instead of handwritten letters, we're getting the email transcripts.

Looking forward to some more of the twists and turns you have planned for Zarzour, his family, his friends, and his teammates. Do you plan to have any reference to Hamilton's drug problems, or are those gone in this alternate universe?

I think it's pretty obvious Pat O'Farrell is a big influence on this dynasty (that and me being a sports writer for a living) ... As for Josh Hamilton, I have some ideas in my head. But a lot of it depends on where the AI takes his career... that's the fun part, right? Thanks for stopping by

[AZTarHeel]

Josh Hamilton didn't sleep much the night he learned he was getting called up to the Dodgers. Neither did pitcher Andrew Zarzour. He was too busy helping Hamilton get packed and sharing stories of his first experience with the Big Club.

Unlike Zarzour, though, Hamilton won't have to wait long to see his first Major League action. The Dodgers have June 23, the day Hamilton lands in LA, off from game action. Manager Davey Johnson has said he will pencil Hamilton into the lineup for the first game of the series against the Pirates the following evening.

Regular left-fielder Todd Hollandsworth isn't too happy about being forced to take a day off, not when a teen-aged rookie hot shot is breathing down his neck all the sudden. But Hamilton is eager for his chance to make a good first impression.

Since Zarzour's Albuquerque squad will have a day off June 24, he'll get to tune in to his buddy's first MLB action on TV...

[AZTarHeel]

Josh Hamilton got just as many goosebumps as Andrew Zarzour putting on his Dodgers' uniform for the first time. Despite the simple look of the white and blue attire, Hamilton felt like Superman during pre-game warm-ups. Every once in awhile, he'd feel along his back shoulders just to check to see if the name "H A M I L T O N" was real. It was, and he was stoked.

Tonight's game would pit pitcher Ted Lilly of the Dodgers, a 24-year-old right-hander recently obtained from Tampa Bay, up against Pittsburgh's Jeff Weaver.

"And now (now, now, now) ... your left-fielder (fielder, fielder, fielder)," the Dodgers' PA man announced, accentuating each word with feeling. "Making the first start of his Major League career (career, career, career). From Raleigh, North Carolina. Josh Hamilton (Hamilton, Hamilton, Hamilton)."

Josh's name hung in the air for what seemed like a minute. The 19-year-old trotted out to left-field, took off his cap, bowed for the National Anthem and got ready to live out to first page of his childhood dream to play in the Majors...

[Ragin Cajun]

to bad Big Z couldn't be up there dealing with him with co-debuts.

[AZTarHeel]

double post, sorry about that...

[AZTarHeel]

Hamilton didn't see any action in the first inning, defensively or offensively. Dodgers pitcher Ted Lilly walked Pirates lead-off man Brady Anderson, but confined the rest of Pittsburgh's hitters of the inning to the infield.

In the bottom of the first, LA brought five players to the plate. Since Hamilton was in the No. 6 spot, his turn would have to wait.

Jose Guillen made Hamilton hustle in left in the second inning with a double down the line. Fortunately, the Dodgers had turned a double play the batter before. The Pirates eventually left Guillen stranded at second, and Hamilton wondered if he played the ball well enough as he trotted off.

But he didn't have too much time to kick himself and replay the at-bat. He was up first in the bottom of the second! He worked Jeff Weaver to a nice 2-1 count and ripped the next pitch toward left. But alas, Pittsburgh 3B Fernando Tatis gobbled it up and threw Hamilton out by a few steps. As coaches like to say, "It was nice contact but right at someone."

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth. Catcher-turned-first-baseman Paul Lo Duca led off for LA with a single down the third-base line. Mike Piazza grounded into a fielder's choice, getting Lo Duca off the base paths. Eric Young singled, putting men at first and second for Josh Hamilton's second at-bat.

Hamilton wore a determined look as he faced Jeff Weaver for the second time. On a 2-2 count, he again made great contact, sending another screamer toward left field. But this time, no one was there to scoop it up for the out. Hamilton made his turn at first and steamed toward second. He looked up to see both Piazza and Young celebrating at home plate. Dodgers 2, Pirates 0.

Hamilton's first Big League hit had been a memorable one — a two-run double! Hamilton then plated the third run of the inning for LA after a single by Edgar Renteria. Hamilton knew as soon as the ball left Renteria's bat, he was going to try for home. The third-base coach didn't try to stop him, and the 19-year-old made it in standing up. What a night this was turning out to be.

Meanwhile back in an Albuquerque restaurant, Andrew Zarzour and his Dukes teammates were whooping for joy watching the game on TV.

"We can all say we knew him when," Zarzour joked... "He's going to be a star..."

[AZTarHeel]

Josh Hamilton probably thought the Pirates were picking on him in the top of the sixth. First, catcher Jason Kendall hit a single his way. Then 2B Ron Belliard roped a double to left-center. Hamilton's quick but even the most fleet-footed outfielder couldn't have reached that one. It had eyes for the wall.

Two men were on when 1B Andres Galarraga stepped to the plate later in the frame. Ted Lilly, who had been pretty masterful all night, threw the Big Cat some chedder, and he drilled it over Hamilton's head and out of the park. A three-run home measuring 380 feet. Yikes. Hamilton, still getting a feel for Dodger Stadium, nearly slammed into the wall trying to track down Galarraga's shot.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, Raul Mondesi had an answer in the bottom of the seventh, sending a two-run shot to deep right-center. Los Angeles never trailed again, going on to win the wild affair 9-6. Hamilton chased plenty of flies (actually a lot of hard-hit line drives) but didn't get another hit on the night. His final line: 1-for-4, with 2 RBIs and one run scored. No errors in the field. Not too shabby for a 19-year-old kid making his first MLB appearance.

"Welcome to Bigs, Mr. Hamilton," Andrew Zarzour said as he watched his buddy on TV shaking hands with Dodgers teammates after the game. "Hope to join you soon..."

[AZTarHeel]

July 18, 2000

Rumor Mill: Kerry Wood In Dodger Blue?

With the trading deadline fast approaching, we're hearing all sorts of rumblings, rants and raves.

Here's one rumor we feel has legs: Kerry Wood won't be wearing a Chicago uniform for much longer. The fading Cubs have put out feelers on their young flamethrower. Why they are looking to unload this potential Cy Young winner is beyond us (maybe concerns about durablilty over the long haul?). But one thing we know, the Dodgers have made overtures back that they are very interested.

Wouldn't it be something to see Ramon Martinez, Darren Dreifort and Kerry Wood at the top of the LA rotation? That might help the club shake the pesky Padres, who most agree were underestimated going into the season, in the NL West. (Though we believe the team needs another bat more than another arm).

The big sticking point might be what the Cubbies want in return for Wood. No chump change, that's for sure. We're hearing that they won't accept a deal that doesn't include either Mike Piazza or Paul Lo Duca, plus prospects. Would LA trade promising young players like Josh Hamilton, Andy Tracy, Kazuhiro Sasaki or Andrew Zarzour to land a more proven product like Kerry Wood?

One source we talked to said that's why Hamilton was called up now instead of September. The Cubbies wanted to see if he was the real deal before signing off on a trade. Again, take that for what it's worth. Just one voice in the sea of rumors and rumblings...

We'll keep on this story if anything more develops. Until then, remember you heard it here first...

[Ragin Cajun]

Zaz, a Cub? Say it ain't so.

[ifspuds]

Aww man. Don't send him to the Cubs!

[Big Six]

TarHeel, are you running the Dodgers, or is the computer in charge of the fates of Z and his teammates? You probably answered this question earlier in the dynasty, but I figured I'd ask it again. It'll give me a chance to give your excellent story a few props, too.

I might one day be asking you if I could borrow your Andrew Zarzour character. Pat O'Farrell's great-grandson and he might get along pretty well.

[Ragin Cajun]

Originally Posted by Big Six

TarHeel, are you running the Dodgers, or is the computer in charge of the fates of Z and his teammates? You probably answered this question earlier in the dynasty, but I figured I'd ask it again. It'll give me a chance to give your excellent story a few props, too.

I might one day be asking you if I could borrow your Andrew Zarzour character. Pat O'Farrell's great-grandson and he might get along pretty well.

Hey Hey, that means a long term continuance of my "other" favorite dynasty. Sweet news. I want daily updates so bad, it's tough when you two go "weekly series" with us.


Six: If I remember correctly he is running the team but not playing almighty OOTP god.

[AZTarHeel]

Hello all, wish I could daily updates but I haven't had the time as of late (and my wife isn't like Big Six's -- she cringes when I even mention OOTP). Lots of summer projects to accomplish before my busy times start up again at work...

I let the game handle the initial draft, and now I am running the Dodgers. I have played the Great Deity a little bit on some others in Zarzour's world. Obviously, I created Josh Hamilton. I boosted Paul Lo Duca up a little (partly because I know his family - his brother used to coach a high school team I covered in AZ). His ratings imported too low, though I may have bumped him a little too high!

I also gave Barry Bonds (who signed an FA deal with the Blue Jays of all teams at the end of 1999) a boost in his HR power because it was only above average and not super-charged (OK, so maybe that's not too unrealistic -- haha)...

The family is away for the weekend so maybe I'll have some time for more installments ... It kills me - I could work on this every day and be happy. Only we'd all starve because it doesn't pay so well... ;-)

Big Six: I'm sure Zarzour would become instant friends with any relation of one of his heroes, the great Pat O'Farrell...

[AZTarHeel]

July 30, 2000

Our e-mailbag is full. We answer your questions

Hello all, well D-day is almost here. The trading deadline passes at midnight tomorrow. Everyone in Dodger-land is still sitting on the edge of their seats. Will they or won't they pull the trigger on a big deal? We offer some special insight on the questions of the day


So what's the deal? Is Kerry Wood coming or not? J.S. in Peoria, AZ
Well, I wouldn't hold your breath, Dodger fans. Yes, LA is very interested in obtaining the 23-year-old right-hander - and we mean, very - but they don't seem willing to sacrifice all that Chicago wants in return. LA would likely have to package either Lo Duca or Piazza along with two or three prospects.

Kerry Wood may very well leave Chicago but not likely for Chavez Ravine...


Any other deals in the works involving LA? P.O. -- Hollywood, Calif.
One of the hottest commodities right now is Arizona 2B Andy Fox. He's having a career year (.342, 51 RBIs) for a bad team (43-60). The 29-year-old has polished defensive skills and could be a nice fit for a team like LA.

But again, what to give in return? Arizona has basically said any trade with the Dodgers, a division rival, must involve Paul Lo Duca. From what our sources have told us, the Dodgers offered up a ton of names, but only one kept shooting back in counter offers, Paul Lo Duca, who has family that lives in the Sedona area.

Again, wouldn't hold your breath on this one.

Bottom line, frankly we see Los Angeles standing pat as the calendar rolls into Aug. 1. They're only three games behind San Diego, so it's not like they have to make up the moon to surpass them...

Which leads to our next question?


How did the Padres get so good this year? I saw the Dodgers running away with the division but yet we're chasing? -- Steve in LA

First, for the record. Here are the standings in the NL West:

Team W L PCT GB  Pyt.Rec Diff   Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 
San Diego 60 43 .583 - 59-44 1   30-22 30-21 9-4 23-16 57 L1 5-5 
Los Angeles 57 46 .553 3.0 55-48 2   32-17 25-29 4-2 16-15 - L2 3-7 
San Francisco 53 50 .515 7.0 54-49 -1   28-25 25-25 9-7 18-18 - L1 5-5 
Arizona 43 60 .417 17.0 47-56 -4   20-30 23-30 2-7 10-24 - L1 5-5 
Colorado 42 61 .408 18.0 41-62 1   21-30 21-31 6-6 11-14 - W1 5-5

You're right, the Pads have been a big surprise. The interesting part -- look at their hitting stats. They’re 29th in the Majors in batting average, 25th in home runs and 22nd in runs scored. But the team can pitch the heck out of the ball, from the first inning till the ninth. Rob Nenn has 20 saves. Relievers Stan Spencer and Jose Mesa have 15 wins between them. David Weathers is 10-5 with an ERA just over 2.00. Kevin Brown has another 10 wins.

They are proving the old adage about defense and pitching winning championships, or at least division titles. LA may need one more bat (or perhaps better pitching and defense?) to catch them.


How is Andrew Zarzour progressing down on the farm? Jared - Cottonwood, AZ
Quite well since the concussion incident. He doesn’t have the flashiest of W-L records for Albuquerque (8-7) but his ERA (3.33) is way down over last year’s stint in Triple A (5.90 in 1999).

Zarzour already has 218 strikeouts against 32 walks in 146 innings of work. That surely has the attention of the top brass. He does have a tendency to give up the long ball but strikeout pitchers will do that. Look for him to be on LA’s September call-up list. Or it could be sooner.

Thanks for stopping by... Until next time...