Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story

[AZTarHeel]

The Philadelphia Phillies didn't win the NL East, but they did finish with the third-best record in the National League. Most importantly, they won the wildcard berth! Philly went 2-4 over the final week of the season but played a lot of subs in the last three games against the Nationals after locking up the wildcard.

Andrew Zarzour is going back to the playoffs! And in Game One of the National League Divisional Series, he'll get to pitch against his old team. Yes, OOTP is great. The Phillies will face the Dodgers in a five-game series. Zarzour finished with a 17-7 regular season record. He'll have to worry about getting former teammates out like A-Rod and Paul Lo Duca (who won the NL batting title)...

Other playoff match-ups include Houston vs. Atlanta, and in the American League Texas vs. Boston and Cleveland vs. Baltimore. Yep, Josh Hamilton, now with the Orioles, will be in the playoffs as well. Hamilton won the AL batting title by the way.

Picture this: Philly vs. Baltimore in the World Series. Zarzour vs. Hamilton to decide Game Seven. That would be something... I might retire from dynasty writing if that came to be ... Of course, Philly has to beat the reigning World Champions first.

National League standings - FINAL

Eastern Division
Team            	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Atlanta Braves  	97	65	.599	-	89-73	8	49-32	48-33	7-8	32-21	Clinched	W2	6-4
Philadelphia Phillies	92	70	.568	5.0	88-74	4	44-37	48-33	9-7	33-21		L3	5-5
Washington Nationals	79	83	.488	18.0	80-82	-1	45-36	34-47	8-9	29-29		W4	6-4
New York (N) Mets	74	88	.457	23.0	72-90	2	37-44	37-44	10-7	28-29		L2	4-6
Florida Marlins 	67	95	.414	30.0	75-87	-8	34-47	33-48	7-9	16-27		L2	5-5

Central Division
Team            	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Houston Astros  	90	72	.556	-	95-67	-5	48-33	42-39	6-8	19-27	Clinched	L2	5-5
Cincinnati Reds 	88	74	.543	2.0	88-74	0	44-37	44-37	15-6	23-24		L2	4-6
Chicago (N) Cubs	85	77	.525	5.0	82-80	3	48-33	37-44	6-8	26-21		W2	5-5
St. Louis Cardinals	84	78	.519	6.0	84-78	0	50-31	34-47	11-8	25-24		W2	5-5
Pittsburgh Pirates	71	91	.438	19.0	71-91	0	37-44	34-47	8-12	22-25		L1	4-6
Milwaukee Brewers	61	101	.377	29.0	64-98	-3	34-47	27-54	9-12	21-29		W1	5-5

Western Division
Team            	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Los Angeles Dodgers	97	65	.599	-	90-72	7	46-35	51-30	7-8	24-23	Clinched	W2	7-3
San Francisco Giants	85	77	.525	12.0	87-75	-2	47-34	38-43	8-12	24-30		W2	7-3
Arizona Diamondbacks	80	82	.494	17.0	78-84	2	43-38	37-44	11-6	26-22		L2	4-6
Colorado Rockies	78	84	.481	19.0	86-76	-8	42-39	36-45	9-12	26-29		W2	4-6
San Diego Padres	73	89	.451	24.0	74-88	-1	34-47	39-42	7-7	31-28		L2	4-6

NL Wild Card
Team            	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Philadelphia Phillies	92	70	.568	-	88-74	4	44-37	48-33	9-7	33-21	Clinched	L3	5-5
Cincinnati Reds 	88	74	.543	4.0	88-74	0	44-37	44-37	15-6	23-24		L2	4-6
Chicago (N) Cubs	85	77	.525	7.0	82-80	3	48-33	37-44	6-8	26-21		W2	5-5
San Francisco Giants	85	77	.525	7.0	87-75	-2	47-34	38-43	8-12	24-30		W2	7-3
St. Louis Cardinals	84	78	.519	8.0	84-78	0	50-31	34-47	11-8	25-24		W2	5-5
Arizona Diamondbacks	80	82	.494	12.0	78-84	2	43-38	37-44	11-6	26-22		L2	4-6
Washington Nationals	79	83	.488	13.0	80-82	-1	45-36	34-47	8-9	29-29		W4	6-4
Colorado Rockies	78	84	.481	14.0	86-76	-8	42-39	36-45	9-12	26-29		W2	4-6
New York (N) Mets	74	88	.457	18.0	72-90	2	37-44	37-44	10-7	28-29		L2	4-6
San Diego Padres	73	89	.451	19.0	74-88	-1	34-47	39-42	7-7	31-28		L2	4-6
Pittsburgh Pirates	71	91	.438	21.0	71-91	0	37-44	34-47	8-12	22-25		L1	4-6
Florida Marlins 	67	95	.414	25.0	75-87	-8	34-47	33-48	7-9	16-27		L2	5-5
Milwaukee Brewers	61	101	.377	31.0	64-98	-3	34-47	27-54	9-12	21-29		W1	5-5

[AZTarHeel]

Andrew Zarzour figured Sports Illustrated would have pretty good coverage of the baseball playoffs, especially on the Phillies’ three-game sweep of the LA Dodgers in one of the National League Divisional Series.

Zarzour was right, but even he wasn’t prepared for what he saw when he picked up the early October issue of his favorite magazine -- his own picture on the cover! Actually it was a great candid shot of a smiling Zarzour standing between fellow starting pitchers Jason Jennings and Lee Plunkett a couple of hours before the start of Game One against the Dodgers.

The cover headline read:

Armed And Dangerous
Phillies’ Young Guns Sweep Defending World Series Champs Out Of The Playoffs

Wow! The article was all about how Philadelphia’s long-term plan to rebuild the franchise was already reaping big dividends. It of course featured plenty of material on Zarzour, Jennings (age 27) and Plunkett (age 21), who each earned impressive victories in the series against the Dodgers.

Zarzour got things started in Game One. He pitched 7.1 solid innings, giving up just four hits and two earned runs, beating former teammate Dodgers Clay Condrey. Philadelphia went on to win 5-3. In the game, Zarzour even got a double and scored a run after a getting aboard with a successful sac bunt. Adrian Gonzalez, another youngster at age 23, hit a two-run home run in his first post-season appearance.

Jennings was masterful in Game Two, pitching a four-hitter over 8.1 innings in a 4-1 Philadelphia win. He struck out seven, and his only real bad pitch came in the fourth inning -- a home-run ball from BJ Upton. Adrian Gonzalez hit another homer for the Phillies, as did Edgard Clemente.

Plunkett generated the most buzz. As the series moved back to Philadelphia from Chavez Ravine, the young right-hander tossed a complete-game three-hitter in his first playoff game. He fanned five without a walk, helping the Phils prevail 2-1.

A Carlos Beltran homer put Philly up 1-0 in the third inning. The score stayed that way, with Plunkett and Dodgers ace Demaso Marte (possibly Cy Young winner) mowing ‘em down. BJ Upton tied the game 1-1 in the seventh inning with a solo homer off Plunkett. In the eighth inning, David Eckstein singled off reliever Brendan Donnelly. Gabe Kapler then moved Eckstein to third with a one-out single. Jorge Cantu was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and then Eckstein came home on a fielder’s choice hit by catcher Ryan Doumit.

Plunkett asked to stay out there for the ninth inning, and got the Dodgers’ three biggest hitters -- Damian Jackson, Paul Lo Duca (NL batting champ) and Alex Rodriguez -- to pop out to end the game. And the series.

Andrew’s father bought like 10 copies of that edition of Sports Illustrated. Andrew’s picture had been in plenty of publications, but this one he was certainly going to save to show the grandkids someday…

Next up for Philadelphia: the NL Championship Series against the Houston Astros, who beat the Atlanta Braves in three straight (wow!)… Over in the AL, Texas took out the Boston Red Sox in five, while Cleveland (which has been in the World Series the past two years) moved closer to another trip by beating the Baltimore Orioles in five.

Josh Hamilton had a rough time for Baltimore in the playoffs. He went just 1-for-16 in the first four games, and then tore a hip muscle, missing the all-important Game Five. With JD Drew also out due to injury, upstart Baltimore didn’t really have a chance against the Indians…


NOTE: If you don’t recognize the name Lee Plunkett, don’t fret. He is one of the fictional players I accidentally allowed to get drafted into my league a few seasons ago. Somehow I had unchecked “import real rookies” and the game created a whole draft class of fictional guys. Hey, I’m not complaining. Plunkett is pretty good!

[AZTarHeel]

To: "Andrew Zarzour" PhilliesPitcher72@earthlink.net
From: "Mary Katherine Zarzour" mkzarzour@wake.k12.nc.us
Sent: Oct. 20, 2005 8:35 A.M.
Subject: Go get ‘em Andrew!

Hi little brother (yes I can still call you that), sis here. Just wanted to wish you best of luck tonight. I’m so sorry I can’t be there -- the school system would frown on me leaving my class to go watch baseball during the school week, even if it is Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.

But mom and dad have told me all about how things have been going and how you guys rallied from a 3-1 deficit to force a seventh game.

Exciting!!! Believe me, when you take the mound tonight there will be 28 fourth-graders from a certain teacher's class here at Davis Drive Elementary in Cary, NC behind you with all their might. I don’t think their parents will let them stay up late enough to watch the whole game, but you get the picture. You are well-loved here.

I’m so proud of you Andrew and the man that you have become, on and off the field. I believe in you and love you.

Remember, we’re a year-round school and my class tracks out next week for a three-week break. So if you get to the World Series, you better believe I am going to be there for every game!!

All my love,

MK

[AZTarHeel]

Andrew Zarzour thinks it's pretty cool that the Dodgers and Phillies are playing in the real-life NLCS in 2008 ... his two favorite teams!

[upperdeck]

I just spent a few hours reading this and I can say it was completely worth it! Great job, great writing, and just a great story.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by upperdeck

I just spent a few hours reading this and I can say it was completely worth it! Great job, great writing, and just a great story.

Thanks Upperdeck, can I put these comments on my resume? haha

Seriously, I appreciate the kind words. I've been missing Andrew's story a bit lately. I'm in one of those busy life cycles (crazy work, wife is getting ready to have a baby in a few months, etc.) and haven't had much time for play. Can't wait to escape into the Big Z's world again soon...

[AZTarHeel]

Andrew Zarzour was determined to save his copy of the Oct. 21, 2005 Philadelphia Enquirer sports pages -- but for much different reasons than the recent Sports Illustrated magazine that featured his picture on the cover.

No, these newspaper clippings would be for motivational purposes in the off-season. Anytime Zarzour -- or his teammates -- had the temptation to slack off, those headlines, stories and photos would be there to stare back at them and rebuke their laziness. And to remind them of what almost was in '05 and what could be in 2006.

Philadelphia had swept away the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, then advanced to Game 7 in the National League Championship Series, only to fall 2-1 to the Houston Astros.

Andrew Zarzour was charged with the loss, but he had given everything he had. He struck out 10 and only allowed the Astros to get three hits, but Houston turned their few base-runners and three Zarzour walks into enough runs to win.

Josh Johnson picked up the win for the ’Stros. He pretty much silenced Philadelphia’s bats, holding the home team to only three hits. He goes into the World Series 3-0 in the post-season with a 0.72 ERA. Wow…

Philadelphia, trailing 2-0, nearly rallied to tie it in the bottom of the ninth during Game 7. Justin Leone singled with one out. Michael Barrett then walked. Jorge Cantu doubled in one run, but Adrian Gonzalez struck out and Carlos Beltran flew out to center.

Game and season over for Philadelphia. As Astros players and a small contingent of Houston fans celebrated with all their might, Zarzour just stood in the dugout and shook his head. He wasn’t alone. No one in a Philadelphia uniform wanted to let go of the magical season they had just been a part of…

[AZTarHeel]

A few notes on the Phillies-Astros series:

-- Game one remained tied 0-0 for six innings, with Andrew Zarzour in command for the Phillies. Houston, though, got to Big Z in the seventh and scored twice. Philly got one run back in the bottom of the eighth but that was all she wrote. Zarzour was tagged with the 2-1 loss, even though he surrendered just four hits and recorded seven Ks.

-- Game two was a classic: Philly 1, Houston 0. In 13 innings! The Astros stranded 15 runners and the Phillies 12. A sac fly by Edgard Clemente, ironically, scored the winning run in the 13th frame.

-- Game three was the killer to Philadelphia. The Phillies led 3-0 going into the bottom of the ninth. But the bullpen caved, and Roberto Valverde pounded a two-run, walk-off homer for Houston off closer Jon Ratliff to give the ‘Stros a 4-3 win and a 2-1 advantage in the series.

-- Houston took a 3-1 lead with another nail biting win in game four, 5-4 in 10 innings. Philadelphia lost another lead in the ninth. Zarzour tried his best to get a win but alas his team couldn’t hold a late lead. Big Z again gave up four hits with nine K’s and a walk.

-- Jason Jennings tossed a three-hitter in Game 5 to keep the Phillies alive (3-0 win). Adrian Gonzalez hit his third home run of the post-season to lift the Phils over Houston 4-1 in Game 6. But alas, Game 7 slipped away. Arrg...

Cleveland went on to beat Houston in six games in the World Series. The Indians are the franchise to beat right now in Big Z’s world, playing in the last three Series and winning it twice.


Andrew Zarzour's season numbers for 2005
Record: 17-7
ERA: 2.30 (nice!)
IP: 211.2
HA: 157
Runs: 55
Earned Runs: 54
Home Runs Allowed: 11
Walks: 24
K's: 191
Complete Games: 4
Shutouts: 2

Andrew Zarzour's post-season
Record: 1-2
ERA: 2.96 (tough luck loser two times)
IP: 27.1
HA: 15
Runs: 9
Earned Runs: 9
Home Runs Allowed: 2
Walks: 6
K's: 29
Complete Games: 0
Shutouts: 0

[AZTarHeel]

To: "Andrew Zarzour" PhilliesPitcher72@earthlink.net
From: "Coach Steve Victory" svictory@cofc.edu
Sent: Nov. 10, 2005 8:35 A.M.
Subject: Best wishes in your future

Hi Andrew, my name is Steve Victory and I am the new men's basketball coach at College of Charleston. You may not remember me but I was an assistant at Florida Atlantic and Miami when you were coming through the high school ranks. I was assigned to recruit the Carolinas and we spoke several times by phone, and I even came up to Bunn for a visit during a conference tournament game your junior year.

Anyways, I just wanted to write and say I've admired how your baseball career has turned out. We were mighty disappointed, and I'll admit very surprised, that you didn't choose basketball as your main sport. You could have been a major star on the hardwood (and of course helped either program that I was associated with). But now I see why you chose the diamond. You're a splendid competitor and I can see you winning a Cy Young — maybe more than one — before you hang up your cleats.

I just wanted you to know you have another big fan out there. I've done OK for myself. I finally landed a head coaching job at Central Florida a few years back, and I'm getting ready to start my first season at College of Charleston in a few weeks. I'm nervous but excited. I hope my career turns out the way yours is turning out. I sure would love to cut down the nets and win a national title one day.

Take care. If you're ever in Charleston, give me a call and I'll buy you dinner (something I couldn't do when we were recruiting you). Tickets to any CoC game are on me as well...

Yours,
Coach V

[Big Six]

Nice! I like it when a writer who's done several dynasties finds a way to tie them together.

It's good to see Big Z back on the mound a little more often. Keep up the good work!

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Big Six

Nice! I like it when a writer who's done several dynasties finds a way to tie them together.

It's good to see Big Z back on the mound a little more often. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for stopping by Big Six. I couldn't resist, with basketball getting ready to start and everything ... What are you up to these days? I know I wish I had more time to play games and write dynasties...

[AZTarHeel]

Sgt. Noah Adamson
PO Box 1199
Syracuse, NY 13220

Phillip and Elizabeth Zarzour
440 N.C. Hwy 98-East
Bunn, NC 27508

December 19, 2005

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Zarzour,

My name is Noah Adamson and for much of the past year I've had the pleasure of serving with your son, Timothy, in Afghanistan. I am back in the States now due to a serious leg injury I suffered a few weeks ago when a bomb went off in my vicinity. I've felt compelled to write since I was shipped back home just to tell you what an amazing young man your son has become. He talked of you both very fondly and often, as well as his other siblings. I hope he would not mind you writing to him.

When I first met Timothy, he was a pretty salty fellow, if I'm being honest. His language was, well, coarse, and he just seemed angry at a lot of things. But I've really seen a transformation in him over these many months. He attributes a lot of that to you and your Christian faith, which he has now very much taken for his own. In recent months, it's been rare to see him without a Bible somewhere on him or a Scripture on his lips. He rarely, if ever, uses foul language any more and there is a certain peace about him and confidence that I've not seen in many people in my lifetime.

I'm not sure of the root of these changes, though I'll speculate that having your life on the line on a daily basis -- and being confronted with your mortality often -- will make you examine what you're made of and where you believe your future should be after we leave this world. I'm sure your many prayers and the life-lessons you poured into him all these years has made that difference as well.

Timmy is a true servant. I've seen him forgo food on more than one occasion so that he can give it to needy children in villages we patrol. He usually takes on the toughest assignments without regard of the cost and has "the back" of the men in his unit with him. He has more than once made decisions "in the heat of battle" that have saved lives, at his own peril at times.

I owe him my life as well. When the bomb went off that took a big chunk of my leg, it was him tending to me promptly -- even while he was slightly wounded himself from being nearby the blast -- that kept me from bleeding to death. I may not be able to walk again without a limp, but things could have been much worse if not for Timothy.

May God bless you and your family for bringing up such an amazing young man, whom I now count as one of my best friends in the world -- a brother even. I know it will be tough this Christmas to not have him home with you. But be of good cheer knowing that he is serving his country with much honor and courage, and more importantly serving the God that you so richly follow and believe in.

Merry Christmas and may God be with you and your family in the New Year.

Yours,

Noah

[AZTarHeel]

SPORTS BLOG - May 1, 2006

What the heck is wrong with the Phillies?

Remember way back during the winter when hot stove thoughts of the 2006 Philadelphia Phillies kept us warm?

Remember all those magazine covers that came out in February and March touting Andrew Zarzour and Jason Jennings as potential Cy Young winners, and Edgard Clemente, David Eckstein and Jorge Cantu as potential MVP candidates? Remember how we dreamed of finally winning a World Series after so many years of drought?

That certainly feels like a century ago now. It’s May 1, the weather is warming up nicely but the Fighting Phils are, well, horrible. The Phillies have won just eight games, losing 17, and have the worst record in the National League. So much for the magazine covers.

This team isn't just struggling, they're awful. Everything about them seems out of sync. The pitching is erratic. The hitting is inconsistent. Coaching decisions are suspect. There is no chemistry. Nothing seems to be clicking. Reports have circulated about fights in the clubhouse.

Sure Zarzour has a nice ERA of 2.80 but he’s lost as many games as he’s won (3-3 record). He only throws a few bad pitches during most outings, but those bad pitches come at the most awful times.

Where has Clemente been? How come it took him several weeks to work his way back into the starting lineup? He was one of the team’s best hitters a year ago yet for some reason he didn’t play a lot in April.
We’ve still got a long ways to go in this season but if Philadelphia doesn’t turn things around quickly, some heads will roll somewhere because fans won’t stand for such a backwards step when so much was expected.

______________________________

Author’s note: I’m at a loss. This team is nearly the same as last year’s (which won 92 games) but nothing I try seems to be working.

The only big change was losing OF Gabe Kapler to free agency and signing veteran CF Jim Edmonds. Pretty much a push. There have been a few injuries -- to 1B Adrian Gonzalez (strained rib cage muscle) and MR Brian Bowles (out three months with muscle tear in back) -- but nothing that the others couldn’t help overcome… We’ll see what happens. Don’t think Big Z will be pitching in the playoffs this season, though… arrgg…

[AZTarHeel]

SPORTS BLOG - August 8, 2006

Holding on to a sliver of hope

For most of the spring and summer of 2006, the Philadelphia Phillies have represented one of the biggest disappointments in Major League Baseball.

Projected as a World Series contender during the off-season, the Phils have instead brought up the rear in the National League East almost from the get-go. Right now, as of Aug. 8, the Phillies sit at 54-58 -- a pretty dismal mark considering the expectations held for this team after last year’s run to Game Seven of the National League Championship Series.

But baseball can be a funny sport, and there is still a sliver of hope that Philadelphia can salvage something out of 2006 after all.

Get this. After last night’s impressive 8-4 win at Atlanta, Philadelphia has pulled within 4.5 games of the division leading Braves. Yep, that’s right, Philly might be a full dozen games out of the wildcard chase, but they are still well within striking distance of winning what has been a very mediocre NL East.

Yeah, we know. Hope holds onto hope. We’re not sure if GM Pat Gillick has a plan with all his roster moves the past few months or if he’s just in a panic. But the current crew wearing Phillies uniforms does seem to be playing better than the hapless group that started.

Philadelphia is 6-1 so far in August and is 17-7 since the All-Star break. Hey, why not us, right?

Of course, it’s this kind of hopefulness that got Philly fans in trouble in the first place. But we’ll keep hoping until we can’t hope any more. Nothing else to do this summer, right?



A FEW OTHER NOTES:
* Andrew Zarzour is 10-7 with a 3.52 ERA at this point in the season. He’s had some tough losses. Big Z was picked for his second straight All-Star game but didn’t pitch because he had just thrown a few days before the showcase contest.

Zarzour’s 184 strikeouts are third in the Majors right now …

* The Phillies have been pretty trade happy trying to find the right combinations of players … Gone are P Luke Prokopec, P Chris George, OF Jim Edmonds (who we traded for early in the season), RP Bart Miadich, SS David Eckstein, 1B Kendry Morales, C Humburto Cota, LF Eric Valent and CF Chris Prieto.

The Phils picked up during these trades: OF George Kelch (promising minor leaguer), MR Jonathan Papelbon (already lost for the season due to injury, though he’s ratings weren’t that great), SS Keith Chambers (promising new starter), MR Takashi Saito (possible closer in the future) and LF Matt Holliday (who is hopefully going to provide some pop in the lineup).

We’ll see what happens. Lately, the Phils are playing pretty decent. Can they sustain this run through late September and overtake the Braves (and Nationals, Marlins and Mets)?

* Josh Hamilton, by the way, is batting .347 for Baltimore, his new team. He’s usually third in the O’s hitting order. Baltimore is 67-47, two games up on the Red Sox for the AL East lead.

* The Dodgers, Zarzour’s old team, have the best record in baseball at 70-42...

[elmwood44]

Thanks for the update AZT!!!!

Love reading about Big Z.

[AZTarHeel]

When the Phillies had a Sunday afternoon home game during the season, Andrew Zarzour tried to hang out with the "College and Career" class at his church on Sunday nights. He really enjoyed the group of "twentysomethings" as they came to be known. There were about 25 young singles in all, people from all walks of life who treated him as if he were just one of the gang.

On this particular late August Sunday evening, his class had no activity planned, so Andrew decided to treat his parents to a nice dinner at an upscale restaurant.

During the course of dinner conversation, the talk turned to Andrew's old sister, Mary Katherine, and her new beau. Then, as Andrew had feared, the conversation turned back on him.

"So when are you going to get a serious girlfriend?" Andrew's mom asked.

Oh no, here we go, Andrew thought.

"Come on, mom," Andrew replied, rolling his eyes and suddenly feeling like George Costanza being grilled by his mom on Seinfield.

"But why aren't you dating anyone?" she persisted. "You're a nice young man. You're a strong man, a professional athlete. I would think the girls would be beating down your door. What about this church group? There has got to be someone you can date in that group. I've heard you talk about a Melissa. What about her?"

Andrew just shook his head. "Mom, I go on dates. I have lots of female friends, even some close ones like Melissa. But I just haven't found *the* one yet. It's OK. I'm still young. I'm just going to concentrate on enjoying every day, making as many friends as possible and then when the right woman comes along, we'll see what happens."

"But son," Andrew's mom said. "I'm not getting any younger. And your father and I would like some grandbabies to take care of. We thought we'd be grandparents by now. All our friends are, including Mary, who's got five already. Five! Plus, everyone should have someone to go through life with, especially someone of your age and stature."

Andrew's dad finally entered the fray. "That's enough Elizabeth. Leave the boy alone. He knows what he's doing."

Just then the pretty, blond-haired, blue-eyed waitress -- probably in her early 20s -- bounded back over to the Zarzours table, asking what the family would like for desert and if they needed their coffee and tea refilled. She winked at Andrew, obviously flirting a little with the star ballplayer in her midst. After she left, Zarzour's mom smiled.

"Why don't you get her phone number, son?" she said. "Just ask her out. She seems sweet enough. You never know what may happen"

"Good grief," Andrew thought to himself, "I should have stayed home and watched Seinfield re-runs."

[bschr682]

Just thought id let u know i spent the last few hours reading this entire thread instead of sleeping before work. This is amazingly addicting stuff man. Good job and keep it up.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by bschr682

Just thought id let u know i spent the last few hours reading this entire thread instead of sleeping before work. This is amazingly addicting stuff man. Good job and keep it up.

Glad you enjoyed it, bschr -- sorry to keep you from sleep -- haha... thanks for stopping by!

[AZTarHeel]

It's 2 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 2, 2006. Andrew Zarzour is at home and awake, piddling on his laptop while watching reruns of The Cosby Show.

The off-season has arrived for the Philadelphia Phillies, who teased fans all summer by staying close to the NL East leaders, then tanked at the end -- losing 10 of their last 13 (this author is NOT happy about that). The Phils finished 78-84, eight games behind the NL East champion Washington Nationals (!!). No playoffs this year. And most likely some shakeups in the organization after falling well short of expectations. Philly had been as close as 2.5 games but couldn't get any closer.

Zarzour didn't even pitch after Sept. 22, getting shut down by trainers because of what doctors described as dead-arm syndrome. Oh well, not much to pitch for down the stretch anyways.

FYI: The playoff match-ups: Tampa Bay vs. Cleveland; Anaheim vs. Boston; Houston vs. Los Angeles; Washington vs. Cincinnati.

Andrew noticed that his good buddy Josh Hamilton also was on-line in the middle of the night. Hamilton's Baltimore Orioles had a better season, winning 87 games. But the O's finished 10 games behind the Red Sox in the highly competitive AL East (and five games behind the surging Devil Rays).

Zarzour couldn't resist pinging his good buddy on IM:

AZarzour72: What's up, friend? How's your off-season going?

JHamiltonAtBat: Very funny. Same as yours. Just trying to get a little rest. Maybe we should have stayed with the Dodgers, eh? They won a smoking 106 games this year, best by far in the Majors.

AZarzour72: Well, one of us had a chance to stay. One of us didn't ... lol ...

JHamiltonAtBat: You know that LA brass knew you had Philly in your heart. So what happened to you guys this season? Y'all were supposed to be good.

AZarzour72: where to begin ... we just didn't have much chemistry ... people playing for themselves ... and frankly i think we were over-rated to begin with. i think we played last year over our heads, then believed the press clippings going into this year, and stopped working... i don't know- I just didn't enjoy this season very much... hard to put a finger on it...

JHamiltonAtBat: What were your final numbers? I can't remember.

AZarzour72: stat geek you. I finished 14-9, 2.99 ERA ... 232 K's - I was proud of that ... But I also gave up 25 Hrs... including three in one game ... at least I didn't give up five again in a game...

AZarzour72: ... and I held one of the most feared hitters in the AL to a 1-for-3 performance in an interleague game -- below his average of .345. No HRs, just a harmless single...

JHamiltonAtBat: Yeah, and you didn't hit me this year either. Haha.

AZarzour72: So, who's going to win it all this year?

JHamiltonAtBat: I'm afraid our old team is going to take another title. I'm glad for Paulie Lo Duca. He's still an animal. BJ Upton hit 38 homers for them this year, and A-Rod had 50.

AZarzour72: And your replacement, Luis Gonzalez, hit 19 HRs with a .290 average ... guess they don't miss ol' Joshy in Hollywood anymore, huh?

AZarzour72: To be different, I'll go with the Indians winning it ... They are so consistent at getting to the playoffs, it's ridiculous. ... You've got one more year left in Baltimore, what are you thinking after that?

JHamiltonAtBat: I'm just thinking about sleep right now, my friend. Just sleep. Later dude

AZarzour72: Big Z signing off, and getting back to Cosby reruns...

[AZTarHeel]

An unlikely post-season hero, unlikely champs
Journeyman pitcher leads Tampa Bay to first World Series title

Oct. 26, 2006

Brad Woodall, age 37, gave the World Series trophy a bear hug and cried his eyes out in front of national TV cameras. And he didn't care one bit.

"This is just amazing," he kept saying. "I'm at a loss for words."

Amazing indeed. Before this season, Woodall boasted a 42-84 career record. He had never even enjoyed a winning season from the mound. Woodall was 3-20 with Milwaukee in 1998, 7-14 with the Brewers in 2000, 8-13 in Philadelphia in 2001, 7-15 with Philly again in 2002.

From there, he never really had another full-time gig until this season, hopping from Philadelphia to Seattle to Cincinnati and finally to fledgling Tampa Bay. He found a real home with the Devils Rays this season, though, going 17-12 and becoming the most unlikely playoff hero.

In the post-season, Woodall was Cy Young incarnate. He went 5-0 with a 2.61 ERA as the Rays ripped through the playoffs, dismantling AL favorite Cleveland 3-0, blitzing Anaheim 4-1 and then handling the all-powerful LA Dodgers 4-1.

Woodall pitched like a genius in the Series-clinching Game 5 against the Dodgers, holding the most dominant team from the regular season to only four hits in 8.1 innings. He struck out just two and gave up a home run, but mostly LA hitters couldn't get good wood on the ball. Ironic against a guy named Woodall.

So there you have it. Proof that magic still happens in sports. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who had been a laughing stock most of their existence, have a world title. And a mostly career failure was the brightest star on the biggest stage of them all.

At 37, Brad Woodall's best years seem ahead of him, though he may want to keep a bear-hug on this year as long as he can.


(NOTE: reason number 2,030,004 that I love OOTP to death. Very cool story that transpired with this guy this season. The real Brad Woodall was just 10-15 lifetime, and his career ended in 1999 ... This story makes enduring a horrible season with the Phillies bearable)