Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story

[AZTarHeel]

Andrew Zarzour was feeling pretty good about himself, a little cocky even. He hustled back to the dugout after the top of the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 12, still seeing zeroes on the scoreboard next to the visiting club at Dodger Stadium.

He put a towel over his head and absorbed the cheers around him. What a great day this was shaping up to be. Then a crazy thought entered his mind. "I'm going to pitch a no-hitter today," he said to himself. His smile broadened. "Why not? The Pirates can't even touch my stuff. I've already gotten a few strikeouts. Why shouldn't this be the day for such a magical achievement?"

A confident Zarzour went back out for the top of the fourth still beaming. Then, just as soon as the thought of a no-hitter entered his head, his dream got shattered. Big time.

The Pirates rocked Zarzour in the fourth inning. First a single. Then a double. Then a three-run homer. By the time manager Jim Tracy came out to get the humbled Zarzour, the Dodgers trailed 6-0. Zarzour had given up two long balls, walked three and looked like a Single A pitcher going up against an MLB all-star team.

A frazzled Dodger team went on to lose the game 11-0. And it seemed everyone in Dodger blue, Zarzour included, plunged into a deep funk through the rest of May.

Zarzour's record went from a sterling 4-1 to 4-5. He lost four straight starts, giving up six more runs against the Houston Astros and eight against the Cincinnati Reds. His last start in May against the Expos was a no-decision, thankfully, after giving up seven more runs (five earned) in the first six innings.

What the heck was going on?

Zarzour didn't have an answer. Maybe it was fall out from the team losing its GM, Kevin Malone, so abruptly and going through the circus that his firing brought on.

For the Big Z, it was like someone pulled the rug out from underneath him, confidence-wise and mechanically speaking. His ERA was now well over 6.00. The Dodgers as a team were scuffling at 27-27, in danger of falling out of contention in the NL West at fourth place behind San Diego (31-23), Arizona and San Francisco. So much for being the team to beat in the National League after all the free agent spending.

Zarzour had been a media darling in April. But now cameras and reporters' notepads were being aimed at another youngster, pitcher Dan Smith. Going into June, Smith was 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA — the lone bright spot in the Los Angeles starting rotation since getting called up. Smith nearly had a no-hitter against the Expos (the same Montreal team that had rocked Zarzour), giving up one single and two walks in a 4-1 victory.

In fact, Smith had moved into the No. 4 hole, bumping Zarzour back to the No. 5 starting position. That meant Big Z wouldn't always pitch every fifth day. There had been some chatter about moving him back to Triple A and letting Bronson Arroyo take over as the No. 5 starter.

For the first time since draft day, Zarzour began having doubts about choosing baseball over basketball. He started day-dreaming about what it would have been like to be playing hoops for North Carolina. The Tar Heels had been ranked No. 1 in the nation at points during the season before. He could have been a part of that instead of dealing with the sudden black hole that had become his pitching ability.

Maybe June would be better. Or maybe June would be the time that Zarzour got shipped off to Las Vegas to the Dodgers' new Triple A affiliate, never to see the major leagues again. Everything was all mixed up...

[AZTarHeel]

In the Dodgers clubhouse...

"Psst, hey kid."

"Yeah."

"Come here a second. There is someone I want you to meet. He's got a little, um, something that I think can help you break out of this little slump you're in."

"Oh man, thanks. At this point, I'll try anything. I'm desperate. I've never pitched this bad in my life."

"Andrew, I want you to meet Victor. Victor this is Andrew."

"Hi, Victor, nice to see you. I sure hope you can help me out..."

[Mattymo]

I could ruin it...but there's probably some people who don't know who Victor is...

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Recte44

Tell me what's up with the Brew Crew!

I'll get more info for you soon, but they are playing .500 ball through the first half of the season, in the middle of the pack in a competitive NL Central, which contains three strong teams in Houston, Cincy and St. Louis ... I'm away from my computer right now with the game on it. I'll try to provide more details over the weekend... Thanks for askin'!

AZ

[AZTarHeel]

Resurgent Zarzour rediscovers form, confidence
LA pitcher wins all five starts in June after disasterous May

July 3, 2001

Dodgers pitcher Andrew Zarzour put his worst month as a professional player behind him by enjoying his best month on the bump.

The 20-year-old left-hander, who lost four straight starts in May and saw his ERA climb well above 6.00, came back strong in June. He won all five starts, earned Player of the Game status three times, and picked up one shutout.

While Zarzour didn't make the National League All-Star roster — only Mike Piazza and Alex Rodriguez did from the Dodgers — you could make the argument that the 7-foot-2 flame-thrower pitched as well as anyone during the month.

"I just feel so much better out there," Zarzour said. "I'm not sure what was going on in May, but I think we got it figured out. I'm recovering from my starts better and just have that confidence I had to begin the year. Most of all, I'm thankful we're winning and staying in the playoff race."

Zarzour said he made some "minor adjustments" to his routine and to his pitching mechanics after sitting down with a pitching specialist in the organization. He also adjusted his nutrition, he said, to help him run on "all cylinders" on days where he starts.

Zarzour's standout month keeps the Dodgers' top rivals within sight heading into the second half of the season. LA sits at 42-28 at the break, three games behind San Diego (45-26), one behind San Francisco (43-27) and tied with Arizona (42-28).

Here are highlights from Zarzour's June starts:

June 2: Dodgers 5, Brewers 3 — Zarzour pitches eight complete at Dodger Stadium, giving up three earned runs with 7 Ks and one walk.

June 8: Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 6 — LA's offense helps bail Zarzour out. He lasts just five innings at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, giving up five runs, with four strikeouts and two walks. This is his "worst" performance of the month but thankfully a win.

June 13: Dodgers 2, Giants 0 — A big win at home for LA. Zarzour goes seven innings, giving up only two hits. He fans nine and walks one.

June 18: Dodgers 8, Phillies 1 — Zarzour had already beaten his favorite childhood team once before, throwin a one-hitter at home. He beats them again in Philadelphia, scattering four hits over six innings. He strikes out five with one walk.

July 1: Dodgers 2, Cardinals 1 — For some reason, Dodgers manager Jim Tracy chooses to skip one of Zarzour's starts in favor of Bronson Arroyo. Zarzour uses the rest to pitch another stellar game against one of the NL Central's top teams. Zarzour goes seven innings, giving up six hits and one earned run. He allows two walks but strikes out eight. Catcher Mike Piazza homers early and then bats home the game-winning run in the ninth inning. He is clutch when Z is on the hill.

Zarzour is now 9-5, tied for third for wins in the National League with a number of pitchers. He's got the most wins of any Dodgers' pitcher. Not bad for a No. 5 guy.

Now, it's on to the second half... The big questions: Can Z keep it up? And can the Dodgers finally catch these other teams in their way in the competitive NL West? There is some trade talk brewing in LA as the team tries to make a post-season push... Kerry Wood apparently is back in the picture...

One note: Going into June, scouts informed the Dodgers coaching staff that Zarzour had lost some of his duration. Maybe that was a good thing...

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by Mattymo

I could ruin it...but there's probably some people who don't know who Victor is...

I'm afraid I know who Victor is, too...

Great work as always, AZ. Looking forward to more of the story.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

I'll get more info for you soon, but they are playing .500 ball through the first half of the season, in the middle of the pack in a competitive NL Central, which contains three strong teams in Houston, Cincy and St. Louis ... I'm away from my computer right now with the game on it. I'll try to provide more details over the weekend... Thanks for askin'!

AZ

at the all-star break, Milwaukee is 44-35 (better than I thought), but 9 out from a red-hot St. Louis squad ... The Brew Crew was 84-78 in 2000 but still 9.5 back in the NL Central. In 1999, Milwaukee was 76-86, a full 19 back ...

Top hitters this season: 1B Brad Fullmer (.299), SS Travis Fryman (.296) and 3B Aramis Ramirez (.292) ... JD Drew got drafted by the Brewers in 1999 and is up on the big club this season (hitting .286) ... Ramiro Mendoza is the No. 1 starter (7-4 at the break) ... Shawn Chacon is in the Brew's farm system, currently in Triple A as is CF Juan Pierre ... SP Adam Eaton was 13-5 for Milwaukee in 2000 and is pitching about .500 thus far this season...

Hope that helps...

AZ

[AZTarHeel]

Timmy Zarzour, the little brother of LA Dodgers starting pitcher Andrew Zarzour, was having the summer of his life.

It all began in early June when Zarzour's high school baseball team, the Bunn Wildcats, went on a surprising run to win the 1A state championship — something Andrew never got to enjoy. The younger Zarzour had roared to life in the playoffs. He batted .581, including hitting a three-run homer in the finale against East Surry. Bunn won 5-2, playing in front of a packed house at NC State's Doak Field.

From there, the contacts and letters started coming in from college recruiters and even a few pro scouts. Some knew who is older brother was and some, to Timmy's delight, did not. Zarzour had a long conversation with an assistant coach from UNC-Greensboro, and several JUCOs turned up their sales pitches.

Timmy's hot streak at the plate continued during American Legion ball. He hit well over .500 during the summer stretch, though his team wasn't nearly as good as his high school squad.

After Legion ball ended, the soon-to-be-high school senior became Timmy the jet-setter. He spent more than a week in New York City as a guest of his friend and mentor, Ed Scalfani. Big Ed introduced him around at his Brooklyn fire house and showed him the inner workings of big-time department. Scalfani even took him out on a few calls, including a five-alarm fire at a high-rise apartment building. Timmy was amazed with the skill and proficiency that Ed and his new friends used to save lives and limit the amount of property damage. They were fearless, and tireless, in the face of danger.

Zarzour, a country boy by upbringing, was smitten with all the lights and glitz of the Big Apple. He took it upon himself to explore Brooklyn and Manhattan when Big Ed wasn't around. He was proud that he mastered the subway system, and even spent an afternoon by himself in Chinatown, learning to say hello and count to 10 in Mandarin. He pondered what it would be like to go to college in the City or to work there as a firefighter — or maybe even be a businessman on Wall Street!

Timmy's NYC trip brightened even further when he met Kara, the 16-year-old little sister of one of Big Ed's firefighting buddies. The two hit it off immediately. She took him everywhere — to Yankee Stadium for a game, to Macy's, to the top of the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building, to the Statue of Liberty and even to several spots not on the typical tourist's radar. On their next to last night together, the two went to Coney Island to hang out — and ended up making out a little as well. It was a special summer memory, kind of a Wonder Years type experience for Timmy.

Before he left New York, Kara gave him a 5x7 copy of a picture that a tourist took of the two of them with her camera. The shot was taken during the "sweet light" time of late afternoon, with the orange sun creating a neat effect on the gleaming World Trade Center towers that stood proudly in the background.

"E-mail me or call me anytime," Kara told him. "I definitely will," he said. And he aimed to keep his promise...

From New York, Zarzour took a train to Boston, where he met up with an old childhood friend, Davey Johnson. The two boys had been best buddies in elementary school before Davey's family moved to Bean Town for his dad's job.

The Johnsons were doing quite well financially and spoiled Timmy rotten. Restaurants. A golf outing. A country club party. Even a couple of Red Sox games (too bad the Yanks weren't in town).

After now, Timmy found himself in Boston's Logan Airport. It was early on a Tuesday morning in August — Timmy had lost track of the date he was having so much fun! — and the next leg of his journey would take him to Los Angeles.

The last big adventure before school started again would be a six-day stay with big brother. The Dodgers, in the midst of a pennant race, had a long home stand, and Timmy would get to be around for some important games. Andrew even promised some informal lessons for Timmy with catcher Mike Piazza. Wow!

Since Andrew and a few teammates had an apartment in Redondo Beach, Timmy figured he'd be a beach bum for much of the week. Maybe he'd even learn to surf. Though his mind was pretty occupied with Kara's big brown eyes, flowing sandy blond hair and sly smile, Timmy couldn't help but think of the number of California babes who would be out in full force while he was in town (hey, he's 16, what do you expect?).

"Life is just too good," Timmy thought as his flight was announced. He picked up his USA Today, his copy of the latest Sports Illustrated and his Starbucks coffee — yes, he ordered a coffee — and headed off for the last leg of the greatest summer of his young life...

[Roundin Third]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

... Big Ed introduced him around at his Brooklyn fire house ......to the top of the World Trade Center ...And he aimed to keep his promise... It was early on a Tuesday morning in August ...."Life is just too good,"....and headed off for the last leg of the greatest summer of his young life...

I was glad to see this said August, since this is the summer of 2001. I figure some tragedy may be in store for the Zarzours (all good story tellers have some low points for their characters) but I was worried with the NYC references.

AZ, you certainly are a great story teller and I will be following and eagerly awaiting the next chapter. Great Stuff!

[AZTarHeel]

Timmy Zarzour practically skipped down the ramp to his airplane, then gave the Boeing 767 a couple of taps for luck before walking in. He was so excited about his life and his experiences this summer that he wondered if he was literally glowing as he greeted the stewardess at the door.

"Hello!" he said with a giant smile. "What a great day!"

The 16-year-old Zarzour was headed for the coach section in the back, but he couldn't help but look around at the posh life in first class. It was here that his glowing mood suddenly turned black and ominous.

He noticed a man sitting erect in his seat, looking to be of Middle Eastern descent — Egyptian maybe? Saudi Arabian? He was dressed in typical Western business-casual clothes but Timmy felt that something just wasn't right.

Timmy locked eyes with the man, who appeared to be in his early 30's, and for a few seconds it was as if he could peer deep into his soul. What he saw was vacant, dark ... evil. Suddenly the plane felt very cramped and stuffy. Timmy couldn't breathe and felt a dark cloud overtake him. He thought he might fall down under its weight.

He had an inkling to turn around and run out of the plane and back into the airport teriminal, but Zarzour just stood in place for several seconds, trying to keep from tumbling over or even screaming out in terror. Finally, a persistent older lady nudged him from behind. "Are you going to go or what?" she barked. "Either move over or move on back."

Dazed, Timmy apologized and stumbled back to his seat near the back of the plane, put his bag in the overhead compartment and tried to ponder what had just happened. A few minutes ago he had been bursting with energy and enthusiasm. Now, he felt exhausted and sapped of energy. There was a deep sadness that enveloped him that he had never really experienced before.

Timmy couldn't get over the thought that something dreadful was going to happen and that man he had locked eyes with was going to be involved.

Maybe he should say something. He reached for the call button above his seat but then pulled back. No one else on the plane seemed the least bit agitated, except for maybe the older lady who had given Timmy the big bump from behind. Maybe he was just over-reacting. Yeah, that was it. He hadn't slept a whole lot on this trip, and that had to be catching up with him, right? And he had just downed three big cups of jet-black coffee in the airport Starbucks. Since he wasn't a coffee drinker naturally, maybe that had sent his senses on overdrive. Reading all those crime novels certainly didn't help his imagination either.

He picked up his Sports Illustrated and started thumbing through it, trying to relax. Maybe Rick Reilly's column in the back would do the trick. As he began the first paragraph, a loud radio crack from above made him jump.

"Good morning everyone, welcome aboard American Airlines Flight 11. This is the captain speaking. Thanks for flying with us this morning. We're going to push back from the gate here in about five minutes and be off for Los Angeles.

"We don't expect any problems today. The weather looks clear all the way to the West Coast. Sit back and enjoy your flight..."

[AZTarHeel]

Dodgers' Pujols wins NL Batter of the Month honor, again

September 1, 2001

LOS ANGELES — Last summer, Albert Pujols was just getting his feet wet in professional baseball as a farmhand for the Dodgers organization.

These days, he's emerging as one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball.

The 21-year-old left fielder picked up his second straight National League Batter of the Month award. Pujols batted .340 in 103 trips to the plate, bopping eight homers and recording 35 RBIs. In taking July's batting honor, Pujols batted a robust .392 with five homers and 21 RBIs.

Pujols joined the Big Club in Los Angeles on May 13. It didn't take long before he displaced another young phenom, Josh Hamilton, as the every day left fielder. He also displaced veterans like Alex Rodriguez and Mike Piazza as the clean-up hitter in the Dodgers' lineup. He may next claim NL Rookie of the Year honors.

Pujols had an eight-RBI game in mid-August against the Brewers. For the season, he is hitting .344 with 14 home runs, 21 doubles and 66 RBIs...

[AZTarHeel]

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

Mr. Dennis Zarzour
Yunnan Normal University
NO. 298 Yieryi Avenue
Kunming, Yunnan
Peoples Republic of China 650092

Sept. 3, 2001


Greetings Big Brother

I hope you get this letter OK and I pray that you and Brenda are doing well. I can't believe it's been more than a year since you two packed all your belongings in storage and headed off for a "second career" as English teachers in China. I don't think Elizabeth and I will get that daring when Timmy finally moves out, but who knows?

I take it from your last letter that the two of you are having a ball learning the new customs and language. You've really been to a Buddhist temple and you sleep under mosquito netting every night? Wow, different world indeed.

Glad to hear you still get a chance to play basketball quite a bit with the students. I'm sure your skills and hustle impressed the "youngsters" at your school.

Well, you hinted that baseball news was hard to come by there in Kunming, so I thought I'd bring you up to a speed a little bit on what's happening with America's past time. Of course, by the time you get this it could be Spring Training 2002, but a little late news is better than nothing. right?

Our Phillies are out of it in the NL East (as usual), but Andrew's Dodgers are hanging on to their hopes of winning a wildcard berth. I don't think the Giants (79-52), who made a major surge over the summer, can be caught in the NL West. But the Dodgers (72-59) still have a chance to catch Cincy (76-55) in the wildcard standings.

Talking with Andrew I get the feeling he's a little frustrated at what's going on in LA. They have one of the best collection of hitters and players in the Majors — and the league's second highest payroll — yet they can't seem to put it all together. You would think that young pitching would be the culprit, but the Dodgers' team ERA is fifth-best in the Majors. The hitting is only middle of the pack.

I wrote to you about the Pujols kid in my last letter. But the Dodgers recently called up another big bopper in RF Craig Wilson. In just 55 at-bats, he already has five homers and is hitting .288. Paul Lo Duca is chasing the NL batting title with a .343 average. Piazza is hitting just over .300 and A-Rod is batting just under .300 with 26 homers. He had a 23-game hitting streak over the summer.

So why don't the Dodgers have 80 or 85 wins? Andrew says he can't explain it but seems to suggest that a lot of folks are just looking out for themselves. He says that Piazza had been the team leader when he first arrived in LA, but some of the young guys don't listen to him or are trying to take over. In any event, it will be a big disappointment if this team doesn't make the playoffs, but they should be built for a nice run in the next few years — if they can get that chemistry thing worked out.

On the AL side, those pesky Red Sox look like the team to beat again. Everyone in the AL East has a winning record, but you won't believe who is in last place - the Yankees!! They're 15 games back (and five behind the D-Rays -- I love it!).

Some other headlines from this summer: Barry Bonds homered for the 500th time in his career, and he had one stretch where he hit six in six days. He's got 41 for the season but trails Juan Gonzalez of Texas by six for the season lead. Guess the Giants don't really miss ol' Barry but he's picked Toronto up. They may win the wildcard in the AL.

Baltimore's BJ Surhoff and New York's Paul O'Neill both got their 2,000th hits on the same day in mid-August. Jim Thome's tearing it up with 145 RBIs already. He's got 41 homers also.

Getting back to the Dodgers, they did get some help at 2B after trading for Damian Easley in July. They gave away a lot to get him — Roger Cedano, Ismael Valdes and Eric Young. But he's solid on defense and carries a much better bat than anyone else they had at the keystone sack.

Not trying to brag about my boy, but Andrew has enjoyed a great summer. He's got the most wins of any Dodgers starter (14-7 record), and his ERA is pretty good at 4.26. His 164 strikeouts is 11th best in the Majors. Since that awful May that I wrote to you about, he's 10-2. He hasn't talked to me much about his "secret" but he's hinted at subtle adjustments in his delivery and overall approach to hitters. It doesn't matter, I'm just proud and hope he can keep it up. We'd love to see him in the playoffs one more time.

Andrew's last win was an impressive one, 10-2 against the Giants, in San Fran. He's got eight road wins, which impresses me, too.

OK, enough about my son. Sorry if I sound like I'm being boastful. We're just enjoying seeing him have so much success. We're going to enjoy every minute of it.

I'm proud of Timmy, too, who just started his senior year at Bunn High. He thought about trying out for football (wouldn't that have been funny?!?) but then decided against it to focus on fall baseball. He may end up getting a full ride somewhere to play baseball. That would be great. Mary Katherine is doing well as a new elementary school teacher. She's got a new boyfriend, and I think they are getting serious. More on that later.

Once you get your computer set up and the Internet working correctly, let us know. We'll keep you updated in a more timely fashion. Take care, brother. Know that Elizabeth and I love you both very much and miss you incredibly. Be safe and be good. Most of all have fun.

God bless,

Phillip

[AZTarHeel]

Dodgers slam Cincy, pull closer in wildcard race

Sept. 10, 2001

Alex Rodriguez hit a first inning grand slam, and Andrew Zarzour was sharp from the mound for six innings, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-3 win over the Reds tonight.

The triumph pulled LA (77-63) to within two games of Cincinnati (79-61) in the wildcard standings. The Dodgers haven't been this close in awhile. A win over the Reds tomorrow in the series finale would draw LA within one game. Cincy won the first game last night, 5-4.

Zarzour, the 20-year-old kid from North Carolina who may just reach 20 wins this season, improved to 16-7. He struck out nine and surrendered six hits and two earned runs. He didn't have a walk. His ERA for the season is 4.20. Zarzour leads the Dodgers' pitching staff in wins from the hill.

Freddy Garcia took the loss for the Reds tonight, falling to 11-6.

After Zarzour struck out three in the top of the first, the Dodgers set the table with base-runners with one out. Albert Pujols popped out, but then A-Rod drilled his 26th homer of the season into deep center field to stake Zarzour out to a 4-0 lead. Cincinnati got two back in the top of the second, but the Big Z was stellar the rest of the way. He fanned three in the third inning, then Jeff Cirillo hit a two-run single to put LA ahead 6-2.

Damien Easley homered in the seventh inning for the Dodgers' seventh run.

Ted Lilly is the scheduled starter for LA tomorrow night.

For more on the game, see tomorrow's print edition of The LA Times.

[AZTarHeel]

Usually Andrew Zarzour sleeps well after pitching, especially when he wins (which has been a lot the past few months).

But on this night, the 20-year-old was restless. He tossed and turned for hours, drifting off for maybe 30 minutes, then popping back awake again.

It was a conversation he had with his mom after last night's game against Cincinnati that troubled him. She had asked him a million questions — about his health, about the Dodgers' travel plans over the next week, about how safe his neighborhood was, about the kind of people he had been hanging out when he's not on the baseball field, about whether he had made any enemies along the way in life.

"Mom, why are you asking me all of this?"

She never really answered, but just sounded worried with each query — like she knew something bad was going to happen to someone she loved, and was determined to find out beforehand just what that was going to be.

Apparently everyone in the Zarzour clan got a phone call that night. Aunts, uncles, cousins that had been forgotten about for years. Even Timmy's friend and former mentor, Big Ed from New York City, got a surprise call from Mrs. Zarzour. That turned out to be a happy call, though, as Ed announced that he and his new bride, Marcie, were expecting their first child in about five months.

"You just be careful, Ed," Mrs. Zarzour told him before hanging up.

"Yes, Mrs. Z," Ed told her sincerely.

Andrew knew his mom well enough to respect her sixth sense about impending events. It was like she got this uneasy feeling out of the blue, then all of the sudden a day or two later someone would end up in the hospital or would wreck their car. Andrew worried just what this episode might be. He worried most about his Dad, who was in pretty good health but had been seeing a heart doctor the past year for "irregularities."

Was he going to have a heart attack?

Andrew was in the midst of one of his greatest runs ever as a pitcher. He had no idea how he would react if he suddenly lost his Dad. He might go right off the deep end. Phillip Zarzour was an unassuming man overall but an anchor that each of his kids depended on. Andrew was just now realizing how much of an impact his Dad really had on his life. He couldn't lose him now!

So, he tossed and turned in his big king-sized bed, trying to shake the uneasy thoughts swirling in his mind. His alarm clock said 3:45 a.m. Man, what Andrew would do for a few peaceful hours of shut-eye before the sun came up...

[AZTarHeel]

Andrew gave up trying to sleep around 5:40 a.m. He finally fell out of bed and went downstairs, flipping on the TV. He was just in time to catch the highlights from last night's win over Cincinnati on a SportsCenter re-run. Man, A-Rod's first inning grand slam was sweet to see all over again as it sailed 473 feet into center field. The camera panned back after A-Rod's homer and showed Zarzour's reaction to the play from the dugout, pure joy.

Andrew got even more excited as he watched the ESPN montage of his nine strikeouts shown in quick succession. He hadn't realized that manager Jim Tracy had told the media after the game that "Andrew is pitching like a No. 1 starter right now. He's the real deal." Wow, thanks, skip.

When ESPN went to commercial, Andrew did what he usually did (and what most men do) when in control of the remote — channel surfed.

He finally stopped on CNN, which had just jumped out of commercial to air some breaking news. Ever the news hound, Zarzour put the clicker down as he watched the amazing scene on the TV in front of him. Was that a New York City skyscraper on fire?

CNN anchor Carol Lin was talking over the live shot: "Yeah. This just in. You're looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. CNN Center is just beginning to work on this story, obviously, calling our sources and trying to figure out exactly what happened, but clearly something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island of Manhattan. That is once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center..."

[rallymonkey1982]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

"Good morning everyone, welcome aboard American Airlines Flight 11. This is the captain speaking. Thanks for flying with us this morning. We're going to push back from the gate here in about five minutes and be off for Los Angeles.

Not Timmy!

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by rallymonkey1982

Not Timmy!

Fortunately, he was on an August flight of AA11, not on Sept. 11 ... But he may have seen some of the "trial runs" in progress...

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by rallymonkey1982

Not Timmy!

I was thinking the same thing, so I went back and checked the thread. The Sporting News article about Pujols was dated September 1, so I figured Timmy's flight to the West Coast on American Airlines 11 was sometime earlier than that.

So Timmy (at least) is safe...

Great work as usual, AZT.

[AZTarHeel]

Sorry for the confusion, folks ... thought I had been clear by putting dates at the top of most entries or somewhere in the write-ups ...

[AZTarHeel]

Like most Americans, Andrew Zarzour sat transfixed in front of a television screen as the events of Sept. 11 unfolded before his eyes.

"We're at war!" he screamed out to his now very awake roommates as he watched live the first tower tumble to the ground.

It was surreal. The Dodgers had been to New York a few times during the season, and while Zarzour hadn't had much time to play tourist, he remembered seeing the World Trade Center stand as a proud beacon in the New York City skyline.

As the day progressed, players, coaches and families began making their way to the LA Dodgers club house. There was something about being together as a team that made everyone feel a little safer. There were fears for awhile that something might happen in Los Angeles. The devastating events were just beyond the realm of everyone's thinking. Could there be a plane or missile or bomb headed here? And Where was President Bush? He hadn't surfaced since leaving the Florida elementary school in haste.

Zarzour's cell phone rang on his hip, and he literally jumped. He recognized the number immediately. It was Timmy.

"Hey Timmy." Andrew said. "How are you, little brother?"

Timmy was shouting: "Can you believe this Sh**!! This is fu****** unbelievable, man. They blew up the fu***** World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Ah sh**, and I can't reach Big Ed. He said he was supposed to have the day off, but fu** it all, I can't get through. I keep getting some all-circuits-are-busy sh**. Oh brother, what if he's dead? He's going to have a son in a few months. Whoever those fu**ers are, we should nuke them to hell. And I'll pull the trigger."

Andrew just listened as his brother ranted for another couple minutes. Andrew tried to pray, but words failed him. They both just broke down and sobbed.

"I wish you were here, brother," Timmy said.

"Me, too," Andrew said, choked up...