Barry Zito: Lazarus Man; And World Cup Predictions, Part III

The best reason for hope for the Giants this year is not Tim Lincecum's 4-0 record to start the year, because we all knew Tim would be suitably awesome coming off his second Cy Young award. No, the best reason for hope is that Barry Zito is also 4-0, his best April record ever.

Barry Zito signed a Brobdingnagian contract with the Giants a couple years ago, and, perhaps like Gulliver, seemed a bit overwhelmed by his surroundings. But in the second half of last year, he started to come alive. And this year, he has been as indomitable as Lincecum so far, speaking to a new mindset, more relaxed and focused. It's true that money doesn't buy happiness; Giants wins sure help, though.

5-2, the Giants beat the Rockies tonight beneath 8 solid innings from Zito, ensuring a winning home stand. Even if we lose Saturday and Sunday, this home stand will finish 5-4, much more palatable than the first road trip of the year. This is what baseball is all about, measured in series and road versus home trips, small increments along the path of a season. Tomorrow, I go to the Saturday afternoon game with Vaughn to watch Matt Cain take the hill. I'm hoping for a sunny afternoon, sailboats on the bay, and a comfortable Giants win. Vaughn and I are meeting at the Embarcadero Bart Station before the game, and plan to stroll along the waterfront to the ballpark. It will be delightful.

Now, back to the World Cup. I made my first mistake already; the Algeria-Slovenia game should have been predicted today, not yesterday. Oh well; that just further establishes my credentials as someone who knows nothing:

DAY 3: JUNE 13, 2010

GROUP D:

GERMANY VERSUS AUSTRALIA

Germany seems to be a mix of overly old stars and a few young guns. Australia is a hard one to predict, probably because they live all the way around the world. Who pays attention to the antipodes? I have used Tim Cahill on my fantasy team quite extensively, though. Still, Australia will miss a striker of the quality of the retired Mark Viduka. I'm rooting for Australia, but . . .

Germany 3, Australia 1.

SERBIA VERSUS GHANA

It's late and I want to watch an episode of Castle, so I'll cut right to the chase: Ghana handles Serbia 1-0.

Time for a scotch and a shot of Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic.