ZITO TO GET ONE GIANT CONTRACT PIERCE COLLEGE PRODUCT TO SIGN $126-MILLION, 7-YEAR DEAL WITH S.F.

Byline: RICH HAMMOND  Staff Writer

In the spring of 1998, before he hit it big, Barry Zito would bring a video camera out to the diamond at Pierce College in Woodland Hills and tape his outings to better study and understand his mechanics.

``He's always been extremely self-driven,'' said Bob Lofrano, Zito's coach during his lone season at Pierce.

That work ethic made Zito a star at Pierce, an All-American at USC and a Cy Young Award winner with the Oakland A's in 2002.

Now, Zito is about to sign the biggest deal for a pitcher in major league history.

Zito reached agreement Wednesday night with the San Francisco Giants on a seven-year, $126-million contract. No pitcher in major league history has ever received a contract with more guaranteed money.

``He's come a long way,'' Lofrano said Thursday. ``I think he will enjoy the fruits of his contract, but I think Barry has big goals. I think one of his goals is to be considered one of the best pitchers ever.''

As the most coveted pitcher on the free-agent market this winter, Zito drew significant interest from the Texas Rangers, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners. Ultimately, Zito chose to stay in California, the state in which he played high school and college baseball, and where he also made his name in the major leagues.

In seven seasons with the Oakland A's, Zito, a 28-year-old left-hander, compiled a record of 102-63 and a 3.55 ERA. Zito won the Cy Young Award in 2002, when he went 23-5 with a 2.75 ERA.

Since then, Zito's ERA and walk totals have risen and his strikeout numbers have dipped, but he won 16 games last season and became a hot commodity in a free-agent market bereft of top-level pitchers.

The contract binds Zito to the Giants through 2013 and includes an $18- million vested option for the following season. Zito, who has never missed a start because of injury, also has a full no-trade clause.

``I think it's a very, very good fit,'' Zito's father, Joe, a Van Nuys resident, told the Associated Press. ``Truly, I am respectful of the owners who came forward and would believe in Barry to such a degree that they would go this far. I am profoundly respectful of that. He is truly happy.''

The deal is expected to be made official today after Zito completes a physical.

Zito's contract is the sixth-largest in baseball history, and it tops the eight-year, $121 million contract that pitcher Mike Hampton signed with the Colorado Rockies before the 2001 season.

Kevin Brown, Hampton and Zito are the only pitchers ever to get $100 million deals, but the other two didn't work out well. Five years into his deal, Hampton, now with the Atlanta Braves, is 53-48 and sat out the 2006 season after having Tommy John surgery. Brown, who signed a seven-year, $105million deal with the Dodgers before the 1999 season, went 72-36 but pitched only three full seasons for the Dodgers and New York Yankees.

Still, the prospect of having a dominant lefty pitcher was enough to make the Giants pay big after they lost ace Jason Schmidt to the Dodgers, and Zito's past indicates he's a winner, albeit a colorful one.

Known for his curveball and his out-sized personality -- he is fond of guitars, surfing, Hawaiian shirts and yoga -- Zito will now head a San Francisco rotation that includes young starters Matt Cain and Noah Lowry.

``I know he told me that when he met the ownership of the Giants, he was really taken aback,'' Joe Zito told the AP. ``Barry just really loves the Bay Area. He always has. It's home to him. ... He is on a mission like I've never seen. It's all about baseball, all about winning multiple World Series.''

Zito attended high school in San Diego and spent one year at UC Santa Barbara before he transferred to Pierce and went 9-2 with 135 strikeouts in 103innings. He spent one season at USC, went 12-3 and was drafted in the first round, ninth overall, by Oakland, but Lofrano said Zito never forgot his Pierce roots.

``He still comes and works out here every January, before spring training,'' Lofrano said. ``He's given back a lot to us. It's neat to know that he is one of ours. It's something you take pride in as a coach. I knew him back when he was that tall, gangly pitcher in college.''

[e-mail]

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

(color) ZITO