Gettin' Ziggy With It (Season 2, Vol. 6)
by Brad Ziegler on Aug 7, 2008 8:20 AM PDT
Hey, everyone! Well, I can honestly say my life has slowed back down a little, and I’ve been able to relax a lot more since I last wrote. I’m getting used to the scheduling, and I’ve been able to spend a lot more time with my family, which has been really nice. I’m looking forward to coming back to Oakland and getting to throw in front of the home fans again, but we still have 4 games to go before that chance presents itself.
It’s been a tough stretch since the all-star break, and I’m sure you are all well aware of the team’s struggles. It’s frustrating, because no one enjoys losing. I feel like we’re close to reeling off a stretch where we win 8 out of 9 or something…but we just need a win or two to kick start us and get us over the hump. We have Duchscherer going tonight, and that alone gives us a tremendous chance to win a game.
This is my first time ever in Canada, and I like it. Toronto’s a very clean city, and there is some fantastic architecture here. If you haven’t seen it ever, find a picture of the CN Tower. It’s right next to the Rogers Centre, and it’s absolutely incredible. Supposedly, it’s the tallest, free-standing structure in the world. Standing underneath it, the size is so incredible…it’s tough to fathom the process it would take to build something that big. I’m debating going up in the tower and taking some pictures today, but we’ll see if time will allow for that…
I was informed yesterday that I was back on the ballot for AL Rookie of the Month for July. It’s nice to be mentioned again, but I think the odds of getting picked over a couple of the great rookie hitters in the AL are pretty small. Chris Davis (Rangers) has exploded this year, and I know he had a monster month in July. Counting the minor leagues, he’s hit 34 HR this year…that’s ridiculous. And Alexei Ramirez, the other player on the AL ballot, hit .341 in July. Either way, it’s fun to be talked about among the top rookies in the league.
I want to take a quick second to thank everyone for the support I received as I approached and eventually surpassed the Major League record for consecutive scoreless innings to start a career. I honestly didn’t think the record would be that big of a deal…it’s such an obscure record, and it had been held for so long that I honestly didn’t know that it was something that would be kept track of. However, at Elias, I think they keep track of the amount of sunflower seeds spit in a dugout each night. Consequently, I got a lot more attention with it than I anticipated, and that really surprised me. My teammates have been very supportive, which has been really nice, since they’re the main reason the streak exists in the first place. It’s obvious I’m not a strikeout pitcher, so I rely on my defense so heavily night-in and night-out. And, from what I can recall, I think we’ve made 1 error in my 34 innings so far. And at any point, if there had been an unearned run that scored, the streak would’ve been over. But they keep making the plays, so I keep doing my best to get groundballs.
Real quick, I’ll answer a series of questions by closetasfan from the last journal entry. I know there have been more questions, and I’m sorry I likely can’t get to them, but he reeled off several in a row, and I figured I could answer a few of them pretty quickly…
How have Embree, Foulke, Street and some of the other guys affected you in that they’ve dealt with a lot of success and some recent tough losses?
Those guys, as well as pretty much everyone else, have been great. Anytime I’ve needed to know something, I know I can ask them and get an honest, up-front answer. We have a really young team, especially the pitching staff, and to have those guys to look up to and learn from has been a tremendous help.
How is it dealing with all the national attention?
Like I said earlier, it shocked me how much attention I’ve gotten. I’m a middle reliever on a team that’s fallen out of contention, and I feel like I’m just doing my job: going out and getting outs. But Kristy Fick, who is our Player and Media Relations Manager, has been EXTREMELY helpful in scheduling interviews and coordinating it with our on-the-field schedule. I don’t know if she reads this or not, but if so, "THANK YOU SO MUCH, KRISTY!"
What kind of avatar do you envision yourself getting for some of the MLB based games next year??
Hopefully one that portrays me well! Not one that I have to go in and fix all the attributes on after I get the game! :)
Have you thought about a Brad Ziegler bobblehead at all?
YES!
How much nicer are the travel accomodations in the MLB?
Very nice. We don’t have roommates anymore, the hotels are usually very nice, and we fly first-class charter flights all the time. It’s a long way from the 14-hour bus trips in the New York-Penn League.
2008 MLB Stats: 1-0, 0 SV, 0.00 ERA, 26 G, 34 IP, 19 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 15 K, 9 BB
2008 AAA Stats: 2-0, 8 SV, 0.37 ERA, 19 G, 24.1 IP, 15 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 20 K, 4 BB
It was exciting to see Gio Gonzalez make his debut last night. Hopefully he can give us a little spark in the rotation, and we can reel off a stretch of wins. Duke gets it rolling for us tonight! Enjoy the weekend! See ya at the ballpark!
Ziggy needs a entrance song
Ziggy you need a entrance song when he takes over as the new closer for the A’s. Something loud to put the Ziggy fear into the hitters. Maybe thunderstruck by ac/dc.
Arcman - August 7, 2008
Wrong!
needs an exit song – perhaps “Celebration!”
MobiusKlein - August 7, 2008
has to be something by bowie, right?
guy incognito - August 7, 2008
Exit song, as in he's the closer
and the A’s have just won, hence ‘celebration’
MobiusKlein - August 7, 2008
I vote for the theme from "Cat People" -- the movie, not the version on "Let's Dance"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=golEvRaaKYo&feature=related
OR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycYRqGr5ejU
WaddellCanseco - August 7, 2008
I like
Hang On To Yourself. Its rockin’
lynnzgal - August 7, 2008
Well, so far he's been Mr. Zero
Why not “Saved By Zero,” by The Fixx?
thejd44 - August 7, 2008
Thunderstruck
is/was JJ Putz’s entrance music at Safeco
PortlandPachyderm - August 7, 2008
cliche but...
yellow submarine? unless someone writes green and gold submarine…
The Eternal Optimist - August 7, 2008
That's a good one :D
LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn - August 8, 2008
Congrats on all your successes
You have officially replaced Chad Bradford as my favorite side armed delivery pitcher.
Best of luck the rest of the way and please stay in Green and Gold!!
Hit4TheCycle - August 7, 2008
Ziggy
It’s just awesome to see you have so much success and keep so amazingly grounded. You. Are. The. Man.
Tyler Bleszinski - August 7, 2008
glad to see a post from you
we are all very proud of your performance with the big club.
I’m glad you’re able to keep a positive attitude about the teams’ struggles. Actually, for the most part the pitching has been good…the offense has been very, very poor, as you well know.
If you can share a bit (no names, of course!) about how the team keeps itself positive and supporting each other it would be greatly appreciated.
OaklandSi - August 7, 2008
and it's probably not a good idea
for morale’s sake, to read fanthreads during games…;-)
OaklandSi - August 7, 2008
Tip for Ziggy
If you do go up the CN Tower, make sure you bring a machine gun just in case you need to take out the Hacker Hellstorm.
vertig0 - August 7, 2008
CY YOUNG
Mark H - August 7, 2008
Brad Ziegler = Rookie of the year
str8tarrow - August 7, 2008
+1
batgirl - August 7, 2008
+1000000
#14fan - August 7, 2008
Wow...great post!
Makes me feel guilty for mine below it. ;-)
You have a great attitude, and you are a hell of a pitcher. Keep doing what you’re doing!
baseballgirl - August 7, 2008
Go Ziggy go!
It’s incredibly cool to me that you are still posting here. You’re awesome and have an incredible attitude as well – thanks so much for your contribution to the team and for being a part of AN. At this point I’d say you’re my favorite thing about this season!
Thanks.
lurkerD - August 7, 2008
Isn't the American League supposed to be pretty tough?
I’m really impressed with your positive attitude and your humility. Congratulations on all your success. I’m sure your teammates feel a little less discouraged to see you – and Jerry Blevins – do so well.
WaddellCanseco - August 7, 2008
Congrats on all the success thus far
Keep it up!
Try to get some of the other guys to drop in to AN sometime…
HRH - August 7, 2008
congrats
dude, between blogging here on AN and being a scoreless streak-setting double play-generating machine, you may be the most popular player on the a’s, or maybe top 3 with duke and ellis.
are you collecting all the news stories about you?
if so, don’t forget this one by AN’s salb918.
xbhaskarx - August 7, 2008
I saw Ziggy in the 'pen at Fenway last Friday.
He looked up and smiled, but then ignored me when I asked him if he read THT :-(
salb918 - August 7, 2008
congrats
When are we gonna get a ziggy jersey’s?
ironliver - August 7, 2008
totally sweet
you rule Ziggy.
oakinboston - August 7, 2008
Greatest front page diary ever!
Congrats on the success, Brad. You’re one of the most fun players to watch on the team this year, and I always drop what I’m doing to follow the game when you come in. And it’s awesome that you’re finding time to post on AN!
You seem very positive toward this year and the team—is that generally the tone within the clubhouse? I ask ‘cause there’s been some speculation about the team feeling demoralized etc.
oblique - August 7, 2008
Way to go, Ziggy!
You’ve certainly made a lot of fans here by posting your inside stories of what it’s been like as you’ve risen through the ranks, and I know when you first got called up it was cool to tell my gf “Hey, that’s our guy, the ANer on the team.” Now that you’re not just our little secret anymore it’s great to have you continue to tell us your story. Awesome work, and I hope you can keep it up for a long time to come.
Now a question: I’ve noticed when you warm up you always start with some overhand or 3/4 throws before going into your sidearm motion. It looks like you do that just to get loose, but do you ever think you would be someone who could mix up a variety of arm slots to keep the hitter off balance? Or is your sidearm motion so different that once you’ve committed to it you can’t really go back to throwing overhand? Not that I want you to mess with a good thing, mind you.
Thanks again for contributing, and for being a bright spot during this rough stretch of baseball.
sslinger - August 7, 2008
As a follow up to that
You made a great play the other day getting the lead runner on a sac bunt. Is it difficult in a rushed moment like that to go back to throwing overhand? (It certainly is for me if I’ve been slow pitching a softball game).
nevermoor - August 7, 2008
I actually saw him say something about this after breaking the AL record
There was a game in the minors where someone kept fouling off his pitches and he decided to throw more overhand one time to mix it up. It went for a ball, but it sounded like he’d consider doing it on occasion if there was a reason.
Not to try to answer for him, but I don’t know how soon he might be able to get to that.
Flashfire - August 7, 2008
Interesting,
thanks.
sslinger - August 7, 2008
Mixing up arm slots might be a good idea
Once the league starts to figure him out a little (it’s bound to happen; he won’t have a 0.00 ERA forever). Don’t show too much until you have to.
thejd44 - August 7, 2008
Go Ziggy!
Great Post. I wish you could have met Bill King, who could probably told you who the Architect of the CN Tower was. He was another well-spoken guy who had varied interests beyond Sports.
Has anyone ever mentioned that your sidearm delivery is reminiscent of Kent Tekulve’s? He was a very effective long reliever/closer (back when they were the same thing) for the Pirates in the ‘70s, and one of my favorite players “back in the day”.
Your participation here as you’ve moved into the majors (and now even the HOF!!!) at AN has been a thrill for all of us. Thanks for taking the time to keep in touch.
Brian in 317 - August 7, 2008
Tekulve and Quisenberry...
It used to be that teams would change their strategies knowing Quisenberry was coming in for 3-6 outs at the end of the game.
Back in the 80’s, Bill James theorized that someday, sidearm and submarine deliveries would be the predominant deliveries in the game, due to the increased groundball rates, and mechanics that put much less stress on the arm than overhand deliveries.
Gaijin_Suketto - August 7, 2008
You, Sir, are a god amongst mere men...
albeit a really skinny god
Your rock Ziggy, thanks for making us watchable most nights!
OptimistPrime - August 7, 2008
Brad, you rock!
Thanks for the update! Even with the painful losing streak, you continue to give us all a reason to follow the A’s, whether you keep shutting down the world’s best hitters or not.
BTW, I like ‘Ziggy’ but I think you need a more epic/creative nickname. Besides, the Ziggy from the comics is short, soft and pointless—you are none of these things.
Some bad suggestions:
Brad ‘Thorpedo’ Ziegler (since you’re a menace from down under)
Brad ‘Das Boot’ Ziegler (same story)
Brad ‘Giddyup’ Ziegler (you’re GIDP-inducing machine)
Brad ‘Headcase’ Ziegler (batters would rather chew their arms off than face you)
Brad ‘Zero Sum’ Ziegler (self-explanatory)
I bet your teammates can do better than this…
nickolai - August 7, 2008
Kelvin?
Jennifer - August 7, 2008
I likey!
I was thinking of another one along the lines of Mr. Freeze or Sub-zero, in that Brad freezes the opponent’s score., but yours is infinitely geekier and cooler!
nickolai - August 7, 2008
Sub-zero is pretty good
PortlandPachyderm - August 7, 2008
FINISH HIM!
mikev - August 7, 2008
Also, the Mortal Kombat theme song could be his entry music.
God I hate being so smart all the time.
mikev - August 7, 2008
Brad "Sideout" Ziegler
I think it’s double meaning is self-explanatory (even if it is a bit “volleyballish”)
Do you like volleyball, Brad?
PortlandPachyderm - August 7, 2008
Ziggy!!!
You ROCK!
:)
Rookie of the month all the way!
#14fan - August 7, 2008
Yea Ziggy
Although the team’s recent struggles have been hard to watch, you really are a bright spot worth paying attention to. It’s just awesome to see you stretch this record out farther and farther, night after night. Truly, we are so proud of you.
I’m sure you’re probably happy not to have the national attention be too suffocating, but it’s a bit frustrating as an A’s fan to realize that if you played in NY or Boston, you’d be the top story every day. Maybe if your name was Joba…
batgirl - August 7, 2008
Congratulations Ziggy!
All of this success couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. It’s great to see a good guy make it with style. Did you ever imagine in your wildest dreams during ST that you would soon be sending personal items to be enshrined in Cooperstown? Ain’t life a funny ride!!!
alox - August 7, 2008
Great work Ziggy!
You’ve made things exciting during bleak times. Always get excited to see you in the pen warming up. Keep doing what your doing, so glad your and Oakland Athletic and best of luck during the remainder of the season and beyond.
TheGreenGoldCrush - August 7, 2008
Ziggy Sig Line!
doctorK - August 7, 2008
Seconded!
lynnzgal - August 7, 2008
plus 30 innings and counting
looks like a couple of A’s club records for consecutive scoreless innings are on the horizon.
In baseball, it is important to “compartmentalize”, that is, never allow yesterday’s failure or success to affect the current moment on the mound, and never allow a possible future event to do that either. The record is great, but it’s only a record, so it cannot help you at all, any moment you step on that mound. Great to be in MLB ball, as you have noted, and the record is great “icing”. Yet, I am extremely pleased that you put it in the proper perspective (i.e. sunflower seed spitting, as noted by Elias). That outlook should keep you in the “Show” for a good long while.
Pitching-wise, exemplary work so far! Keep ‘er goin’! We at AN cannot thank you enough for writing your marvelous reports! And tell Ken Korach, now that he’s worked the word “microcosm” into his broadcast, that the next challenge is “concomitant”. 8^))
One won lost won - August 7, 2008
Thanks for posting
You’re the best. Thnx for answering my questions. I hope to see you closing for the A’s soon. We’ll soon have to get a Orel Hershiser record countdown pretty soon.
I hope to see you live (I’m on the east coast) sometime, and I hope I can get a Ziggy shirt soon too. I look forward to Ziggy bobblehead day
closetasfan - August 7, 2008
Thank You Ziggy!
You’ve given me renewed hope. It has indeed been tough, but its always a pleasure to watch you. Congratulations!
lynnzgal - August 7, 2008
More thanks!
We all appreciate your posts here at AN and wish you continued success and more scoreless innings!
You are much fun to watch and I am looking forward to my Ziggy bobblehead.
I think you are one of baseball’s special gifts to A’s fans this season.
Congratulations!
LongTimeFan - August 7, 2008
Way to go, Ziggy!
It’s so awesome that we have one of our own actually on the team,and kickin’ ass while you’re at it! Again, thank you so much for taking the time to continue posting, it really is one of the few highlights of this season to have you on the team.
As for a nickname, how about Ziggy Von Blitzkrieg and his Amazing Torpedo Pitch of Doom!
Meh, I guess Ziggy is just fine, all by itself. :)
McFood - August 7, 2008
i hate to say this, zig...
..but you, And Frank Thomas, and my fellow countryman, Carlos G, are the only reason I even watch the A’s right now.
little A - August 7, 2008
Ahh, so nice to hear from you again :-)
Blez loved what we sent him, first of all.
It’s so fun seeing how much longer this run of success can go on for, and I think with the way things have fallen off for the team fans need something to keep their interest, to keep them invested in what’s going on. When a team is playing poorly it’s easy for people to go off and do other things. What you’re doing is definitely exciting and everyone is paying attention the moment you enter the game.
Aside from a few inherited runners crossing the plate (though you’ve only allowed 4 of 18 to score by my last count), nobody’s really seen you NOT pitch well yet! There have been a few hard-hit balls but the defense has always been there for you.
I’ve got some more shots from the Texas/KC series I’ll be happy to send along to you at some point, too.
Couple quick questions:
I also noticed you didn’t go with the high socks in Sacramento but did return to them in Oakland. Any reason?
Thank you for continuing to post here. I remember you saying at the end of last season that you didn’t know if the team would bring you back and you wouldn’t feel right posting on what would then be a different team’s site, so this is working out pretty well. ;-)
Hopefully there will be pictures from the rookie hazing to come later in the season, heh heh.
Flashfire - August 7, 2008
I'll go ahead and answer for Ziggy.
AMOUNT OF RUNS ALLOWED WEARING HIGH SOCKS IN THE BIG LEAGUES: ZERO
mikev - August 7, 2008
Thanks for the time and great post
Congrads on the record and a great season. If i had a vote in the ROTM and ROTY voting it would go to you.
Thanks again
A'sfaninNC - August 7, 2008
New question
I realize this is totally wonkish, but I really am curious (and the subject did come up in a few trade-speculation diaries):
Do you get paid as a wage employee or as an independent contractor? (ie, reported on W-2 or 1099?)
Does your employer determine for you what portions of your income are allocated to what state, or do you (ie, your accountant) have to do that yourself?
iglew - August 7, 2008
Ziggy, do me a favor and don't answer this question.
haha :D
LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn - August 8, 2008
CN Tower
(Hmm, AN doesn’t let me make a clickable link out of the picture.)
iglew - August 7, 2008
Sure you can
nevermoor - August 7, 2008
Thanks, Ziggy
You’re an inspiration in what is turning into a tough year.
boilerdan - August 7, 2008
Thanks for checking in!
We’re proud of you—AL Rookie of the Month for sure!
anomaly_kat - August 7, 2008
Just heard on the radio
broadcast that if the A’s need a closer tonight it’ll be Ziggy. Woot!
sslinger - August 7, 2008
Congratulations, Ziggy! :D
LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn - August 8, 2008
You're awesome, Ziggy.
I hope after you win a World Series in Oakland, I can root for you as a Cub someday!
northsider - August 9, 2008
Hope to see you in Anaheim again next week
I was the guy with two boys whose hats you signed (one had a Gossage auto) after bp in the last Anaheim series.
We were there talking to Christy.
See you at bp. My older son is hoping for a ‘39’ signed ball if you have a second and you don’t mind.
Either way, congratulations and continued success Brad!
easyraider - August 19, 2008
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