Zito, who added a tailing two-seam fastball at the All-Star break last year, said at the start of Spring Training that he expected to have the best year of his career. Six weeks later, buoyed by improved command, a killer changeup and several dominant spring outings, he's singing the same tune.
"You know, some people are afraid to say something like that, just like some guys are afraid to say that their goal is to make it to the Hall of Fame," Zito says. "I'm not that guy. My goals are up there. I want to be the best. And if you don't aspire to be the best, how can you get there? Verbalizing those goals doesn't change anything.
"I expect excellence. And I have no doubt that I'm going to achieve it."