Tim Hudson and Barry Zito combined to pitch 13 seasons with the Oakland A's and later 9 with the cross-bay San Francisco Giants. (Jason O Watson / Getty Images / AFP and Ben Margot / AP)
Tim Hudson and Barry Zito combined to pitch 13 seasons with the Oakland A's and later 9 with the cross-bay San Francisco Giants. (Jason O Watson / Getty Images / AFP and Ben Margot / AP)

Blast from Moneyball past when Barry Zito and Tim Hudson face off in presumed finales



Barry Zito had returned home from a minor league season ready to turn his attention from baseball to his other love, music, perhaps for good.

Now, he will make one more start from a big league mound while opposing close friend and former teammate Tim Hudson.

The baseball-crazed Bay Area is getting its Hudson v Zito matchup on Saturday as so many hoped. And it could be the last hurrah for the two former Oakland Athletics pitchers.

This is a bright spot for the A’s in their final homestand of the year, which began with an 8-6 loss to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

Zito, who spent the entire season with Triple-A Nashville before his call-up last week, might be able to throw around 50 pitches in his first – and, perhaps, last – major league start this year. Or ever.

“It’s icing,” the 37-year-old Zito said Tuesday after a throwing session and visit to the training room. “I came to peace with the fact that Omaha was my last start. I had an inning on the Sunday game. Monday was our last game. The team threw me a little party, we had a baseball pinata in there, because I was thinking this probably would be it. I never came out officially (to retire) and obviously still kind of seeing what happens. I was hanging out at home. I definitely didn’t think this was going to happen. This is all bonus, like triple-bonus situation right now.”

A’s manager Bob Melvin told Zito on Tuesday that he would start against Hudson and the San Francisco Giants for Saturday afternoon’s game at the Coliseum. Melvin and general manager Billy Beane had discussed the possibility with Zito already.

“How many different reasons can you think of? Our fans, first and foremost ... it will be a terrific day, with Hudson pitching on the other side,” Melvin said. “Really and truly he deserves it, based on what he did this year in Triple-A, what he’s meant to this organisation. To get him out one more time in our ballpark against the Giants with our fan base, their fan base and Tim Hudson on the mound, it’s going to be a very exciting day.”

It will be the left-hander’s first big league start since September 29, 2013, when he wrapped up a $126 million (Dh463m), seven-year contract with the Giants. He took 2014 off to build himself for a comeback attempt.

Zito will say hello to his former manager, Bruce Bochy, and the team on Friday.

“I’ll be their mortal enemy on Saturday and then I’ll probably be their friend again on Sunday,” Zito said.

“It’s going to be a really great experience regardless of what happens, being out there part of Huddy’s last few weeks,” said Zito, the 2002 AL Cy Young award winner with the A’s. “It’s going to be awesome. I think the fans deserve something like that, some closure from those early years, all that fun we had.”

Oakland plan to honour their former “Big Three” trio of Hudson, Zito and Mark Mulder in a pre-game ceremony Sunday, when they will throw out the ceremonial first pitches as a group. Three sellouts are expected for the weekend series.

“It’s definitely going to be rowdy out here,” Zito said. “I can’t be a fan that day, I’ve got to still be a player.”

The 40-year-old Hudson plans to retire after the season, and Zito might join him in calling it a career.

They both cherish the way the “Big Three” dominated beginning in 2000, making up one of baseball’s best 1-2-3 starting trios for the A’s teams about which “Moneyball” would be based.

“When you’re in the middle of something you usually don’t know how special it is until you’re away from it to reflect,” Zito said. “It definitely was special. To have three homegrown guys it’s pretty rare.”

A’s third base coach Ron Washington will cherish the memories dating back more than a decade.

“I thought they were the best three in the business at the time,” said Washington, back for a second stint with the club this year. “You couldn’t imagine the things that they would say when they came off the field, ‘Just get me one run and I’ll make it stand up,’ and they’d make it stand up. ‘Get me two runs and I’ll make it stand up,’ and they would make it stand up. I think they fed off each other. Huddy was the smallest of the three and he was a tough character.

“I remember one time Mark Mulder throwing a fireworks night game and he did it in an hour and something, and the fans had to sit in the stands ‘til dark and I was at home eating. That’s how good they were. Barry Zito had this changeup and this breaking ball that would fall off the table. More than anything they were fierce competitors.”

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Monster

Directed by: Anthony Mandler

Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington 

3/5

 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding

'Peninsula'

Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra

Director: ​Yeon Sang-ho

Rating: 2/5

Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
THE SPECS

Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6

Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm

Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km

Price: Dh375,000 

On sale: now 

Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier

ICC Academy, November 22-28

UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal

ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan 

UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDirect%20Debit%20System%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sept%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20with%20a%20subsidiary%20in%20the%20UK%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elaine%20Jones%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
FIXTURES

Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)

Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The distance learning plan

Spring break will be from March 8 - 19

Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm

Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19

Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning

Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5