Vincent Frank
Oakland Athletics pitcher Barry Zito made his Major League debut with this very same team back in July of 2000. After being away from the club for eight years—seven with the San Francisco Giants and one out of baseball altogether—Zito has returned to the A’s on a minor league contract.
Let’s take a gander at what was happening around the world when Zito made the first of what is now 419 starts in the Majors.
Zito Defeats the Los Angeles Angels 10-3 in MLB Debut
Putting up six strikeouts and holding the Angels to two hits and one earned run, Zito defeated the A’s division rivals by the score of 10-3. He was backed up by a now 38-year-old Ben Grieve, who drove in four runs. Former MLB reliever Mike Magnante, now 49, closed out the game for the A’s.
“ER” and “Friends” Were Two of the Top Television Shows
Courtesy of the Huffington Post
Remember when George Clooney didn’t look like the old man that was going to steal your girl? It was at a time when his partner in the fake medical field (pictured above) wasn’t a good wife and married to a crooked politician. Oh, the good days.
Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way” Wins Song of the Year at the Grammy’s
This is something we never want to see repeated. And while most of us will never admit it, there are still Backstreet Boys posters packed away somewhere in our closets.
The Seattle Kingdome is Demolished
Courtesy of Wikipedia
The house that Jr. built came down in 2000 to make room for Safeco Field, which isn’t even one of the newest venues around the baseball world. The Kingdome will always hold a special place in the hearts of baseball fans the world over. This was indeed a sad day for the Pacific Northwest.
Los Angeles Lakers Defeat Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals
Kobe Bryant had hair. Let us repeat this. Kobe Bryant had hair. The then 21-year-old Bryant teamed up with BFF Shaquille O’Neal to lead the Lakers to the first of five NBA championships under his watch. It was a great time to be a Lakers fans.
Hanging Chads and the Election Debacle
The photo you see above represented this national nightmare to a T. Hanging chads, dimple ballots, two awkward politicians and the leadership of a nation hanging in the balance. For those of us who are old enough to remember the winter of 2000, it was a dumpster fire in every sense of the word. In the end and after a protracted legal battle, George W. Bush took the office of presidency when the United States Supreme Court sided with him over Al Gore.
LeBron James Was a Sophomore in High School
At 15 years old, James knew he was likely destined for NBA stardom in the summer of 2000. Despite this, most everybody that worships him today likely never heard of him when Zito made his MLB debut against the Angels that year. Fifteen years later, and James is considered the greatest living basketball player on the planet.
“American Beauty” Wins Academy Award for Best Picture
Before Kevin Spacey was known as Frank Underwood on House of Cards, he played one of the greatest roles in the modern history of film-making. Taking on the role of a fed-up suburban husband, Spacey’s performance as Lester Burnham was a hit out of the gate. American Beauty won five Academy Awards, including best picture, best actor (Spacey) and best director (Sam Mendes).
Subway Series Between Mets and Yankees
Roger Clemens went off. Two fan bases were pitted against one another in a city that would end up being ripped apart by the 9/11 terrorist attacks less than a year later. And of course, the New York Yankees came out on top against their cross-city rivals. To understand how long ago it actually was when Zito made his MLB debut, just look at the current ages of those who played central roles in the outcome of the 2000 World Series.
Mike Piazza (46), Todd Zeile (49), Mike Bordick (49), Al Leiter (49), John Franco (54), David Justice (48), Bernie Williams (46), Tino Martinez (47), Paul O’Neill (52), Orlando Hernandez (49), David Cone (52) and Roger Clemens (52). Yeah, we feel old too.
PlayStation 2 is Released in Japan
Remember when this now iconic video game platform came out? Now thicker than most of our computer monitors or television sets, youngsters of that era couldn’t even begin to imagine what type of games would be around today. Instead, we were trying to figure out how to win Grand Theft Auto 3.
Billionth Living Person in India is Born
Courtesy of Daily Mirror
That may in fact be a lot of people. That is it until we realize India’s population has increased by 252 million since 2000. To put that into perspective, the 252 million increase in population is about 60 million less than the entire population of the United States and about double the amount of votes President Obama received in his two elections.
Tiger Woods Dominates at the U.S. Open
The Year of the Tiger. Seriously, that pretty much defined the sports world in 2000. Not only did Woods win nine tournaments this year, he captured the last three Majors on the schedule. Even more impressive, he captured the 100th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by a ridiculous 15 shots. Woods finished the four-day event 12 shots under par. The two individuals who took second place—Ernie Els and Miguel Ángel Jiménez—were three shots over.
Worst Draft in Recent NBA History Takes Place
Courtesy of NBA.com
Just look at this incredible list of NBA busts. Fifteen years later, and only three of the 29 players selected in the first round of the 2000 NBA draft remain in the association. The likes of Stromile Swift, Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer, DerMarr Johnson, Chris Mihm, Joel Przybilla, Keyon Dooling, Jerome Moiso and Etan Thomas has to be seen as one of the worst groups of lottery picks ever. Sadly, it didn’t get much better as the draft continued.
St. Louis Rams Defeat Tennessee Titans in the Super Bowl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQZZVH-gVk0
One yard. That was all that separated the Tennessee Titans from forcing overtime against the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, wide receiver Kevin Dyson couldn’t stretch out long enough to reach beyond the goal line for a potential game-winning score. If only the late Steve McNair had waited about a split second to throw the football, the Greatest Show on Turf may never have been born.
San Francisco 49ers Select Giovanni Carmazzi Over Tom Brady
Wait. Hold up. Who?
Don’t be too upset, the Cleveland Browns also selected Spergon Wynn 16 picks before Brady went to the Patriots. Four Super Bowl titles later and many teams are still crying in their empty trophy cases. I guess the 49ers can hang their hat on the five Super Bowls they have from before most of you reading this were even born.
Photo: CSN Bay Area
