Zito shows he can change tunes with the best
That wacky singing competition known as “The Masked Singer” moved into the semifinals this week and when the audience was all done yelling for the Rhino to “Take it off!” the unmasked singer was a former curveball-throwing pitcher very familiar to Bay Area baseball fans.
Barry Zito?
Yes, the former A’s and Giants star assumed center stage Wednesday — on his 42nd birthday no less, and just three days after his wife, Amber, gave birth to the couple’s third son in Nashville.
“I’ve had such a great time,” Zito said after host Nick Cannon removed his giant Rhino head. “This show has stretched me in so many ways.”
Although his run on the show was a long one, Zito didn’t have everyone fooled. Judges Ken Jeong and Jenny Mccarthy were both on to him and so were many baseball fans who picked up several clues along the way.
Among those clues were an “elephant” and a “seal” — both mascots of the Bay Area teams for which he played.
In a chat with Variety, Zito said he had heard from plenty of former teammates who also figured it out.
“Eric Byrnes, who I played with in Oakland, he’s still a good friend. His kids watch the show religiously so he texted me a couple weeks ago,” Zito said. “And he was like, ‘Dude, you’re killing it on TV.’ And I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ ”
For his final performance, Zito performed “Humble and Kind” by Tim Mcgraw on Wednesday night’s episode. Past songs included “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” by the Righteous Brothers and “Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson.
Zito has spent the past few years focusing on his music career. Last week, he released a cover of the Kenny Rogers track “The Greatest.”
In his post-reveal interview, Zito talked about making the post-baseball transition.
“When I was playing baseball, I never thought I’d have a life after retirement because my identity was so wrapped up in my profession on the mound,” he said. “But now that I’ve freed myself of that, I realize how fun retirement can be and how fun it is to pursue musical endeavors — even this crazy one.”