Saturday was a bittersweet day for Barry Zito. The veteran left-hander returned to the O.co Coliseum mound while sporting an Oakland A's uniform for the first time since 2006, which qualified as the high point. But it was also only a small consolation compared to the prize he'd hoped to earn when announcing his comeback in February . Zito not only wanted to pitch again in Oakland, he wanted to earn his spot and stay there with the organization that drafted him ninth overall in 1999 and helped develop him into one of the game's top left-handers. He wanted to be one of their best 12 pitchers again, just like he was from 2000-2006, and he wanted to force Billy Beane and Bob Melvin to keep him around. [ Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball: Sign up and join a league today! ] Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, or at least it wasn't meant to be right now. Following the game, Zito was reassigned to the Oakland's Triple-A team in Nashville . That means if he hopes to pitch at O.co again this season, it will require patience and an injury or two to other A's pitchers. But those realities won't deter him from continuing or encourage him to consider leaving. Zito, who hasn't pitched in a big...