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Mozzie22
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Not being a Cubs fan I was wondering if Cubs fans are sharing this woman's viewpoint or is she just a frustrated reporter trying to cause a stir? Is Zambrano worth the headache and the $91 million? Is she being too harsh or not hard enough? This story is all over the radio here in Chicagoland today.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/slezak/1 ... 8.article#
Lounging act wears thin
Cubs shouldn't put up with lazy Zambrano's antics any longer
Comments
August 18, 2009
BY CAROL SLEZAK Sun-Times Columnist
So Carlos Zambrano has come clean. He says he's lazy. The Cubs are fighting for their playoff lives, and Zambrano, who hasn't pitched since Aug. 1 because of back spasms, isn't expected back until Aug. 25. And now we come to learn that his long absence likely could've been avoided if he had done his abdominal exercises. But Zambrano couldn't be bothered. Because he doesn't like working on his abs. And because he's lazy.
On what professional baseball planet is this considered acceptable? How can a $91.5 million pitcher, a supposed staff ace, be allowed to get away with this behavior?
» Click to enlarge image Carlos Zambrano looks toward the Cubs bullpen as he heads toward the dugout in July.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
RELATED STORIESLou praises Z's candor Harden, Wells rest up for long haul Cubs need wake-up call
''To be honest with me and the fans and everyone, I'm 28, I'm not 16 anymore,'' Zambrano said Sunday. ''I'm a big guy. I don't have a [big gut], and I'm in pretty good shape. My problem is I've been lazy. I work out every day ... but the thing I don't like to do is ab work. I have to do more things like that for my core.''
He has known for several years that he has a bulging disc in his back, yet he hasn't been committed enough to do the exercises prescribed for him. Once again, we learn that Zambrano has placed himself above his teammates, the fans and the organization that made him a multimillionaire. Once again he has demonstrated that he doesn't care about anybody but himself.
If I were running the Cubs, I'd be looking for a way to make this lazy pitcher somebody else's problem. He has been holding the franchise hostage long enough.
How many times has Zambrano's selfishness hurt the Cubs? And why do the Cubs continue to coddle him? He has habitually ignored team rules, thrown temper tantrums and put selfish desires, such as hitting batting-practice home runs, above his health and the team's success.
Repeat offender
From the dehydration that felled him for a spell in 2007 -- he explained at the time he doesn't like to drink water -- to that mysterious elbow pain in 2005 that might or might not have been caused by excessive computer usage, Zambrano usually has been given the benefit of the doubt by the organization, his teammates and fans. So what if he's prone to odd injuries? And while we're at it, so what if he has punched a teammate, verbally abused an umpire or two, missed a team flight, assaulted a few Gatorade dispensers and on at least one occasion walked off the mound before his manager arrived to take the ball from him? When Zambrano's head is into a game, he can be dominant. The good has outweighed the bad.
As if to underscore that fact, Zambrano threw a no-hitter upon returning from an 11-day layoff caused by a mysterious shoulder problem last September. Never mind that he shut down an exhausted Houston Astros team that was escaping Hurricane Ike and playing a supposed home game in Cubs-friendly Miller Park. The message, repeated time and again: Zambrano is worth the trouble.
Not anymore. His latest admission makes it perfectly clear that he doesn't care about the organization or anyone associated with it. He doesn't care about the rest of the pitching staff, which has been decimated by injuries. He doesn't care about general manager Jim Hendry, who in 2007 gave him that lucrative five-year deal that includes a no-trade clause and a vesting option for a sixth year. He doesn't care about manager Lou Piniella, who has bent over backward -- perhaps too far backward -- to keep Zambrano happy. And he certainly doesn't care about the fans who have continued to cheer for him despite his erratic behavior over the years.
Antics not so cute anymore
I admit to having been amused by some of Zambrano's antics and mea culpas over the years. But no longer.
His selfishness now is exceeded only by his unreliability. He might be the only person left who still believes the hype that he can be a dominant 20-game winner. After years of being babied by his managers and management, his ego has become bigger than his upside.
Will Zambrano become a 20-game winner? More important, will he ever become someone the Cubs can trust in the clutch?
While he has missed nearly the entire month of August with a preventable injury, the Cubs have been scrambling to catch the St. Louis Cardinals. While Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly furiously rehabbed from serious midseason injuries to return to the rotation as quickly as possible, Zambrano has chosen to take a sabbatical.
It's obvious that Piniella has grown increasingly frustrated with his supposed ace, but at this point there's nothing the manager can do.
Obviously, Zambrano is calling the shots.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/slezak/1 ... 8.article#
Lounging act wears thin
Cubs shouldn't put up with lazy Zambrano's antics any longer
Comments
August 18, 2009
BY CAROL SLEZAK Sun-Times Columnist
So Carlos Zambrano has come clean. He says he's lazy. The Cubs are fighting for their playoff lives, and Zambrano, who hasn't pitched since Aug. 1 because of back spasms, isn't expected back until Aug. 25. And now we come to learn that his long absence likely could've been avoided if he had done his abdominal exercises. But Zambrano couldn't be bothered. Because he doesn't like working on his abs. And because he's lazy.
On what professional baseball planet is this considered acceptable? How can a $91.5 million pitcher, a supposed staff ace, be allowed to get away with this behavior?
» Click to enlarge image Carlos Zambrano looks toward the Cubs bullpen as he heads toward the dugout in July.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)
RELATED STORIESLou praises Z's candor Harden, Wells rest up for long haul Cubs need wake-up call
''To be honest with me and the fans and everyone, I'm 28, I'm not 16 anymore,'' Zambrano said Sunday. ''I'm a big guy. I don't have a [big gut], and I'm in pretty good shape. My problem is I've been lazy. I work out every day ... but the thing I don't like to do is ab work. I have to do more things like that for my core.''
He has known for several years that he has a bulging disc in his back, yet he hasn't been committed enough to do the exercises prescribed for him. Once again, we learn that Zambrano has placed himself above his teammates, the fans and the organization that made him a multimillionaire. Once again he has demonstrated that he doesn't care about anybody but himself.
If I were running the Cubs, I'd be looking for a way to make this lazy pitcher somebody else's problem. He has been holding the franchise hostage long enough.
How many times has Zambrano's selfishness hurt the Cubs? And why do the Cubs continue to coddle him? He has habitually ignored team rules, thrown temper tantrums and put selfish desires, such as hitting batting-practice home runs, above his health and the team's success.
Repeat offender
From the dehydration that felled him for a spell in 2007 -- he explained at the time he doesn't like to drink water -- to that mysterious elbow pain in 2005 that might or might not have been caused by excessive computer usage, Zambrano usually has been given the benefit of the doubt by the organization, his teammates and fans. So what if he's prone to odd injuries? And while we're at it, so what if he has punched a teammate, verbally abused an umpire or two, missed a team flight, assaulted a few Gatorade dispensers and on at least one occasion walked off the mound before his manager arrived to take the ball from him? When Zambrano's head is into a game, he can be dominant. The good has outweighed the bad.
As if to underscore that fact, Zambrano threw a no-hitter upon returning from an 11-day layoff caused by a mysterious shoulder problem last September. Never mind that he shut down an exhausted Houston Astros team that was escaping Hurricane Ike and playing a supposed home game in Cubs-friendly Miller Park. The message, repeated time and again: Zambrano is worth the trouble.
Not anymore. His latest admission makes it perfectly clear that he doesn't care about the organization or anyone associated with it. He doesn't care about the rest of the pitching staff, which has been decimated by injuries. He doesn't care about general manager Jim Hendry, who in 2007 gave him that lucrative five-year deal that includes a no-trade clause and a vesting option for a sixth year. He doesn't care about manager Lou Piniella, who has bent over backward -- perhaps too far backward -- to keep Zambrano happy. And he certainly doesn't care about the fans who have continued to cheer for him despite his erratic behavior over the years.
Antics not so cute anymore
I admit to having been amused by some of Zambrano's antics and mea culpas over the years. But no longer.
His selfishness now is exceeded only by his unreliability. He might be the only person left who still believes the hype that he can be a dominant 20-game winner. After years of being babied by his managers and management, his ego has become bigger than his upside.
Will Zambrano become a 20-game winner? More important, will he ever become someone the Cubs can trust in the clutch?
While he has missed nearly the entire month of August with a preventable injury, the Cubs have been scrambling to catch the St. Louis Cardinals. While Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly furiously rehabbed from serious midseason injuries to return to the rotation as quickly as possible, Zambrano has chosen to take a sabbatical.
It's obvious that Piniella has grown increasingly frustrated with his supposed ace, but at this point there's nothing the manager can do.
Obviously, Zambrano is calling the shots.
