Zambrano Gate is all of the Cubs Management Making

Some years ago, many such as myself, felt that Carlos Zambrano was not being treated fairly when he was allowed to disrespect himself, his teammates, the fans and the game of baseball when he was allowed to keep playing while others were dealt away or traded.  He wasn’t being treated fairly because he was led to believe that he was above the law and could do whatever he wanted to do, say whatever he wanted to say and act any way he wanted to ask.

Some of us remember, some years ago when he had an altercation with Michael Barrett.  Michael Barrett was gone from the team while Zambrano stayed.  Many of us remember his tantrums on the mound and in the dugout but while others were not allowed to step foot back upon the field as a Cub, Zambrano was given fifty lashes with a wet noodle and was even promoted to “ACE” of the staff.  I can recall the disagreement he had with Derrick Lee, a World Champion and surely one of the best first basemen of the game.  Derrick Lee is not in a Cubs uniform but Zambrano was up until last week.  Anyone remember Milton Bradley?  It was reported that he got into an altercation with a former coach but he too is no longer wearing the uniform. 

According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune in his article titled Cubs place Zambrano on disqualified list “The Cubs are in talks with Zambrano's agents, trying to find out what Zambrano was actually thinking after walking out of the clubhouse Friday night and telling Cubs personnel he plans to retire.  Apparently the final straw was what the General Manger, Jim Hendry saw as Zambrano throwing at Chipper Jones twice and being ejected from the game for.  So let me see if I got this right.  You can fight with a teammate, in the dugout in front of the fans, argue with the captain of your team, disrespect the pitching coach and the manager act totally like a spoiled brat and nothing happens.  But throw at Chipper Jones twice “and anything at all that tarnished the evening for such a great baseball man like Bobby Cox” and that was when the Cubs decided to take action.

Zambrano could be one of the best pitchers to ever play the game and with his ability to hit, solidify his legacy in baseball for years to come but that may never happen now because at the time Zambrano was acting like a prima-donna, the Cubs had a really good chance of going all the way.  Now with the chances of them even making the playoffs this year slim to none, I guess management has decided that it’s the right time to do what they should have done some time ago.   Zambrano has the talent and the skill to make his mark in history but because profits were placed above all else, he was never given the opportunity to learn that with great rewards comes greater responsibility.  For Chicago Cubs fans, like myself, we deserve better and management failed to put the best product on the field when they favored a defective player over the team itself.