Zambano the hot-head

[WCSox]

I hope that he takes a heater to the head some day. Maybe that'll clam him down.

 

Link

 

'Z' dislikes taste of own medicine

 

May 22, 2006

 

BY CHRIS DE LUCA Staff Reporter

 

 

Carlos Zambrano knows he should have looked away. His eyes should have been focused on the pitcher's mound dirt, the sky, the Cubs' dugout -- anything but the most controversial man in baseball doing a home run trot behind him.

 

But with A.J. Pierzynski rounding the bases and the pro-White Sox crowd in a frenzy, the Cubs' emotional pitcher had to take a peek.

 

When it comes to Pierzynski, if you are looking for trouble, you will find it -- even if it's not there.

 

So Zambrano watched. When Juan Pierre landed empty-handed after trying to steal the home run ball as it disappeared over the center-field wall, Zambrano saw Pierzynski slap his hands together in a wide motion as he crossed second base. That was it.

 

That was enough.

 

Zambrano snapped. He started yelling at Pierzynski. He put his fingers to his eyes and made a motion to show he was watching the Sox' Bad Boy. When Sox third-base coach Joey Cora started yelling at Zambrano, that only caused the big pitcher to reach a full boil. He charged toward the third-base line, pointing and yelling at Pierzynski and Cora.

 

Then he pointed to his head, and the sign was clear in the Sox' dugout. A message pitch would be delivered at A.J.'s bean the next time he stepped to the plate.

 

Manager Ozzie Guillen was livid, charging out of the dugout and yelling back at Zambrano.

 

''I see Zambrano making some signals like he was going to hit somebody in the head or something, so I wanted to know what was going on,'' Guillen said. ''That's the way Zambrano is, he's a little crazy over there, a little over-excited. When you watch this kid pitch every day, his emotions take over. I think he over-reacted. He is the type of kid, when he strikes out people, he gets cocky and points his fingers up. All of a sudden, when somebody [celebrates against him] he gets mad. It's kind of weird.''

 

Of course it was weird. This was Cubs-Sox. And Pierzynski.

 

Throw Zambrano into the mix and you have all the ingredients for instant craziness.

 

Once again, Pierzynski might have been the most innocent bystander -- even if his misguided critics want to blame him for all the trouble that comes his way. All this passion -- and trouble -- is the Pierzynski package, and the Sox aren't sending it back.

 

''I'm under a microscope all of the time,'' Pierzynski said. ''It gets tiring after a while because I'm sick of dealing with stuff when I don't do anything.''

 

Didn't do anything? Zambrano claims Pierzynski yelled something at him first. What did he yell?

 

Zambrano: ''He looked at me and he said something. I don't want him to get me going.''

 

Pierzynski: ''I didn't say a word.''

 

Replays tend to side with Pierzynski.

 

As Pierzynski crossed the plate, he pointed to the sky -- a move Zambrano makes after every inning, one that irritates many Sox players. Seemed a lot like Jose Valentin's heart-tapping mocking of Sammy Sosa in earlier Cubs-Sox showdowns.

 

Was Pierzynski sending a little message?

 

''No,'' he insisted. ''That had something to do with something that happened off the field this week. It had nothing to do with him.''

 

It turns out Zambrano didn't even see Pierzynski point to the sky.

 

It was about the only thing Zambrano didn't see Pierzynski do during that odd fourth inning.

 

''I should have looked at somebody else, I should have looked at my team and not him at all,'' Zambrano admitted.

 

Cubs manager Dusty Baker didn't see Pierzynski do anything wrong. He didn't care about the clap or the point to the sky. All he cared about was his volatile pitcher losing his cool in the middle of a tight game. Baker and third baseman Aramis Ramirez rushed in to calm Zambrano, who was now surrounded by umpires edgy from the Pierzynski-Michael Barrett brawl the day before.

 

''Perhaps A.J. was happy and maybe he did something demonstrative that upset Carlos,'' Baker said. ''I was more concerned about him keeping his composure more than anything. That's why I went out there and said, 'Hey, man, don't let them get to you.' He was rather upset and at that time, we had to calm him down and make sure he would keep pitching the way he was.''

 

It turns out Zambrano, who left after the seventh inning with the Cubs trailing 4-2, wound up the victor thanks to a four-run Cubs rally in the eighth. He struck out nine and allowed four hits -- including three home runs -- to improve to 3-2.

 

Afterward, Zambrano was considerably calmer. And wiser.

 

''That's the way he plays the game,'' Zambrano said of Pierzynski being fired up as he rounded the bases. ''I shouldn't say nothing to him. My mistake. I should let him play the way he wanted to play. That's why when Ramirez and the umpires came to me, I said, 'I'm fine.' I can't play his game. I have to play my game.''

 

At the end of a weekend of too much bad blood, Zambrano even had kind words for Pierzynski.

 

''Their team likes him, that's good for him,'' Zambrano said. ''[Former Giants teammate] Scott Eyre was saying that he plays every day, he comes to the ballpark every day ready to play. He's kind of like Michael Barrett. He wants to win, he wants to do everything possible for his team. That's the way to play.''

[fathom]

It's amazing the hypocrisy that comes from the Cubs locker room. What a classless bunch of freaking pussies. The worst thing is that if the Cubs were to sweep the Marlins this week (battle of AAA teams), then every column will state how Barrett's actions sparked them back in the right direction.

[WCSox]

Remember the Sunday night Cubs/Cards game from two years ago when Jim Edmonds homered off of "Z" and was plunked on the first pitch in his next at-bat? What a POS.

[SnB]

so AJ gets in trouble for slapping the plate and then clapping his hands this weekend.

 

 

I guess the cubs are robots.

[Rowand44]

My god, this has to be a joke.

[Balance]

Exactly. Zambrano practically does the Macarena after striking someone out, but he can't take someone celebrating after homering off of him? Hypocrite.

[Rowand44]

Exactly. Zambrano practically does the Macarena after striking someone out, but he can't take someone celebrating after homering off of him? Hypocrite.

And I have to say that AJ's reaction seems pretty normal considering it was just out of the reach of Pierre, not to mention that it put us ahead at the time.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Rowand44

[whitesoxfan101]

And if you put on sports radio, A.J. started it Satuday and was classless with mocking Z yesterday. What an effin joke, I'm officially in media blackout mode the rest of this week. f***ing Cubs are a joke, enjoy the century celebration in 2 years boys.

[Whitewashed in '05]

I was on the phone when that pussy ass made a big deal. I was ready to throw a f***ing chair at my TV. God I hate Zambrano wtf is wrong with him? He sees no problem in his antics yet when someone else does 1/4 of what he does he gets all b****y. Stop being a f***ing girl and play the damn game. UGH!

[santo=dorf]

What I learned this weekend from the pussy cubs and their Dumbass fans;

Zambrainless can do all the taunting he wants, no matter what the situation is, no matter which inning it is.

Opposing players are not allow to celebrate any big hits, home runs, or great defensive plays.

 

If a catcher is expecting a throw from an outfielder and is standing in the baseline, the runner should do his best to slide into home plate and not make contact with the catcher.

 

Don't go after your batting helmet if it falls loose.

 

Believe everything in the media about a guy, even a story about him hitting a trainer in the groin as a cheap shot (even if the story was reported well after his departure,) ANY cheap shot on this player is ok. Retaliation is not, in any form, allowed.

 

Managers have to back up everything their players say even if he has to take both sides. Example: Hill said it was a dirty play, Barrett said it was a clean play. Dusty must defend both of his players.

 

An aging minor leaguer has more respect and say on a play than a former MLB player, and current manager of a World Champion team.

Edited May 22, 2006 by santo=dorf

[Kyyle23]

Managers have to back up everything their players say even if he has to take both sides. Example: Hill said it was a dirty play, Barrett said it was a clean play. Dusty must defend both of his players.

 

lmao

[My Dixie Normus]

[Phuck the Cubs]

... And hurt your team so they suck even more

[Gene Honda Civic]

[Rowand44]

Ha, that's awesome.

[Flash Tizzle]

Classless Sox fans, mocking his religious beliefs......

[My Dixie Normus]

Classless Sox fans, mocking his religious beliefs......

 

No, that is not it at all. They were pointing at AJP's ball as it sailed over the 408 sign.