El Toro

I've been a huge Cubs fan, and my love for them gets bigger nearly every year. But I have to give it up somehow, because they keep breaking my heart. And not just because they're historically bad, but because they continue to show any ability to get better.
My favorite player on the team is Carlos Zambrano. I will admit this. There are plenty of fans who hate the guy, and now more than ever, thanks to an incident in Friday's game against the Braves which I'll discuss in a bit. But Carlos has always had great talent and has worn his heart on his sleeve. I believe that he's been a bigger Cubs fan than I have been since he joined the team as a very young player in 2001.
By the way, Carlos is mostly known as "Big Z," but that's a lame nickname. I prefer "El Toro." The bull. Carlos is huge. I don't think anyone's ever charged the mound on him, likely because no one would even consider taking him on in a fight.
Carlos is a very emotional guy. If the camera pans to the dugout and a smile is seen, it's likely his. He always pays close attention to the game and, I believe, gets along well with others. Unless he's pitching. Then he has trouble at times.
He has gotten into some nasty skirmishes with players on his own team. All of them have been well-documented by Chicago sports writers, many of whom hate the guy so much that they'll hop on any little thing. They'll call him "stupid," "crazy" and a "clubhouse cancer," and not just in opinion articles. (Why it's now unacceptable to call someone "retarded" but still allow those other terms is beyond me.) Toro has gotten a raw deal from the media in Chicago for years.
Anyway, Carlos was pitching against the Braves on Friday, a game that I missed because I was traveling this past weekend. And I've been reading a lot about the game, in an attempt to piece together what really happened. Here's my take:

• Zambrano had nothing. Even though he threw great the last three starts with an ERA under 2, this was not his night. He was getting hammered, giving up five homers in his 4 1/3 innings of work.
• In the fifth, after giving up his fourth homer, it was obvious to everyone not named Mike Quade that he had nothing and needed replacement. But Quade didn't get the bullpen going. Even the Braves announcers were in disbelief.
• Zambrano gave up yet another homer, but still no bullpen action. 
• Pitching coach Mark Riggins came out to talk to Zambrano and catcher Geovany Soto. We'll never know what was said.
• Zambrano then proceeded to throw two pitches to Chipper Jones, both of which were very close to hitting him. Soto set up inside on both pitches. Zambrano was thrown out after the second pitch, at which point he showed little disgust at the ejection and started walking straight towards the dugout. 

What's what could be seen from video. The rest is a big game of he-said-she-said, but it sounds to me that Carlos was very upset, which is not uncommon for him, and that he got dressed and actually cleaned out his locker. When the game was over, he was not there. It was rumored that he mentioned retirement to clubhouse personnel.
Quade decided to rip Carlos in the postgame conference, claiming that he walked out on his team (though he had already gotten thrown out). GM Jim Hendry then gave Carlos a similar tongue-lashing, before putting him on the Disqualified List (whatever the hell that is) for a month.
So anyway, here's what I think is really going on.

• Zambrano has been getting away with emotional outbursts for years. The Cubs have only done one thing in ten years to curtail it; they suspended him last year after his screaming episode in the dugout during a bad start of his, which was again blown up by sports writers. He underwent anger management counseling, only to come back and be very effective the last two months of 2010.
• Despite his talents, Zambrano's needed a calming influence, which he has not gotten for a long time. The Cubs' last two managers haven't helped: Lou Piniella was a fiery guy but then basically quit on the team, and Mike Quade completely over his head, letting all of his veterans get away with lackadaisical play, consistent getting outcoached during the game, and preferring to be buddy-buddy with most of the players instead of leading. 
• Zambrano has not been a fan of Quade, as he sees a manager that won't bring a winner to this team. Other players put up with it, but Zambrano has shown a few small bristlings about it. Is this unprofessional? Yes. It sucks to have a lousy boss, but there are better ways to handle it than we've seen from him.
• Quade refused to pull him from the game. Again, Toro had nothing. Why still be in the game? Why not at least warm up a relief pitcher?
• Carlos decided that he had to take matters into his own hands, so he got himself kicked out of the game. It's possible that Carlos just missed poorly on both pitches to Chipper, but I doubt it. He wanted out because his manager wouldn't pull him.
• He got even more emotional in the clubhouse and decided that he might as well leave. Only Alfonso Soriano talked to him after the game and had some criticism which I believe was warranted. But Carlos is a starting pitcher; he wasn't going to play again that series. And he told some clubhouse people on the way out that maybe he should just retire.
• Quade goes to the press and says that Carlos said he'd retire. As Quade got this info second-hand, it was another bit of proof that he's not cut out to be the main guy; he may be a good third-base coach, but this level of responsibility is too much for him. 
• Jim Hendry knows that, if this all turns against Quade, his own job might be in danger. So he takes a strong stance, much like he did with Milton Bradley. 
• Zambrano was upset but calmed down. But seeing how his manager and GM have blown it out of proportion, doesn't know what to do. 

Carlos is fun to watch. He threw the first Cub no-hitter in 36 years, a game that I saw on TV. He's also a flawed man and one that could use help. He will hopefully get it somewhere, but it won't be with the Cubs; they've proven beyond a doubt that they're clueless. So it's my hope that he gets traded or released, finds a team that knows what they're getting, turns him back into a big-time winner, and gets him a World Series ring.

Whichever team picks up El Toro will be getting one new fan.