Big Z Says He's Gonna Let Play do Talking

ESPN  Chicago - MESA, Ariz. -- After a season that included stints on the suspended and restricted lists, Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano said Monday that he will let his play do the talking this season."I'm going to do more on the field than what I talk about," Zambrano said before Cubs pitchers and catchers took the field for the first time this spring. "This year I don't want to say anything. I just want to talk with my numbers."

Zambrano was suspended in June after his dugout confrontation with teammate Derrek Lee and manager Lou Piniella during a game against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. He later spent a month on the restricted list and underwent anger management therapy.

He came back strong for the Cubs, going 8-0 in his final 11 starts and showed great command of his changeup, split finger and slider while topping out between 89 and 91 mph with the fastball.

Zambrano said Monday that he would like to start his seventh straight Opening Day for the Cubs.

"Of course I want to be in the Opening Day lineup," Zambrano said. "I want to open the season for the Cubs. The decision is in [manager] Mike [Quade]'s hands. There's nothing I can do about it if he decides on [Ryan] Dempster or [Matt] Garza."

Zambrano has only won one game in his six prior Opening Day assignments. He surrendered two home runs and eight earned runs in 1 1/3 innings in a 16-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day last season.

If I've said it once I've said it a million times.  If you are a born psycho-path like Big Z, there is nothing you can do to change it.  You can take all the court-ordered anger management bullshit you want, do yoga, run, whatever.  You are doing nothing but bottling it up and will inevitably explode.  He tried the exactly same fucking thing last year and look what happened - he tried to pull Derrek Lee's eyeballs out.  Same thing is going to happen this year if he tries to keep his emotions under control, and  I won't want to be within three city blocks of Z when he explodes.  Motherfuckers a monster.  It'll happen though, and it'll be hilarious when he does... 

Serenity now... dead batboy later