Posts tagged ‘maturity’

Thanks to Jim in Omaha for sending us a nice email about his Opening Day and a question about Big Z’s performance…it got me to thinking and eventually to writing.

After taking some heat in recent episodes for my confidence in Carlos Zambrano and his ace status, I was really pumped about yesterday’s game before it began. “This is the year that he might win 20,” I was thinking as I drove down near Wrigley to watch the opener on Monday. These moments of Cubs daydreaming aren’t uncommon for me, especially at the beginning of April, but the early innings yesterday (minus Byrd’s awesome debut) felt like my own personal Clockwork Orange experience.

It’s not that I mind being wrong. I’m wrong all the time, and being wrong about Zambrano is well within reach. What’s worse to me right now, the place I’ve chosen to direct some of my frustration, is Exhibit B, the requisite quarterly update from the Cubs beat writers about how Carlos is a changed man and more mature than he used to be. Newsflash: every person walking the earth is more mature than they used to be. Please stop the articles that talk about a grown man’s maturity level. It’s insulting. I’m over it, and so are 99% of Cubs fans. All we want are results on the field. Alright. I just counted to ten, and I feel a little better.

Looking at this year I do wonder if Big Z can harness his ability and his emotions and gut out 18 wins for us. The best metaphor I can come up with is that they’ve been separate horses living in the same stable. Some harm has probably come from his trying to separate the two. If there is a real emotional issue (I don’t think there is, by the way), the Cubs should pay for a shrink to help him harness his tools instead of simply believing the stories their paid employee wrote about his increased maturity. Yes, he is more mature, but why isn’t he a better pitcher now than when he was 24 years old? That’s a more appropriate question for people that love baseball to ask. The answer could be unpleasant. The best answer I can come up with today is “try again soon.”

Carlos Zambrano has an entire season to answer that question for us, so I’m going to give him that without judgement, to the best of my ability. My hope is that he provides a definitive answer by getting back on track and having a good season. For as many times as some fans think he’s not a big game pitcher or whatever, the man has shrugged off injury talk and constant criticism that I know I would have freaked out over if I were in his shoes. He’s a tough guy. He can do it.

The fifth day can’t come soon enough, for me or Zambrano. Go get ‘em, Carlos. And go get ‘em, writers. In the next four days he’ll do nothing but mature.