Carlos Zambrano Pitches Gem, Homers, Then Announces Retirement
Zambrano just recently returned from his 6-day suspension. After his start on Thursday was rained out, he started in Cincinnati last night. Not only did he pitch a gem, but he also hit a solo shot early on in the Cubs 2-1 victory. As we all know, Carlos is a switch-hitter, but for some reason he chose to bat righty against the right-hander Owings. Why you ask? Perhaps you’re just asking too many questions, since he crushed the ball to straightaway center for a home run. After collecting his 100th victory, he put himself on the short-list of pitchers that have an outside shot at 300 wins for his career. When asked about this huge milestone in his career, and whether he had a shot at 300 wins, he had this to say:
“Three hundred? Me?” Zambrano said. “No, I’ll be out of here in five years.”
How does he know?
“After this contract, I’m done,” said Zambrano, who is signed through 2012 with a vesting option for 2013. “I’m serious. I don’t want to play. I want to help this team, I want to do everything possible to win with this team, but after five years or four years, or whatever I have left on my contract, I just don’t want to play.
“I want to stay home and see my daughters grow up and hang out with my family more,” he said. “Do you know how many Mother’s Days I spend with my mother? Do you know how many things I’ve lost in my life?
“It’s good to be here, it’s good to play baseball — don’t get me wrong,” Zambrano said. “But five years, four years, whatever I have left in my contract, I will retire. That’s it.”
And he wasn’t kidding.
Wow. So Big Z is a big goofball and who knows if he means it or even if he does whether it will still hold true in 5 years. Regardless it is a sad proposition for Cubs fans. There isn’t much point in trying to guess what he will really do, but would you regard this as selfish by the big guy? He is just a person and baseball is his job. If you could retire from your job at 33 and not have to worry about money, would you? I don’t think I would, since I would get bored and feel useless, but he really hasn’t been able to see his family much. Baseball players, especially latino ones who have their family south of the equator, are essentially on an 8 month road trip every year.
On the other hand, most of us don’t have the opportunity to make history and be in the national spotlight doing things that very few other humans can do.
Bottom Line: If the Cubbies win a World Series I’ll get over Z’s retirement (if it happens).
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