Don't Go Away Mad, Just Go Away

It was time for the annual Carlos Zambrano meltdown, and he certainly didn’t disappoint.

In typical napalm fashion, Zambrano got lit up by the Atlanta Braves, surrendering five home runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Following back to back home runs by the white hot Dan Uggla and Freddie Freeman, Zambrano threw consecutive pitches at Chipper Jones. However, since Jones was not standing directly at the center of the plate, he missed on both accounts, with his final pitch going to the backstop. Naturally, Zambrano was tossed from the game.

That’s where the fun began. Typically Mad Carlos takes out his frustrations on the Gatorade cooler, teammates, or his dog. This time, it seems that the anger management classes have been working, since he didn’t feel a need to take a bat to his surroundings. No, he simply went into the locker room, cleaned out his locker, told locker room attendants and the training staff that he was retiring, and left before the end of the game.

This is just the latest in the litany of Mad Carlos actions. In the past, he has had such notable transgressions as referring to his team as a cast of AAA players (June 4 of this year) and getting into a fight with Derrek Lee on June 25, 2010. All of this can be yours for the low price of $91.5Million over five years, with $18Million due next year, the last of the contract he signed in 2007. And people wonder why the Cubs won’t win with Jim Hendry in charge?

For this latest issue, Zambrano has been suspended thirty days without pay and placed on the restricted list. Naturally, the Player’s Union is going to file a grievance for the ‘severity’ of the punishment, since forcing Zambrano to take responcibility for his actions just doesn’t make any sense. In all actuality, the punishment is probably too lenient. The Cubs should suspend him for the rest of the season without pay, then release him in the offseason. Call it addition by subtraction, since there cannot be anyone in the clubhouse willing to tolerate his childish behavior any longer.

In order for the Cubs to finally get around to breaking the ‘Curse of the Billy Goat’, they need to clean house. First to go should be Carlos Zambrano, followed shortly thereafter by the buffoon that gave him that contract. Get people in there that know how to run an organization, develop players, and actually know not to sign confirmed nutjobs to long term contracts. It would be one thing if this was his first time doing so, but who can forget the three year deal for Milton Bradley? What, Carl Everett and Marty Bergen weren’t answering their phones that day?

Now is the time to rid themselves of one mistake. It’s time to tell Carlos Zambrano not to go away mad, but to just go away.