Carlos Zambrano has had a pretty boring year.
Not much has happened to him. No one paid any attention to him.
Zambrano just kind of blended into the background, like a wallflower at the high school dance, going under the radar while winning 18 games and leading the Cubs into the postseason, as he had promised in March.
OK, well maybe he was in the news for a day or two. “Big Z” tends to be larger than life at times, both figuratively and literally. And Wednesday night at Chase Field in Phoenix, he starts another chapter in his wildest season yet, taking the mound against Arizona ace Brandon Webb in Game 1 of the NL Division Series.
“I’ve been thinking about that since I’ve been in this organization,” he said. “I’ve always said to myself, there are many people who have worn this uniform [who never won here] … people like Ernie Banks and Billy Williams, great ballplayers who have been in this organization.
“And now we have a chance to win everything here. This is a special crew, and this will be special for the city of Chicago.”
If you were to describe Zambrano’s season in one word, it would be “zany.” Here’s a brief rundown of the Year in Z:
January: The contract issue heats up after Zambrano asks for $15.5 million in arbitration against the Cubs’ offer of $11.025 million. Zambrano says at the Cubs Convention he deserves a contract in line with Barry Zito’s $126 million deal with San Francisco.
“Zito is a great pitcher, and it’s good for him he got that contract, and I think that will help me,” he says.
February: Zambrano tells WGN-Ch. 9 that while he wants to remain a Cub, but “if they don’t sign me, sorry, but I must go.” Zambrano arrives in camp and says he was misinterpreted, repeating he only wants to remain a Cub … though it’s a business, by the way.
March: He predicts he will win the Cy Young Award and the Cubs will win the World Series, and vows to cut down on his walks.
“Sometimes you feel embarrassed when you see your name on the top of that category,” he says.
Manager Lou Piniella says he doesn’t want Zambrano to curtail his antics.
“You have an emotional manager for God’s sake,” he says. “Sure I like an emotional pitcher. I like some emotional players on my team. Why not? You can’t have 25 Stepford wives. What you want is basically a combination of different personalities on a team, and that’s what makes it a team.”
April: The deadline for a contract is extended past Opening Day, but negotiations stop with the announcement Tribune Co. intends to sell the team. Then the Reds rock Zambrano in the opener.
“I will talk to Lou next year and say I want to be the second-[game] starter,” he says, laughing.
He adds his contract issue is not bothering him.
“It’s not in my head,” he says. “I’m just a player here and have to play anyway for the Cubs. It’s not my business. If they want to sell the Cubs it’s good for me. If they don’t, it’s good for me too.”
He upsets Milwaukee when he says Cincinnati’s offense is better.
“I think Cincinnati has better hitters than Milwaukee,” he says. “I’m not saying the Milwaukee Brewers are nothing, but the offense of the Cincinnati Reds is better, and [you can’t make] any mistakes when you pitch in Cincinnati.”
May: With a 3-3 record and 5.83 earned-run average, Zambrano is turning out to be the weak link in the rotation in the opening weeks.
“This is the beginning of the season,” he says in early May after a loss to Pittsburgh. “That’s not an excuse, but this is a team that will be in the playoffs. And that’s where Zambrano counts, or any pitcher here counts — in the playoffs.”
In his final start of the month, Zambrano beats the Dodgers in Los Angeles and gets angry over reports of an injury.
“I have five wins. My ERA (5.24) is not that good,” he says. “But the Cubs pay me to win a ballgame.
“I try to be a friend of you guys, but don’t write stuff that’s not true. I’m not hurt. I feel good. I don’t feel pain. I’m throwing 90-92 (m.p.h.), but you can pitch in the big leagues with that.”
June: Points to his head during an argument with catcher Michael Barrett in the dugout.
“I just told him, ‘Are you out of your mind?'” he says later.
Barrett points to the scoreboard. Zambrano punches Barrett in the face, as caught by TV cameras, and then pummels him in private in the clubhouse minutes later. Zambrano and Barrett both apologize in separate news conferences the next day. Zambrano denies he needs anger management counseling. The two announce in Milwaukee a few days later they have made up, hugged and even cried together.
“Sometimes I make mistakes,” Zambrano says. “We are human. We all make mistakes.”
Zambrano declares a do-over to his season, after the stormy first two months.
“I was in the outfield shagging, and I said to myself, ‘Tomorrow is the season opener for you — it’s Opening Night. Forget about anything else. Just start from tomorrow,'” he says.
July: He finishes the month with a 5-1 record and league-leading 1.38 ERA, earning NL Pitcher of the Month honors. In one start against St. Louis, after walking two in a row to load the bases, Zambrano puts himself in “timeout,” walking toward second and standing there in deep thought as coach Larry Rothschild waits on the mound.
“I just talk to myself and tell myself to calm down and pitch the game,” he says. “Tell myself that I have great stuff that day, and just move on.”
August: He adds blond highlights to his hair, goes 0-2 with 7.13 ERA in his first three starts. Denies he’s suffering from shoulder problems. He signs a $91.5 million deal, tops in average annual salary among pitchers with multiyear deals, ending prolonged contract soap opera.
“Zambrano, he left a lot of money on the table,” Aramis Ramirez says. “If Zito got $126 [million], I don’t know how much Zambrano could have made from the Yankees, the Mets. … I’m sure it was a tough decision, but at the same time, he’s where he wants to be.”
Struggles at the end of the month, losing a big start to Milwaukee at Wrigley.
“I’m waiting for the guy who won nine in a row earlier in the year,” Piniella says.
“He will see him,” Zambrano vows.
September: After losing to Los Angeles to go 0-5 with an 8.29 ERA in six starts, Zambrano rips Cubs fans for caring only about themselves after they booed him off the mound.
“Right now, I’m not doing too well,” he says. “I just call [out to] the fans, ‘I want a little support.’ That’s all. When you’re struggling, or you have a brother who’s struggling, you show him love. You don’t show him you want to kick him out.”
Zambrano’s comments don’t go over well with management, and he offers an apology the following day.
“I apologize to all those who read the paper today and were offended at what I said,” he says. “I really am sorry for what I did [Monday]. I think the next four starts I’ll do the best to be Carlos Zambrano, and the one thing I started today was with my hair.”
Zambrano cuts the blond curls out of his hair and starts over again, winning four of his final five starts, including 13 straight scoreless innings in his final two appearances.
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psullivan@tribune.com
See today’s related story, “Opposing Forces / Webb: Speaks softly and carries a strong arm.”
