Carlos Zambrano has quite a story to tell, and the Cubs’ combustible right-hander reveals it all in his new autobiography called “The Big Z: The Carlos Zambrano Story.”
Co-written with Pedro Miranda, an ordained minister and legislative adviser for the government of Puerto Rico, the book details Zambrano’s humble economic beginnings in his native Venezuela, his childhood travails athletically, his relationship with a very strict and temperamental father and the roots of his intense religious beliefs.
One of Zambrano’s aunts, Beatriz Matos, nicknamed her nephew “El Toro” (the Bull) when he was a chubby infant.
“That boy is surly; he is brave, like a bull,” she is quoted as saying.
Zambrano and his six brothers grew up with their parents in a poor urban community in Puerto Cabello, a city in the state of Carabobo, Venezuela. The family of nine squeezed into a small three-bedroom house.
“Two of the bedrooms were for all seven boys, and one was for my parents,” Zambrano says in the book. “I remember that my brother Victor (the third child) and I slept on a full-sized bed, and another brother slept on a hammock placed over us, so if he fell, he would fall right over us in the middle of the night. But the hammock was well-reinforced, thanks to my father’s expertise. We were poor but had a good life.
“We did suffer hunger. On occasions, there was nothing to eat in the afternoon, and our stomachs had not yet even had a bite to eat. I remember that my grandma, Carmen Matos, along with my Aunt Edesia would come over at around 3 p.m. with a bag of flour. I remember them both as the two people who were always watching over us and always bringing us something. God never let us go to bed with empty stomachs. … There is an old saying that ‘God squeezes but does not choke you,’ and many times we were tight.”
Word on the street
Fans will have an opportunity to meet Zambrano at two upcoming book signings. Two days after the end of the Cubs’ playoff run, a book signing and block party will be held at Liberia Giron (1443 W. 18th St., Chicago). Unofficially called “Carlos Zambrano Day in Pilsen,” this event will be attended by Ald. Daniel Solis (25th Ward), who will have 18th Street between Laflin and Bishop shut down from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., when there will be live music, giveaways, food and entertainment. The second book signing will be held three days after the conclusion of the Cubs’ playoff season at Costco (2746 N. Clybourn). … According to TicketsNow.com, Cubs fans have paid the most in the majors to see their team in the playoffs. The average price of tickets already bought by Cubs fans is $466, it said.
Overheard
Bears cornerback Charles Tillman, who missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, hopes to return to the starting lineup Sunday night against the Packers, and he is even plotting a Lambeau Leap if he returns a Brett Favre interception for a touchdown.
“I would love to do that,” Tillman told Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman on WMVP-AM 1000. “That would be so fun for me, for whatever reason. I don’t know why. I would love to do the Lambeau Leap in Lambeau Field. … I will do a Lambeau Leap. And I know I’ll get beer and everything else on me, but it’ll be worth it. It’s ‘Sunday Night Football.’ Ah, it would be awesome.”
Local attractions
John Madden invites fans to a private viewing party on Sunday when the Bears face Green Bay. While Madden is at Lambeau Field calling the game for NBC, the viewing party to benefit both the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Muscular Dystrophy Association will be at Park West (322 W. Armitage) beginning at 5:30 p.m. Two former Bears — Emery Moorehead and Dennis Lick — will greet fans at the event. Call 312-670-0313 or 630-960-1500, or visit www.Outback.- com/maddenmiles for ticket info. … Two Chicago-area natives have been named to the HP Scholastic Junior All-America golf team for achievements in golf and academics: Brooke Bettis of St. Charles and Wilson Bowen of Winnetka.
———-
fmitchell@tribune.com
