Z's Promise

[Flames24Rulz]

Why the hell couldn't he throw 98 for the first two months of the season? He's not all there.

 

Um because no one should have WANTED him to? He's not good at that velocity. 93 is optimum for his sinking fastball. But he's young, and he wouldn't be the only one to react irrationally when he perceived his manhood as being challenged.

 

I never said I wanted him to throw 98. I'm just saying that since he can now "supposedly" throw 98, why was it missing in the first two months of the season? I don't think anyone, including the Chicago media, wanted Zambrano to throw 98. He's just not throwing 93-95 consistantly like everyone is used to him throwing.

 

My problem with him is that it's not just the first irrational comment he's made. He's had a long series of them and his act is just growing tiresome. How can anyone forget his preseason quotes when he said he was going to win the Cy Young and the Cubs were going to win the World Series? Like I said, it was once kind of cute when everyone thought he was going to mature eventually and when he was a stud pitcher. It's 2007 and the guy has still not matured and has struggled on the mound for all of this season (save two starts) and most of the 2nd half of 2006.

[seanimal]

ERA+

 

Last 5 years in reverse chronolgical order:

 

136

131

165

136

110

 

 

He's regressing!

 

No seriously, I fully expect him to start throwing good baseball pretty soon here, which is to be expected and is fully in character with him.

 

That being said, I don't want Zambrano on this team much longer, despite my affection for him as a person. If he can heat up, he'll be a very good chip to trade for some young talent/A-Rod if the Yankees are in it and feel they are one pitcher away at the deadline.

 

The last thing this team needs is a pitcher who is only good for 3 1/2 months out of a 6 month season.

[soccer10k]

Shall we start the countdown to the inevitable injury?

[seanimal]

Shall we start the countdown to the inevitable injury?

 

I seriously doubt he breaks 95 on the gun. That being said, he's crazy enough to throw his torn up shoulder trying to top that.

[98navigator]

Why the hell couldn't he throw 98 for the first two months of the season? He's not all there.

 

Um because no one should have WANTED him to? He's not good at that velocity. 93 is optimum for his sinking fastball. But he's young, and he wouldn't be the only one to react irrationally when he perceived his manhood as being challenged.

 

Please stop saying he's young; He is a 26 years old veteran Major League pitcher who has been around for parts of 6 seasons. This guy is also married and a father of 3. There's no excuse for his boorish behavior. As far as throwing him under the bus is concerned, he's put himself there with his words and actions.

[Banedon]

hahaha, I love Z.

 

i don't understand why people love z for stuff like this.

 

Because he doesn't follow the "book" on what to say to the media, or how to act in general.

 

It's endearing.....to a point. When he starts freaking out during games because he's sucking? That's when it loses its charm for me.

 

i've been annoyed by his antics for a while now. needless to say, for me, this year has removed any charm he previously had.

 

Yeah, I loved crazy Z when he was winning and pitching well. But when he sucks (like this year), all of a sudden that craziness just seems asinine.

[Wheelimus]

Everyone listen! I have a plan that we MUST do. :lol:

 

Step 1) Have Bruce Miles tell Z that all these guys on the internet are saying he won't resign because he wants too much money. Make sure there's a lot of "selfish" and "greedy" and "washed up" quotes mixed in there. Mr. Miles will need a laptop because he has to show Z what he's talking about.

 

Step 2) ?

 

Step 3) Z SIGNS FOR TEN MILLION A YEAR WITH INDEFINITE OPTION YEARS AND NO BUYOUT WHEN AND IF WE DECLINE!

 

:D

[UK1679666180]

He'd be better off saying that he's going to throw 98 pitches at or below the knees.

 

His velo isn't as bad as his location right now.

[soapy]

I finally got around to reading that Kerry Wood article in the NYT and this part made me think of Carlos (along with many others):

 

Fatigue can cause a pitcher to overthrow and to alter his mechanics to compensate for the loss in power. This is why recovering from injuries is so precarious, because a pitcher often tries to find an arm slot in his delivery that doesn’t hurt, which in turn leads to using joints and muscles in new and unfamiliar ways. And it’s why pitching while hurt, which Wood has been doing throughout his career, may be the most devastating thing you can do.

[Soul]

I finally got around to reading that Kerry Wood article in the NYT and this part made me think of Carlos (along with many others):

 

Fatigue can cause a pitcher to overthrow and to alter his mechanics to compensate for the loss in power. This is why recovering from injuries is so precarious, because a pitcher often tries to find an arm slot in his delivery that doesn’t hurt, which in turn leads to using joints and muscles in new and unfamiliar ways. And it’s why pitching while hurt, which Wood has been doing throughout his career, may be the most devastating thing you can do.

 

Yeah, that touches on what a few of us have been theorizing might be happening with Z.

[soapy]

I finally got around to reading that Kerry Wood article in the NYT and this part made me think of Carlos (along with many others):

 

Fatigue can cause a pitcher to overthrow and to alter his mechanics to compensate for the loss in power. This is why recovering from injuries is so precarious, because a pitcher often tries to find an arm slot in his delivery that doesn’t hurt, which in turn leads to using joints and muscles in new and unfamiliar ways. And it’s why pitching while hurt, which Wood has been doing throughout his career, may be the most devastating thing you can do.

 

Yeah, that touches on what a few of us have been theorizing might be happening with Z.

 

when you look at this and factor in the abuse he's taken over the last few years, it's hard to believe there isn't an injury there.

 

honestly, it was pretty gut-wrentching to read the abuse Wood has taken in HS, from Riggleman, and from Baker. They really should be ashamed. Unfortunately, Baker will never accept any responsibility for any of this. That is a shame. At least Rigglemen admitted that he probably should have done things a little differently.

[Yestheydo]

He coulda just said it to give the Brewers something to think about. You never know what you can believe.

[3Dog]

IIRC, Z was throwing in the high-90s when he pitched Games 1 and 5 of the 2003 NLCS. So personally I'd prefer it if he threw in the low 90s!

[Have a seat, Neifi]

IIRC, Z was throwing in the high-90s when he pitched Games 1 and 5 of the 2003 NLCS. So personally I'd prefer it if he threw in the low 90s!

I remember that too. IIRC, Fox had a few of his pitches in the 98-100 range. Honestly I think that's more Fox than anything though; I believed they have been 'outed' for spicing up the velocities on the stadium radar gun for their TV broadcasts...

[Twiggy]

I'm grown tired of Zambrano's crap. I would not be upset if he's traded or not re-signed.

 

Do you really see that happening though? I don't unless the team completely falls apart after the allstar break.

[ctcf]

I still love Z most of the time. He's just so damn entertaining.

 

He needs to not suck though.

[98navigator]

I can see the Brewers recalibrating their in-house radar gun just to mess with Z. They can make it look like he's pitching in the high 80mph range. :lol:

[jersey cubs fan]

He coulda just said it to give the Brewers something to think about. You never know what you can believe.

 

I would be surprised if Z was trying to play mind games.

[sherwood921]

Just got home, what did Z top out at?

[E.J.]

Just got home, what did Z top out at?

 

97 was the fastest I saw.

[imb]

Just got home, what did Z top out at?

 

mid-eighties

[Pushfrog98]

according to the recap on cubs.com, zambrano threw a change-up to Fielder that clocked in at 42mph? Any confirmation on that actually happening?

[UK1679666180]

That would be impossible to throw a change-up at 42 MPH and not have it look like 16 inch softball. Even the Eephus pitch is about 10 MPH quicker than that.

[soccer10k]

That would be impossible to throw a change-up at 42 MPH and not have it look like 16 inch softball. Even the Eephus pitch is about 10 MPH quicker than that.

 

Yeah. Even the unbelievably slow curveball El Duque occasionally throws still clocks in around 60 MPH so there's no way this is true.

[Jon]

It was clocked at 42 according to the article, but she was just using that as an example of how unreliable the stadium radar guns can be.