February 17, 201214 yr Wow...Zambrano seems like a whole new person. New attitude, new mentality, a sense of maturity and a 97 MPH fastball. I really think that he's going to go back to pitching like the ace he was before... MIAMI -- Carlos Zambrano's new beginning is just getting started, and the big right-hander cannot wait to make the most of his opportunity. Zambrano played in the Marlins Celebrity Golf Classic on Thursday at Miccosukee Golf & Country Club, making his first public appearance in Miami since the Marlins acquired him in a trade for right-handed pitcher Chris Volstad in January. "I am very thankful for the opportunity the Marlins are giving me," Zambrano said. "I am happy to be here with a new team. I want to thank God for everything that has happened to get me here. I'm just working hard to make sure I have a good year." Miami's newest starting pitcher was joined by teammates like Josh Johnson, Mike Stanton, Logan Morrison, Gaby Sanchez and John Buck on the golf course on Thursday's stop for the Marlins Ayudan Caravan for the Community. Other Marlins, such as Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio, attended but did not play in the charity golf tournament. Zambrano, the former Cubs ace, had a rough exit from Chicago. He cleaned out his locker and announced he was retiring after getting roughed up by the Braves for eight runs over 4 1/3 innings last Aug. 12. When he thought better of it, he said he wanted to return, but the Cubs would not have him back. After spending most of the winter wondering where he would play baseball in 2012, Zambrano was happy to learn that he was acquired by Miami. "I was very happy when I found out about it," Zambrano said. "I think it was time for a change, and, obviously, this trade benefitted me." While Zambrano believes he could have returned to Chicago and not had any issues, he also admits that parting ways was probably best for him and the Cubs. "I don't think it would have been difficult," Zambrano said of a potential return to the Cubs. "I've changed my mentality, and God has helped me change a lot of things about how I am. It all depended on the work I was going to put in and the mentality I would bring back to them." Despite some tumultuous times in a Cubs uniform, Zambrano has nothing against the organization that developed him and helped him become a star in the big leagues. "I never had any ill will toward them," Zambrano said. "I've always had a lot of respect for the people of Chicago. From the fans to the front office, I want to thank them for treating me like a professional for the past 11 years. All I have for Chicago is gratitude and respect." Zambrano is also grateful for what his new manager did for him. Marlins skipper Ozzie Guillen lobbied for the acquisition of Zambrano, and the right-hander is excited to play for a team managed by his good friend. "I'm very thankful that Ozzie pushed to bring me here to the Marlins," Zambrano said. "He's a manager that is dynamic. I am a big supporter of his mentality as a manager, and I am very happy to have the opportunity to play for him on this team." Guillen and Zambrano have known each other for many years. They are both Venezuelans who had a lot of success in Chicago. Even though Zambrano was with the Cubs and Guillen was managing the White Sox, their close proximity to each other helped strengthen their relationship. "We were both in Chicago and he was always giving me good advice," Zambrano said. "Every time we would see each other, he always had something good to say to me. He's a mentor to me. He's someone that when you play hard for him and do things the right way, he's someone who will be behind you. He's someone who knows a lot about baseball, and those are people who should be respected. You need to listen to people like that." Johnson and free-agent signee Mark Buehrle are proven commodities at the top of the Marlins' rotation, while talented right-handers Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco give the group depth. Guillen believes Zambrano could be the arm that helps push Miami's starting rotation from good to great. "He will definitely bounce back," Guillen said. "It's hard to predict how many wins and losses he's going to have, but I think he's definitely going to bounce back and show people how good he is." Zambrano believes he is on his way to regaining the form that saw him have so much success with the Cubs over most of his 11 seasons in Chicago. The 6-foot-5 right-hander has been working hard to prepare himself for the upcoming season, and he has already seen some impressive results. "I feel real good and strong. My arm feels great and I am throwing well," Zambrano said. "I hit 97 mph this winter, and that's something that I hadn't done in a while. I think that is a result of all the hard work that I have put in. I am very happy with the results of the work I have put in, and I will continue to do it to get ready for this year." While many believe Zambrano needs to prove himself as a frontline starter again, the 30-year-old feels it is more important to prove he has matured as a person and will be able to avoid the outbursts that have plagued his career. "The only thing that I have to prove is that I can keep myself under control," Zambrano said. "Anything else will take care of itself." While many are anticipating Zambrano and Guillen's fiery personalities to clash, both men believe they will get along great and help each other as they head toward a common goal: winning baseball games. "To me, it's a privilege to manage him," Guillen said. "I've always wanted to manage him, because I saw him pitch a lot in Chicago and I know what he can do. Hopefully he stays healthy, because if he does, then he is going to be good for us." http://mlb.mlb.com/n...ws_mlb&c_id=mlb
February 17, 201214 yr LOL I completely forgot Volstad is no longer on the team. He is pretty forgettable.
February 17, 201214 yr LOL I completely forgot Volstad is no longer on the team. He is pretty forgettable. Heh, I just remembered I'm still his friend on Facebook.
February 17, 201214 yr LOL I completely forgot Volstad is no longer on the team. He is pretty forgettable. Heh, I just remembered I'm still his friend on Facebook. Ha. See?
February 19, 201214 yr I'm going to miss volstad. I could tell by the 3rd inning if I should turn off the game or keep watching. He saved me a lot of time. Still got Ricky Nolasco. Screw it, Imma be blunt and say he is a Jackel and Hyde pitcher. Frustration. And I better see him with 230K's this season. Just strike em out. You own that mound. Own it. Screw it, everybody get 200+K's as starter.
February 19, 201214 yr Jekyll. And Hyde. Unlike Volstad, who was a mediocrity and whose time was up, Nolasco could evolve into something better than a #3. That unknown, thrown into the mix of a Hanley of unknown subliminal recalcitrance, a superstar and injury-prone Reyes, an outspoken and profane Ozzie, a temperamental Gatorade-jug demolition expert Big Z, injury-prone #1 JJ, a slightly outlandish HR feature, a sliding Bell, a bogus-name-and-age reliever, a guy who broke Posey's leg, a sometimes inept but often brilliant FO which just spent a fifth of a billion dollars on free agents and bamboozled the city and county with the SEC now sniffing around, a Twittering adolescent Morrison and a TV reality show with their all-access cameras just makes them even more interesting to watch. Ricky doesn't want to be regarded as the #5 guy on this outfit. Then, there's the quiet guys like Stanton who may contend for MVP, and Omar and Gaby and Buck and the BP and the bench who will put up consistently good, if not great numbers, while Bonifacio steals about 5 million bases. I don't know if it's original to Gaby, but he was quoted with the absolute best slogan ever, completely apropos to the 2012 Marlins: "The greatest show on dirt." Which is exactly what they are, perhaps the greatest show on dirt in many decades, Yankees (even with Billy Martin) notwithstanding. "We never got this kind of press," first baseman Gaby Sanchez said. "[Now] we're the greatest show on dirt." http://www.sun-senti...0,7983755.story "Making waves" and "Safe at home" and the all the rest of them can't hold a candle to that.
February 20, 201214 yr Author Garza says he wouldn't be surprised to see Zambrano in the Cy Young race this year... And honestly, neither would I. I predict that with a new team, new atmosphere, & a manager he's friendly with that Zambrano will go back to pitching like an ace this season. MESA, Ariz. — Matt Garza listed nearly every member of the Cubs’ spring pitching roster when singing the praises of this year’s staff. But the guy he singled out for Cy Young potential is the one the Cubs paid $15 million to go away. ‘‘I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the Cy Young race this year,’’ Garza said of Carlos Zambrano, the former ace who was traded with all that money to Ozzie Guillen’sMiami Marlins for pitcher Chris Volstad. ‘‘I kid you not. He’s got that good of stuff. ‘‘I think just playing with Ozzie and getting in his own comfort zone, he’s going to have one hell of a season. I wish nothing but the best for that guy, man. . . . He’s going to go down to Miami and surprise a lot of people.’’ http://www.suntimes....s-zambrano.html
February 22, 201214 yr Author Guillen VOWS that he won't let Zambrano get out of control. Read the quote in bold...WOW. WOW!!! JUPITER, Fla. — Carlos Zambrano’s Spanish nickname is “El Toro’’ — The Bull — and it’s perfect. The idea of an angry animal kicking the dirt, steam coming out of its nostrils — that’s Zambrano, isn’t it? Hell, that’s Zambrano upon learning they’re out of coffee creamer in the clubhouse. Manager Ozzie Guillen, late of the White Sox, now of the Marlins, won’t pretend that his friend, countryman and new pitcher is something he’s not. He won’t try to make Zambrano out to be a teddy bear. But he would like to push the imagery in the direction of the feline section of the zoo. This came up in anticipation of Zambrano’s first meeting with the media in spring training, scheduled for Wednesday. Guillen knows that Zambrano will talk about being a changed man because that’s what Zambrano always talked about when he showed up for spring training with the Cubs. He would promise to be calmer, nicer, more friendly. And several months later, a Gatorade dispenser or a teammate would find out first-hand or fist-hand that he was an unchanged man. Guillen is convinced it never should’ve gotten to the point where Big Z bubbled over. Somebody with the Cubs should’ve been monitoring him, he said. Somebody should’ve known Zambrano, known the signs, known that he needed set boundaries, preferably metal ones. “Maybe it’s not his fault,’’ Guillen said. “Maybe it’s somebody’s fault. Maybe they let that tiger leave the cage and couldn’t bring him back. That tiger is not going to leave the cage. I guarantee you he is not leaving the cage. I guarantee you that. As soon as he tries to open the cage, I’ll be waiting for his ass.’’ Making a guarantee that Zambrano won’t escape his prison and leap, teeth first, at the latest version of Michael Barrett or Derrek Lee or Chipper Jones is like guaranteeing world peace. “I never had any problem about [players] going all crazy,’’ Guillen said. “… We never had problems in the clubhouse. I throw a lot of people under the bus. We never had any problems. They know why. I don’t see any problem with Carlos. “Do I want him to get [ticked off]? Of course, I do. But take it easy, tiger. Like I say, in Venezuela, there’s the bull and the goddamned matador. He will be dead in two seconds because I know how to kill the bull at the right time.’’ There are two ways to look at this, neither of which has anything to do with how quickly Guillen just traded the tiger imagery for the bull imagery: †Guillen is the only person who can harness all that emotion in Zambrano and bring out his best. †Good luck with that. “It’s going to be a fun season for him,’’ Guillen said. “I talked to him a lot. We spent the last five days together, almost every day, all day. He can’t wait to pitch for the Marlins. He can’t wait to show people how good he can be. “Win or lose, he can’t control that. The attitude and the stuff are going to be there. There are a lot of dinner bets out there. He’ll be fine. People have a pool in Venezuela to see what day we’re going to fight. I’m not going to fight with him. I don’t want to get my butt kicked. But I will fight.’’ Should a manager and a player be friends? It doesn’t happen often in the big leagues, but it happens with Guillen. When Zambrano erupted at Lee in the Cubs’ dugout in 2010, he went out to dinner that night with Guillen, then the Sox’ skipper. When the Guillens and the Zambranos went out to dinner a few nights ago, Guillen’s wife, Ibis, told Carlos to look at her as a friend, not as the manager’s spouse. Doesn’t that change the player-manager dynamic? “He’s my friend off the field,’’ Guillen said. “On the field and in the clubhouse, as long as Zambrano has got the Marlins uniform on, he’s my player, he’s not my friend. I don’t see any problem. Sometimes friends screw you more than the ones you don’t like. But I don’t expect that to happen.’’ Guillen said he doesn’t expect Zambrano to throw at an opposing hitter without reason, but we Chicagoans will prefer to wait for something resembling proof. Light smoke wafted through the Marlins’ spring-training facility Tuesday. It was an electrical issue of some sort, not a Big Z issue. But Wednesday’s another day. http://www.suntimes....chin-miami.html
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