Thursday, October 04, 2007

Why did Lou pull out Zambrano?
Well, thanks to www.theheckler.com , we now know why.


Piniella pulled Zambrano because he was acting 'too normal'
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007

The question loomed before game one of the NLDS in Arizona Wednesday night, would the demonstrative and always unpredictable Carlos Zambrano be too amped up for the most important start of his career? But for once, Big Z steered clear of any goofball antics on the mound and simply pitched and that's just why his manager pulled him only to see the bullpen quickly surrender the ballgame.With the game tied at one heading into the seventh, Cubs skipper Lou Piniella uncharacteristically pulled his ace after just 85 pitches, a move that would prove to backfire on the veteran manager."Look, Carlos was acting too normal all night long--no cramping or any bizarre gestures to the crowd," said Piniella. "I wanted him to get crazy out there on the mound and he just was not responding, so I had to yank him."So why exactly didn't Zambrano freak out? No temper tantrums. No bats broken over his knee. Nothing Cubs fans are used to seeing from the firery starter. Why?"Big Z took a double dose of his medications before the game," said Zambrano. "And Big Z washed it down with a full case of Gatorade. Big Z really like that new mango flavor."

By Jeremy Barewin

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