I've got jury duty tomorrow.
No phone, no computer, no work, bring a snack and a book, they say.
While it's exciting to see the Cubs win a couple, this season has completely infected me with a split personality: one day I'm SO HAPPY the Cubs won, the next day I'M CRAZY MAD that the Cubs aren't doing the right stuff to fix the team.
(Jim Hendry will be here again next year? Why did they leak that now? To crush any positive feelings of hope that I had?)
So in the spirit of my current double personality, I'm putting every Cubby Blue painting, drawing, illustration, gif, and cartoon I can find of fellow split personality guy Carlos Zambrano, who got put on something called the "disqualified list" as a result of running out on the team.
Last year, it was the "restricted list".
Before Carlos, I'd never heard of either of these "lists".
Anyway, here are some paintings...
This is my first Carlos illustration, a watercolor from 2003, and it's my favorite of him.
According to Baseball Almanac, this game took place on 8/22/03.
Carlos went all 9 innings, got the win over Curt Schilling and the D-Backs 4-1. Carlos was 12-9 after this game.
This game turned out to be from the weekend made famous by Buzz Bissinger and his "Three Nights In August" book (NY TIMES review here).
Carlos went 7 innings and gave up 2. Remlinger got the loss.
Remember how games used to matter back then?
You were proud of the team and the city?
God, it's all fallen SOOOOO far.
2004
This Cubs v Cardinals game was at Wrigley on July 19, 2004. Carlos Zambrano v Chris Carpenter. Z went 8.2 innings and gave up homers to Scott Rolen, Jimmy Edmonds, and Edgar Renteria.
Pretty sure the reason I did this particular painting was because Carlos went ballistic on the mound. The box says he hit Edmonds twice.
This is more Cub-like.
Besides Carlos and Michael Barrett making errors on the same play, Jose Vizcaino and Aramis Ramirez helped bring the total to 4 errors.
Baseball Almanac, August 28th, 2004.
Winning pitcher, btw, was Roger Clemens (14-4 at the time) over Z (12-8 at the time).
2005
This was Carlos' first opening day start.
6 years ago.
Here he went 4.2 innings, gave up 7 hits, 4 walks, and 3 runs.
Glendon Rusch got the win.
In Carlos' 6 opening day starts, he'd win once - vs Astros in '09.
I think that at this time, I hadn't really noticed Carlos being "polite" like this and yelling into his glove.
I think he just used to yell at the air.
Still, the entertainment value Carlos brought to a game, come on - you couldn't beat this guy.
Carlos tossed out of a game against the Reds.
And then there were plays like this - where you'd go my GOD! Carlos Zambrano is just a super-athlete.
Ehh, I just put this one in because that's really my hair, really pulled out and taped in there.
Anyway, that's enough for part 1.
I think you can see that love was pretty much in the air for Carlos Zambrano from 2003-2005.
Exciting, unpredictable, overpowering - just somebody you loved to watch.
