A Fan Speaks Out - The Heckler

January 30, 2006

Interview With Carlos Zambrano At The Bull’s Game

During the weekend of the Cub’s Convention, while covering the Bulls for a show I co-host called the Sunday Sports Shootout on WLUW 88.7 radio, I had the good fortune to run into Carlos Zambrano after the game.  He was kind enough to give me a few minutes to question him about the coming season, his goals for the year, and what it’s like playing for Dusty Baker. 

The Heckler: Are you looking forward to the coming baseball season?

Carlos Zambrano: I’m excited for the coming year and hopefully we’ll stay healthy and do a good job. 

TH: Do you have any goals set for yourself for this coming season?

CZ: Oh yeah.  I think anybody who plays any sport has to have a goal.  One of my goals is to win twenty games and help the team go to the World Series. 

TH: What do you think of the moves the team has made so far in the off-season?

CZ: We have a strong bullpen now and we have a more speed in our lineup with Jacque Jones and Juan Pierre.  I think we have an advantage right now.  We have defense, we have offense, and we have speed and pitching. 

TH: Is there anything that you think is missing yet?

CZ: I don’t think so.  I think we are complete.  I think we can compete and like I said before, hopefully we’ll stay healthy and everything will go well.

TH: Dusty Baker gets a lot of criticism in this town and was just booed this weekend at the Cub’s Convention.   Do think the fans are being fair to him when they’re doing that?

CZ: Sometimes the fans think everything’s the manager’s fault.  It’s not the manager’s fault.  It’s not his fault that last year a lot of the key guys didn’t stay healthy.  When you have a healthy team, you can compete.

TH: Dusty takes a lot of criticism for being too easy on his players.  He doesn’t like to call anyone out in the media.  When guys on the team screw up, does he take them behind closed doors and let them know he’s not pleased with their performance?

CZ: He’s very professional.  When he’s got something to say he calls you into his office and he tells you he’s mad or he’s cool and he’s calmed down.  If he has something to say to you he comes to you and doesn’t say it in front of your teammates.  He doesn’t like to embarrass anybody in front of their teammates.  When he has to say something to the team, he says it.  He’ll call a meeting and we listen to him. 

TH: As a player, you probably appreciate that he doesn’t embarrass you in the media.

CZ: As a man, you don’t like to be embarrassed in front of anybody so when a manager thinks like that, he deserves respect. 

TH: I know you’re a big soccer fan.  Are you a basketball fan too?

CZ: I’m not a basketball fan but I like the Bulls.  I grew up as a Bulls fan and I’ve followed this team for many years, so that’s why I come here. 

TH: I know you played some soccer.  Did you ever play basketball growing up?

CZ: No, I played basketball but not like soccer.  I played basketball two or three times a year.   I was a better soccer player. 

SportzNutz Columnist Darrell Horwitz isn’t shy when it comes to “A Fan Speaking Out”… he holds nothing back and tells it like it is, from a fan’s perspective.  A Chicago native, Darrell is a lifelong Cubs and Bulls fan. Along with his “A Fan Speaks Out” column, Darrell is the fan writer for the Chicago Cubs, here on SportzNutz.  If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to email Darrell at darrell.horwitz@nutzworld.net