"Craptacular" is the best word to describe his month.

But he'll be fine. He'll fix his mechanics, and then he'll be back to being Carlos Zambrano.

"infuriating" would be better.

Hoffpaurian.

About the same as his August last year. He'll be fine.

So in a desire for accuracy I ask, what word best describes Zambrano’s last month?

Well, he's been great at the plate...

So in a desire for accuracy I ask, what word best describes Zambrano’s last month?

Firstplaceian.

On the radio yesterday, there was some speculation on why this keeps happening to him in August. One of the hosts had a source that said Z doesn't do a good job of staying in shape during the season, so they thought he legs and stuff weren't the same. In his last start, he didn't throw harder than 91. I really am not sure if I'm as confident as the rest of you that he'll just bounce back again and have another great September/October. Maybe he could use another start or two off?

He'll be fine and recover the same as he did last year. And, likewise, the Cubs will do the same as they did last October- choke miserably.

The Cubs went 4-1 in his August starts. He went 1-1. Over his career August is his worst month, albeit not nearly as bad as it’s been the last couple of years. Still, we were talking about that in the Game Chatter during his last start. Consensus was, that there’s no other pitcher we’d rather see in do-or-die situations come October. Really, how much better is it to have him struggle now than in the post-season?

Thanks for that, Fred. Way to contribute to the intelligent discourse on this site.

The generally cordial or at least, mature form of discussion around these parts has made it so that I'm a bit thrown when someone actually trolls.

And, likewise, the Cubs will do the same as they did last October- choke miserably.

Yes, because the postseason expectations for that 85-win juggernaut were so lofty.

Sorry, I didn't realize opinions weren't allowed. Cubs will win it all. If not, then next year will be your year. I bleed Cubbie blue.

Opinions are like ########, everybody's got 'em. If you're going to bash the Cubs among Cubs fans, give a reason behind it. Otherwise you are a troll.

Diamondbacks have a ridiculous split against groundball pitchers, even dating back to last year. Z/Dempster are heavy groundballers, Harden/Lilly heavy flyballers. Of course Zambrano pitched very well and Lilly got jacked up last year so who knows...

The Diamondbacks may match up best with the Cubs, but this year's Cubs team is far superior to the one that crapped itself last October. Better starting pitching (Harden, Dempster), Deeper bullpen (Samardziya, Wood, Marmol, Gaudin) and the top walk rate in the NL (Up, I think, from last in 2007) make this year's Cubs a much more formidable foe. I'm not sure how the flyball/groundball thing will play out, but it's interesting.

right now i dont think it matters who they play the cubs will take care of buisness at home like they have all year. and hell right now there over .500 on the road.

If you're going to bash the Cubs among Cubs fans, give a reason behind it. Otherwise you are a troll.

Gee, I wasn't aware that being a Cub fan was required here.

And I wouldn't exactly call it intelligent discourse to wonder "why this keeps happening to him in August" when his 2006 August was better than the two months sandwiched by it and his 2005 August was his best month that year. Zambrano is a good pitcher who has bad outings, and sometimes they're bunched is all. If the Cubs demote him in the rotation for the playoffs (as Carol Slezak suggested they might feel they have to do), they're nuts. But then, I though Jim Edmonds was a bad pickup, so what do I know.

Yeah, where we would be without the invaluable contributions of Fred Dobbs. He's worse than Beano. It has nothing to do with not being a Cubs fan. Shockingly we're able to converse with fan of other teams even, but primarily that's because we don't act like 12 year olds.

Whether anything came of this would depend an awful lot on how he pitches for the rest of the season, I would think.

Gee, I wasn't aware that being a Cub fan was required here

Listen Doc, there were seven posts before Fred. At least five, and possibly all seven, came from known Cubs fans. Fred made a valueless post just to stick it in the eye of Cubs fans. He got called on it because that's generally not the way we do things around here, and then fell back on the coward's excuse, that he's being denied his rights. I think we all know a troll when we see one.

Doesn't take a lot of searching to see that's this tool's MO around here.

Irritating? Irritation is going to the express line with a gallon of milk and having to wait for the guy with a severe math problem.

Irritation is discovering that practically no American knows how to stand or walk in public.

Yeah, where we would be without the invaluable contributions of Fred Dobbs. He's worse than Beano.

Well, now...

Whether anything came of this would depend an awful lot on how he pitches for the rest of the season, I would think.

Yeah, I'm thinking so. And as I said, I fully expect Z to get untracked in the near future, so it'll be a moot point.

Gee, I wasn't aware that being a Cub fan was required here.

Boy, those strawmen are scary, aren't they, Dr. M?

The troll wins when there several posts debating the trollishness of his post. It's as if you all don't know how to starve a troll.

It wasn't even the troll that prompted the responses. It was when for some bizarre reason Dr. M supported the troll.

So it's his fault we're still discussing it?

Like shooting fish in a barrel, smacking down a troll for his trollishness is occasionally fun (if insultingly easy) sport.

Filliam H Muffman (Charles S) Posted: August 28, 2008 at 01:45 PM (#2920336)

Opinions are like ########, everybody's got 'em. If you're going to bash the Cubs among Cubs fans, give a reason behind it.

- ok

i got a couple good reasons

1 - they aren't astros
2 - obnoxious *(^&*$^%! cub fans polluting the Box
3 - BBTN licks cub butt

BBTN licks cub butt

Doesn't Baseball Tonight usually give a lot of coverage to the best team in baseball? Seems like they always have in past years. I don't know why you expect it to be different this season.

I think "irritating" is actually the best way to put it, at least from the perspective of Cub fans. I personally don't know any fellow fans who are panicking or angry over this. Despite the constant lies during the Wood/Prior saga, I'm taking the club at their word that Z really isn't injured. He's just in a slump. Fine. It's hard to be more than "irritated" with any subpar performance on your team when the club is 33 games over .500 and just counting the days until the playoffs start. Even the Bob Howry Pitching Machine giving up 3 hits and 1 home run per outing doesn't rank above "irritating" at this point.

As the Cubs go into September (and I'm counting this weekend as part of that), I wonder how many times Howry touches a baseball in a game. Of course the score has something to do with that. Sure up 10-1 in the 7th? Why not? But I think his role is rapidly fading.

But I think his role is rapidly fading.

I see nothing wrong with Lou trying to get him on track. Howry has a long history of very effective relief pitching and he would be a tremendous boost to the playoff pen if he gets it back together.

Fred made a valueless post just to stick it in the eye of Cubs fans. He got called on it because that's generally not the way we do things around here, and then fell back on the coward's excuse, that he's being denied his rights. I think we all know a troll when we see one.

Why is it a valueless post to give my opinion- which is what virtually 99% of comments posted on BBTF are? Opinions.

I clearly struck a nerve with da die hard cubby blue.

Calm down. It's a baseball team, playing a game. That's all. I think they will choke in October, as they usually do. If that makes me a troll, well, I guess I'll try not to cry myself to sleep tonight.

So now its 34. And Howry pitched great tonight. The only things that worry me are (1) fate and (2) I keep wanting to burst out in a refrain of "Go Cubs Go".