Point taken: during a play-off race and post-season planning, burning out one of your aces’ arms on 110 pitches for a possible no-hitter is a topic for discussion. Steve Stone, who burned out his own arm for a single season of glory in 1980, should know. Stoney’s heart is apparently still on the North Side as there doesn’t seem to be much going on in the South Side Hosiery Dept, so he found time to declare Lou Piniella a weak manager and Carlos Zambrano a “monster.” It’s completely blown out the real issue facing Chicago baseball fans this week: is 77-year-old Ernie Banks too old to adopt a kid? This Sun-Times “exclusive” from Roman Modrowski (I guess the Trib doesn’t have wi-fi yet) captures every manager’s best friend in prime Stoneyland:
Looks like ESPN analyst and former Mets GM Steve Phillips wasn’t the only one who didn’t think Lou Piniella should have let Carlos Zambrano finish that no-hitter on Sept. 14.
As Elliott Harris pointed out in today’s Quick Hits, Sox analyst Steve Stone was on Mike North’s Web show and echoed Phillips’ sentiments.They weren’t the only ones who thought that because Zambrano was coming off a missed start due to rotator cuff tendinitis, Piniella should have limited his pitch count. Zambrano threw 110 pitches in the no-hitter.”I don’t agree with allowing Zambrano to throw 110 pitches,” Stone said Tuesday on ”The Mike North Webio Show” on wildfirerestaurant.com. ”I don’t care if it’s a no-hitter. The only job that Lou Piniella has to do, and still has to do, is make sure his pitchers are ready.”I would have pulled him in the sixth. A manager is paid for some very tough decisions and no-hitters are delightful. You can always say you have a no-hitter.
”He is becoming Sammy [Sosa] Jr. They are creating another monster on the North Side.”This is a really talented guy, but so was Sosa.
But the point is, if you remain completely complicit, in guys you know in taking more and more, eventually the tail cannot wag the dog.”
Isn’t he actually looking Southwest (or towards Weehawken) in that pic?
He’s looking at the AAA Iowa Cubs team, for future managerial prospects.
Yep, this is some of that GM-in-exile stuff that Stone’s detractors complain about. I can’t tell if he’s right or if Z’s tantrums are just part of the package.
I don’t know what direction The Stone Pony is looking in that ’74 shot but I can guess it’s not in the direction of the product rep for Brylcreem.
The thing is, Zambrano is hardly the Big Z this year, what with his 14 wins compared to Ryan Dempster’s 17. I can imagine Z throwing tantrums, but Lou’s got a hand that includes Dempster, Harden, and Lilly. Everyone has overperformed except Z, no-hitter or not. He’s solid, he’s vital, but he’s not the anchorman.