Carlos Zambrano was a volatile, angry, and difficult man.
But no more – after some team-mandated anger management counseling last October, Zambrano says he’s cured of whatever was angrying up his blood.
“It’s all done,” the Chicago Cubs right-hander said. “I’m cured.”
Zambrano was forced to undergo counseling after his June 25 incident at U.S. Cellular Field when he berated teammates, including Derrek Lee, in the dugout after a poor first inning against the White Sox.
Zambrano continued the sessions during his comeback and went 8-0 down the stretch.
“I got approval from the psychologist that I can be by myself,” he said with a laugh.
Did it work?
“Yes, it did work,” he said. “Believe me, that was an experience that I can talk about through the years. Maybe in the future I can be a pitching coach or whatever 20 years from now, and I can speak to the young kids about what I went through, what happened in my career, things that I experienced.” Chicago Breaking Sports.
Well that’s a relief. Ice cream is on Zambrano!
But seriously, while I’m sure the counseling (five months ago) helped, the real test will come the first time an infielder boots a grounder behind him, or the first time Z thinks he’s getting squeezed at home plate. How he holds himself together – as he did after he returned in the second half last season, when he was among the best pitchers in baseball – will go a long way to determining just how “cured” he is, and just how successful he and the Cubs can be in 2011.