The Sean Penn of baseball? (Carlos) Zambrano wears his temper on his sleeve. When he allows a big hit or doesn’t get a key call, he stalks around the mound like an undermedicated sociopath. At the same time, Zambrano is the best kind of hothead, a repentant one… Also, he pitches better in a state of high, frazzled emotion. He’s a hell of a lot more fun than humorless lunatics like Kyle Farnsworth.
— From an article on MLB’s most ill-tempered individuals, written on June 4th of last year, nearly 13 months before the Cubs’ erstwhile staff ace embarrassed himself and his team in front of a packed house at U.S. Cellular Field. Zambrano pitched just one inning in Friday’s 6-0 loss to the White Sox, the shortest outing in 247 Major League games Zambrano has started dating back to 2001.
