Carlos Zambrano Considers Retirement: Chicago Cubs Should Gladly Pack His Bags

I couldn't watch the Cubs game tonight, but when I flipped on the highlights I wasn't surprised to see that another Carlos Zambrano meltdown was the top story.

Such has become the norm during his 11 seasons with the Cubs.  We always hoped he could harness his borderline-crazy energy and rage into his pitching, but time and time again he has failed us.  

We've seen him lose his cool on the mound more times than we can count on our fingers.  We've seen him take swings his at teammates, as well as Gatorade machines.  We've seen him snap enough bats over his leg to fuel a small bonfire.  And we've heard him call out his teammates and the organization that has backed him from day one.

But up until tonight we had never seen him quit, or at least we never called it that.  The time has come for the Cubs to quit on Zambrano.  

We've seen enough.

Zambrano says that he's considering retirement, but the Cubs can and should make that decision for him.  Chicago has seen him "change his heart," more than a few times during his tenure.  It doesn't matter if he genuinely wants to get better; he should never be allowed to step foot in Wrigley field again.

It would send a horrible message to the organization, the fans, and most importantly the team if the Cubs welcomed Zambrano back.  He's been given more second chances than the Cincinnati Bengals defense, and he's squandered every single one.

Good bye Big Z.  It wasn't fun, and it lasted far too long.