Someone who might be a big help to Big Z

The Cubs beat the White Sox 8-6 to stop the so-called bleeding Sunday.

However, their pounding headache remains.

"We'll handle that when he gets here," Ryan Dempster said of the strained relations between Carlos Zambrano and his teammates.

The Cubs suspended Big Z after his implosion in the Cubs' dugout Friday at Comiskey Park. However, they'll eventually have to do something else with their once-ace pitcher - but what?

The Cubs probably can't trade him. They probably won't release him. The plan seems to be to move him to the bullpen, but that probably will be as futile as it was earlier this season.

So the Cubs might as well try to mend whatever ails Zambrano, if anything does other than his judgment.

Let's face it: A stigma is attached to mental illness in society and even more so in sports.

That's not to say Zambrano is mentally ill, mind you. He has been called nuts, mad, crazy and insane, but who knows whether he technically is any of those?

Anyway, in a picture bigger than even Big Z, maybe it's time for sports to sponsor a Mental and Emotional Pride Parade similar to the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade.

In the macho world of big-time athletics, psychological issues are almost as stigmatized as homosexuality.

Last week Ron Artest was the first person I thought of as Zambrano was melting down. After helping the Lakers win the NBA title he publicly thanked his psychiatrist for helping him reach that pinnacle.

In a sense Artest coming out like that was as striking as, say, an active linebacker coming out as gay. It just doesn't happen very often.

Athletes have sought and received help for mental problems, but the concept isn't quite embraced yet.

Nobody would have thought anything of it if Artest had thanked an orthopedic surgeon for healing a knee, but thanking a psychiatrist was considered amusing.

To be honest I initially giggled at Artest's declaration. In retrospect I should have cheered him for allowing counseling to help transform him from a troubled athlete to a respected champion.

It might not be a bad idea for the Cubs to at least consider introducing Zambrano to Artest, who in turn could introduce Zambrano to his psychiatrist.

Take the situation from A to Z, so to speak.

Carlos Zambrano is the person in Major League Baseball who most displays the erratic behavior that former bad-boy Ron Artest had.

Cubs management is tired of Zambrano's act. His suspension is indefinite, but it could be that in time the club's only option is to determine whether his head needs healing.

Hopefully Zambrano will agree that this is bigger than baseball. Hopefully he'll want to explore what's going on inside him. Hopefully the Cubs will get him whatever help is required. Hopefully they both will live happily ever after, perhaps even together.

It couldn't hurt to hold up Ron Artest as an example of salvaging a career.

Maybe Carlos Zambrano would come out the other end a healthier person, better teammate and more reliable pitcher.

Hey, Big Z could even be the grand marshal of the Mental and Emotional Pride Parade.