More athletes should be like Zambrano

Lou Piniella's postgame media briefing took an odd turn after Carlos Zambrano pulled up lame Sunday.

The Cubs manager was asked a couple of times about his No. 1 starting pitcher's tendency to play recklessly.

Zambrano messed up his left hamstring by running at full speed to beat out a bunt. An MRI indicated enough damage for the Cubs to place him on the 15-day disabled list Monday.

Now critics can be expected to suggest again that the Cubs try to rein in Zambrano when he returns to the active roster.

Have these people gone mad?

My goodness, how often do we get on athletes in all sports for being dispassionate, for not playing hard enough, for not sacrificing their bodies all the time the way Pete Rose did?

Or, come to think of it, the way Carlos Zambrano does?

Seriously, we should hope that Big Z never changes even though it means he will drive us crazy by sometimes being so wacky he distracts himself from the mission of retiring batters.

Will Zambrano also continue driving us crazy by playing with such abandon that he places his body in jeopardy?

Of course, he will.

Will Zambrano also drive us crazy by overall being emotionally unpredictable and mentally erratic?

Of course, he will.

Good for Zambrano. His methods are his detractors' problem, not his and certainly not mine.

I would take this guy over 90 percent of the world's athletes. Why? Essentially because so many of those guys still think hustle is a dance from the '60s and Charley Hustle is a fossil from the '70s.

Zambrano has a long-term, big-salary contract, yet he doesn't treat it as a license to steal until, you know, it's time for him to negotiate the next heist, er, deal.

Even with all that money in his back pocket, Zambrano is able to bust it down the line trying to beat out a bunt.

Zambrano also still takes his at-bats so seriously it looks like he's going to break a body part every time he swings.

As for his primary assignment, Zambrano still gets mad when he makes a bad pitch. He still wants to field every popup in his time zone and get a hand on every line drive back through the box.

It's an approach we should expect from every pitcher, an attitude we should expect from every athlete.

Considering the cost of tickets in a struggling economy, tapes of Zambrano should be required viewing for every baserunner who loafs down the line, every hitter who gives away at-bats and every pitcher who thinks going past the fifth inning is optional.

Will the Cubs, their fans and Zambrano have to endure his being on the disabled list occasionally because his style of play can be painful?

Undoubtedly, all will have to put up with those inconveniences concerning Zambrano.

But if the alternative is Zambrano becoming like other pitchers who go on the DL as often because they might get hurt as they actually are hurt  -

Well, I'll take the emotional, animated and engaged Zambrano every time. For a guy nicknamed Big Z, no zzzzzzz's accompany his game.

Playing hard is about the best reason I can think of for being out two weeks.