Bye, Bye, Big Z

Another dream come true. Carlos Zambrano is finally out of Chicago. My prayers have been answered. If Zambrano was praying to end up in Miami on this card, than I guess his were too.

Even if he ends up having a decent year in Miami and doesn't cause any trouble, I could care less. I'm just glad he's gone.

I wouldn't say I hate any baseball player. But Manny Ramirez came close. Milton Bradley came closer. Zambrano's not on the "hate list", but he's up there.

Oh, how far his career has come since his debut in 2001. He had an outstanding year in '04, going 16-8 with a 2.75 ERA. I don't remember hearing much about his antics then.

His last good season came in 2006, when he led the NL with 16 wins and made his second All-Star team.

His famous fight with batterymate Michael Barrett in 2007 was the start of the downswing for Zambrano. Ever since that, I've had to listen to stories every offseason that said something along the lines of "A New and Improved Carlos Zambrano", suggesting that his old antics were done with.

But it would still be the same old story, year after year.

In 2010, he'd have to be separated from teammate Derrek Lee in the dugout after a rough start in a game against the White Sox. Later that night, he'd go out to dinner with opposing manager Ozzie Guillen, which irked then-Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

So after all that, I guess it's fitting that his Cubs career ended with him getting ejected after throwing at Chipper Jones last year, which led to him cleaning out his locker and announcing his "retirement".

In case you haven't heard yet, the Cubs dealt Zambrano to the Marlins for pitcher Chris Volstad. The Marlins will only have to pay around $2.5 million of Zambrano's $18 million contract for 2012. At least the Cubs got something in return.

So congratulations Ozzie Guillen. He's your problem now.