57 percent of Trib readers actually agree with this

But to be fair, they are paying for their news (sorry papers!). There actually isn't too much stupidity in the text of this article by Phil Rodgers -- who looks a lot like a young Roger Ebert -- but the assertion should be grounds for termination.

Perfect time for Cubs to waive bye-bye to Carlos Zambrano

Really guys, if you want to make me work you can't just slap together "awesome player should be cut! Cut, I say!" It's far too easy to dismantle, mainly because it is fucking dumb.

Proving that I did not attend Kellogg, Wharton or even the Acme School of Business, I offer this proposition for Jim Hendry: First thing Monday morning, put Zambrano on waivers. If anyone claims him and the $62.75 million left on his contract, which runs through 2012, immediately trade him for whatever is being offered, from a bag of balls to a 32-year-old minor-leaguer.

I am wondering if you attended any sort of formal schooling beyond middle school.

Some team will claim him because they will get three-and-a-half seasons of 127 ERA+, 15-9 W/L, 200+ IP, 2:1 K:BB ratio and 3.5 ERA (162-game average). Yeah, it's like 20 mil/season, but aces aren't generally available on the waiver wire.

So other than the recent beanball fest -- which, to me is understandable because it's the White Sox -- here's the great evidence Rodgers produces:

The Cubs are 0-5 in Zambrano's starts in the playoffs, being outscored 31-15. We'll dismiss the 2003 NL Championship Series as old news and blame Piniella for lifting him when he was in a 1-1 game against Brandon Webb in the 2007 playoff opener, but his pitching had as much to do with the ugly Game 2 loss to Los Angeles last year as did the four infield errors.

I've written this before when it comes to Big Z, but please give the man a break.

His lines in those five starts:

5.2/3 R/4:0
6.0/6 R/3:1
5.0/2 R/5:4
6.0/1 R/8:1
6.1/3 R/7:2

He had ONE BAD FUCKING START and this guy wants him dropped. How do they let you write this? How about dropping every hitter for not scoring runs in the playoffs.

Trade him or bench him or something, but advocating cutting him is stupid. The guy is a good pitcher. Yeah, he's crazy and smashes shit sometimes, but is he any worse than Papelbon or Chamberlain or K-Rod or a host of other pitchers? Possibly, but he's 28 and better than "a bag of balls to a 32-year-old minor-leaguer."

And he hits home runs. Which is awesome.