Carlos Pena

After losing prized free agent Cliff Lee to the Phillies, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman reportedly will investigate the availability of Cubs nutbag Carlos Zambrano.

Wednesday, Brian. He was available Wednesday. Wednesday, July 14.

Problem was and is Zambrano won't waive his full notrade rights. It's the kind of contract perk that general manager Jim Hendry gave everybody who stopped by the Cubs money buffet, a clause that reeks of stupidity and weakness on the part of both the player and the team, and here's why:

If a Richie Incognito Black Jersey player is getting $91.5 million, he ought to be both good enough to earn it and strong enough to deal with the potential inconvenience of getting traded if, say, he really isn't good enough to earn it, right, Carlos?

But no. The still mystifyingly employed Hendry gave every player everything, which meant Zambrano could go crazy and stink but the Cubs couldn't get rid of him or his $18$19 million a year.

Quick, someone wake up Tom Ricketts and tell him that just because Zambrano has notrade rights doesn't mean Hendry also does. Same goes for team president Clown Kenney.

Zambrano has refused to waive his full notrade rights, though he publicly waffled on whether he would stay or go if asked. It has been reported most recently that Zambrano would not waive his notrade rights because he likes the idea of playing for new manager Mike Quade.

Even if Zambrano relented, the Cubs likely still would have to pay about half of the $40 million or so that Zambrano is still due, even to the Yankees. But saving $20 million would allow Ricketts to buy out Hendry and Kenney and start a baseball organization.

OK, so www.dolphinsofficialnflshop.com/Black+Koa+Misi+Jersey that won't happen. Ricketts apparently isn't smart enough to notice his baseball people have driven this team into fifth place. So, Ricketts would take the money saved on Zambrano's salary and spruce up the bathrooms again, which is about all he seems capable of honchoing at this point, but hey, at least it makes it easier for Cubs fans to find their team.

But here's the thing: The idea of trading Zambrano is not just about getting out from under a bad contract and away from an unrealiable player. It's about the clubhouse and it's about the real reason the Cubs signed Carlos Pena, at least according to Steve Stone.

To back up a bit, former Mets general manager and current Fanhouse commentator Steve Phillips was on the horn during the radio show I do with Mark Grote on Saturday mornings on WSCRAM 670. We were talking about the Pena deal, and Phillips joined me in wondering about paying $10 million to a guy who hit .196 in a contract year.

Then we got an unexpected call from Stone, the White Sox analyst and smartest baseball man on my television and now my radio. Stone said I was missing the point of the Pena signing, and it was this:

The Cubs signed Pena to provide a strong Latin presence in a clubhouse screaming for something more adult www.dolphinsofficialnflshop.com/Black+Brandon+Gibson+Jersey than Zambrano's screaming. But it's more than Zambrano. There's Alfonso Soriano, who supposedly ruined Felix Pie by teaching him every bad party habit. There's Aramis Ramirez, who refuses to dive for balls, and isn't that a great example? There's a history here that goes back to kicking out Mark Philip Wheeler Jersey Ebay Grace and turning over the clubhouse to Sammy Sosa, the ultimate team play no, wait, never mind.

So, in Stone's view, Pena comes to Wrigley with a lefthanded power bat and a great glove, but also the right example for Starlin Castro and Geovany Soto and any other kid who suddenly becomes important as the Cubs struggle to stay ahead of the Pirates in the standings while spending $100 million more.

So, for those of you scoring at home, Hendry had to tell Ricketts he needed to pay a guy $10 million to set a better example than the guys Hendry previously agreed to pay almost $300 million. Not sure you care, but the bosses apparently do, so here you go:

I've covered sports for more than 30 years in print, on radio and now in cyberspace. Olympic hockey team wrote the greatest sports story ever. Ever.

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