Monday, May 07, 2007

For Sale: one soul

Oh, the interesting conversations one has following a day of baseball at Wrigley Field...

"So, what's wrong with Zambrano?" asked the vertically impaired stranger with a beard straight out of the '80s.

The Cubs' Venezuelan pitcher hasn't shown himself to be the ace of the staff so far this season and everybody has a theory of why this is so.

(me) "Well, I read an article that said that 'Z' has something like seven brothers at home (in Venezuela) and he's the sole support for his family. And I think he's married and has kids of his own here, too. That's really a lot of pressure to put on a guy when he doesn't know where next year's salary will come from."

Zambrano was negotiating his long-term deal with the Cubs when the Chicago Tribune (owners of the Cubs) were sold to real estate bizillionaire Sam Zell, so there's no deal and no telling when or with whom new negotiations can begin.

(shorty) "Well, he should just do his job. He's a professional and he's getting a ton of money this year. When he steps on the field, nothing else should matter."

(me) "Wait a minute, so what you're saying is that people who make a lot of money don't have to be human? What, they should just remove their hearts and their brains and their emotions and set them on the shelf when they go to work?

"Do you realize that as far as 'Z' knows, every pitch he throws could determine his family's financial future? That's a lot of pressure to put on a guy who's only 25 years old."

(shorty) "They're f-ing immigrants anyways, so who the hell cares?"

Um, buh-bye!

So, boys and girls, the discussion point of the day is: Should your income determine your humanity?