Carlos Zambrano

Do we really need to keep him this season? I know no team will take him from the Cubs without making them pay most of his salary but maybe they can find someone that thinks they can "fix him" and we can get a little something in return? 

While I continue to dream that the Mariners trade us Chone Figgins for Zambrano, here are some things to think about...

2012 Carlos Zambrano Payroll Highlights...

The Cubs have to pay him $18 million in 2012

The Cubs have to pay him about $600k per start. 

The Cubs have to pay him about $111k for him just to show up at the park. 

Some Memorable Career Highlights....

• 2007 —Zambrano fights his catcher, Michael Barrett, in the dugout after a bad fifth inning of an 8-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The fight continued in the clubhouse where Barrett suffered a cut lip that resulted in a trip to the hospital.

• 2009 — After being ejected for arguing balls and strikes, Zambrano throws the game ball into the outfield and then takes a bat to the team's Gatorade cooler machine.

• 2010 — Zambrano goes nuts standing and screaming in the face of laid back first baseman Derrek Lee. The Cubs suspended Zambrano indefinitely and sent him to anger management following the outburst.

• 2011 — Zambrano gives up five home runs to the Braves, cleans out his locker, quits the team, and says he retires. But then un-retires after getting suspended from the Cubs for the remainder of the season.

Although very entertaining at times, I think I've had enough.

"Sway-em"

With the imminent hiring of the new Cubs Manager, Dale Sveum,  I thought I'd read up on him a little bit more.

While doing this I realized that I've known this guy since I was a kid in the late 80's! 

He had one of the best baseball cards in the 1987 Topps baseball card set. He also had one of the best handle bar mustaches of 1987.

I remember this because my brother pulled this exact autographed card out of an old gumball machine at a local baseball card show back in 1989. I believe it cost him 25 cents. 

He still has the card. Sveum doesn't have the stache... or hair for that matter.

But then I thought to myself, after all these years I'm not sure I how to say his name.

I thought it pronounced "SVem" (You probably did too.) You would think that you need to say the "V"  after the "S" but now I hear it's pronounced...

"Sway-em"

I like it. The name now sounds pretty cool.

But I believe we will now have years of dealing with fans not exactly knowing how to say his name.

This could get old really fast unless of course...

He talks to Prince Fielder and "Sways-em" to sign with the Cubbies!

Will Dale Sveum be the new Cubs manger?

We might find out tomorrow morning as the rumor mill is telling us that the Cubs are on the verge of hiring the Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach as the next Cubs manager.

Dale Sveum has been the Brewers hitting coach for the last 3 seasons and even served as the Brew Crew's interim manager for the final 12 games of the 2008 season. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are very familiar with Sveum from his days in Boston when he was the Red Sox 3rd base coach.

Oh by the way, the top free agent in the market (besides Pujols) ,Prince Fielder, knows Dale Sveum pretty well too! 

Will Dale Sveum be the key to bringing Prince Fielder to Chicago?

I believe there's a realistic chance and, being a die-hard Cubs fan, I would love to see it. 

In an interview that took place after Sveum's managerial job interview with Theo and Jed, he glowingly stated, "Fielder shows up to play every day, never comes out of the lineup and is a leader in the clubhouse." Sveum also noted that any club would be better off to have Fielder on its roster." 

Now if that doesn't have "I want Fielder to play on my team" written all over it, then I don't know what does?!?! 

If Sveum gets hired, Prince will listen. 

I believe landing free agent Fielder is part of the whole Ricketts to Theo to Jed to Sveum deal. 

I imagine Ricketts told the guys, "I will pony up the money, I will give you the managing job, all four of us will talk to Prince...  and get him to play on the north side!"

On game day,  Cubs fans outside of Wrigley Field better be careful when Prince Fielder starts launching home run balls onto Sheffield. Someone might get hurt.

Imagine this picture but in a Cubs uniforms and in Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field!