Yes.

However, he is one hell of a baseball analyst when he’s not pontificating about something. The guy knows the game, but his ego can really get the best of him, which is just a shame.

Asking if Stone is a tool is like asking if the Pope is Catholic.

I’m not going to get into what has become one of the most popular things amongst Cubs fans, the continued ripping of Stone.

What I will ask is why these comments make Stone a tool? Disagree with it if you wish. I know I do. But why does this make Stone a tool? This is not a ridiculous argument (again, one that I think is wrong). As for Zambrano becoming another Sosa, Stone is 100% correct.

DmL

whether he thought he could/should be pulled off of the mound in the middle of a no-no when he played.

And walked out to pull Z in the midst of the no-hitter, Z would pound him into the ground like he does to Fontenot, literally though.

Is really the guy who should be focused on. His antics of late have been truly abdominal. His comments in this article border on insubordination:
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/1181210,CST-SPT-cubnt24.article

What troubles me most is this:

’’He’s a good manager. As a human, he makes mistakes also. But he’s human. That’s basically all I have to say about him.’’

I’m not sure if this Carlos saying that Piniella is wrong if he decides to go with someone else to start the first game of the playoffs. But as far as what Stone says, he’s 100% correct in that someone needs to reign in Carlos because he’s turning into Sosa.

DmL

he’s a sports commentator, his job is to do exactly what he did. being full of yourself would be what BB does ever day, talk about your WS ring and your days as a catcher.

and have you guys considered that stoney is right? z throws 110 pitches after an injury and now has had two TERRIBLE starts since….no one else is seeing a correlation between the two?!

…but it does bring up a good question. How many pitches would’ve been too many.What if Z had thrown 115-120 through 8IP? Do you allow him to go out? I think that number might be different for everyone. But to say that anyone who disagrees with Lou is a tool would be a mistake as most of us disagree with him some.

To the larger comment that Zambrano is turning into a monster, I didn’t agree with him until last night. Knowing this was his last start of the regular season, Zambrano completely lost it on the mound last night. It seemed as much as any night that he still fails to pitch with any kind of game awareness. I have to think some of his teammates are losing confidence when he is on the mound. They don’t know what they’re going to get.

Since the All-Star break, Zambrano has been the Cubs 5th best starter. That’s not a small sample size either (12 starts). Even with a no hitter, Z’s ERA is 5.80 (compare that to Grand Marquis – 4.41). I think any dissappointment directed at Fukudome for having a bad 2nd half ought to be shared by Zambrano. I don’t advocate benching him or anything like that, but there needs to be some accountability. I think Stone hits the nail on the head there.

I hate to keep harping on the pre-pitch count days, but all of the greats would have been allowed to keep pitching in that situation — Drysdale, Koufax, Gibson, etc….Z’s mental state, his attitude is the problem here.

I think it is conincidental that these two outings come after the no-hitter. However, it does seem that his ‘all about me attitude’ is getting well out of hand. If you saw the no-no, I think you’d agree he was throwing free and easy. (And of course, the disagreement is Stone’s opinion….the pitch count , with a prior problem led to what’s happening now.)

Stone, like any sports talker is paid to say whatever he wants, and to be controversial, if necessary. Don’t really take anything a talk show says with any seriousness.

However, there is much concern with Zambrano. Perhaps taking him out of that position as ‘ace’ will knock down his ego a bit.

How is the tendinitis? Is Z healthy NOW? I agree with this post in that Steve Stone has abandoned whatever he had left with Cubs fans, but the more important question is what’s up Z? The no-no had to happen, and it’s in the past now, so get over it, Stoney.

Perhaps an extra day or three would have been enough to give him a mental health break necessary to come down from his last bad start? Perhaps a planned 60 pitch start last night to allow Zambrano to focus on his control and emotions?

So what’s the deal? Is he injured? Has he lost focus? Can we count on him when it matters?

…if you had to pick a starter for a 5th game in the NLDS at Wrigley who would it be? Keep in mind, that if the Cubs don’t advance beyond the NLDS how you are going to feel going into the offseason.

I think Zambrano right now would be my 4th choice. That being said, the Cubs still have the best 4 options of any team going to the playoffs (in my opinion).

Here is my opinion on things…

Steve is a bitter man.

Still, in my opinion, he’s kinda like the grandpa who is stuck in his own ways. You listen to what he says, and agree with only parts of it. It’s the same here…

No way Lou, nor anybody should pull a guy from a no-hitter unless the pitcher asks so. That is just how things go…

What he said about Z is absolutely true. I also think a lot of people have thought this but are too afraid to say it.

I have worried for a few years about Z becoming a Sosa. I think there will be one major difference though, and we’ve seen it this season. Z isn’t using steroids to inflate both his ego and his numbers… plus, with out, Z’s body is going to fall apart because his ego won’t allow him to work as hard, nor train as hard, to keep his body in shape enough to be a star for many years. Without the juice, most players are becoming human again. Unless he matures, his body is going to fall apart under the strain of being a MLB player. The real question will be if he’ll ruin his rep before this happens…

If he’d grow up some, learn off of the maturity of plays like Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster, who work hard to take care of themselves… then Z will be an allstar pitcher for a very long time. Usually though, ego players, unless they cheat, just won’t have the discipline to “keep on a rollin.”

I learned much that I know of the game of baseball growing up listening and watching Steve Stone. When he was with Harry, (who got him the job by the way), he was great. That is up until the early ‘90s, when it became apparent that Harry wasn’t going to be around forever. At that point, Stone began to correct Harry, make fun of Harry, interrupt Harry… the list goes on. It was obvious that he felt he was the show now. He couldn’t have made a bigger mistake. Harry, even in the later years, was still pretty sharp. He had surgeries, heart attack(s), and stroke(s), and he kept going. Certainly, he lost a little year by year. Cubs fans tuned in to listen to Harry, not to listen to Stone interrupt & belittle him. Stone helped create the “drunk Harry perception”, which sold a lot of Budweisers, but wasn’t really Harry.

Stone is in the entertainment business, analyzing baseball games, whether on radio or TV. He has tried to get into baseball, front office or GM, or even ownership- no one will touch him, and there has to be a reason… I think it’s because he’s a tool. Listen, he gets paid to “analyze”, (as he calls it). That includes giving his opinion, and it seems his opinions, rather than being informed, are instead tinged with bias & jealousy. He is in the job of stirring the pot, making waves. He does it well.

I have lost so much respect for Stone that I can’t listen to him anymore. His comments about Z, how he would have pulled him, are absurd. It doesn’t even deserve my attention. As far as Zambrano being a “Sosa Jr.”, that’s just plain ridiculous. Z is going through a rough patch, and everybody is on his back. He’s not superman, but I still trust him. He always comes back. His velocity was normal last night, and he had good stuff. Those two things are much more important than the runs he gave up, or the walks he gave up, (which were questionable).

I won’t allow Steve Stone to muck up what is a great march on to the ultimae goal of our Cubs bringing home a World Series Trophy. Steve Stone is more than a tool, he’s a prick.

Commenting on pitch count is analysis we can argue about.

We can argue whether Carlos is turning into a “monster”, however it is a personal attack any way you look at it, and is completely out of bounds for a sports analyst. And why is he a “monster”? Because he has had a bad couple of outings? He is selfish, because when he tries to get guys out he has failed recently? Was Soto a “monster” for striking out a bunch of times in a row earlier this year? Was Howry a “monster” most of the year?

Uncalled for personal attack.

As for those posters who call Z, selfish or all about me or big ego’ed or even immature you are falling for stereotypes. I have seen no evidence of Z being a selfish person. Where is all the criticism of Lilly being immature after the glove slam? Why isnt he a “monster” for pitching so poorly in the first half.

Simply because a pitcher is not pulled from a no-hitter. It’s just how it’s done in MLB. In this particular situation, there was no reason to pull Z, even if pitchers throwing no hitters were routinely pulled from games. Z had plenty of rest between starts, had just had a cortistone short roughly a week before. He threw 15 or so more pitches than Lou really wanted him to, that’s not a ton of pitches. Z was still strong in the 9th during the no hitter.

The “Sosa Jr.” crap- (which is what it is), is made up and purported by Stone & others. It is meant to stir controversy. If Lou was pissed at Z, believe me; we would all know it. Z hasn’t demanded anything from Piniella that would make him “special”, in fact he admitted last night that in the playoffs, Demp should go first. Stone is all about hype to make him look important and right on every point of contention. He’s a prick.

Yes

Sosa ended up being egocentric, selfish, and literally walked out on his team.

Z cares so much about his team that he takes bats (sometimes his own fist) to water coolers, breaks bats, and yells at himself on the mound when he lets the team down.

If you can’t see how the Sosa comment was utter crap than I dont know what to say. I guess you have made up your mind, so we can leave it at that.

Steve Stone keeps saying he is going to put his Cubs years behind him has he announced when that is going to happen?

He keeps bringing up Sosa.

Sosa and Stone both departed the Cubs after the 04 season. Which one has put his experience behind him and acted like an adult?

Not Stone.

If anyone has been immature it’s been Stone.

Do we ever hear Sosa going out of his way to make personal attacks against his former team? No.

Who has supposedly called to congratulate Hendry this last week? Not Stone. (Heard the Sosa thing elsewhere).

Who has been quoted as saying he is happy for Kerry Wood and his comeback? Not Stone who repeatedly has made it obvious he hopes kerrys arm falls off.

Who will probably root for the Cubs all the way? Not Stone.

But we’re talking about LOU here. Does anyone think he’s as nutty as he can appear to be during his press conferences? I do not. He’s smart as – if not smarter than – a fox.

NFW and I mean NFW would Lou and Larry let Z self destruct what ever could be ailing him in the name of a no-no.

Stoney is entitled to his opinion and often he goes the route of a columnist rather that a reporter. He’s an arrogant ass and everyone knows it. It is also the reason why he’s not the GM, pitching coach, manager or whatever anywhere.

Lou has the big prize in sight. He knows the team has to be relaxed but still play hard. Look how they rallied last night. You’d think a team down 5-1 after 3 could just mail it in knowing they’ve clinched all they can in a regular season? Yup, but they didn’t and that is a testiment to Lou’s system.

Zambrano has one physical issue and it really stems from his mental approach. He has to learn he DOES NOT have to throw the ball through the catcher. Once he can learn to pitch instead of throw – and there’s a huge difference there – he will be one of the top few pitchers of all MLB. Right now he’s good, really good. But no one will put him in their top 5, maybe not even top 10.

That doesn’t make him a “tool”.

Stone is a polarizing figure. People seem to either think he’s Jesus Christ or think he’s Satan nothing much in between.

they would make a great show.

And talking about tools. North is the biggest tool to ever populate the Chicago radio scene.

We all understand this. Fortunately for the Cubs Lou Piniella has a true ace in Rich Harden and a pitcher having a phenomenal year in Ryan Dempster to pitch ahead of Carlos Zambrano. Taking the pressure off the enormously gifted Zambrano is huge.

He speaks the truth on most occasions. And he is quite observant on things and doens’t pull punches. But he has bitterness toward the Cubs, and for good reason.

…..and I hate him. I hated him with the Cubs; arrogant SOB.

If I met Steve Stone I would confront him. Period. He is a jerk IMO. Small man syndrome who must be sleeping with Dan Bernstein.