Zambrano No-No

Chicago Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano tossed a no-hitter last night at Miller Park. Which is actually quite amazing. First, the no-hitter itself. Then that he was able to do it at a neutral site, even though it was 99.99999% pro-Cubs fans.

This, of course, brings up the "Why wasn't the game played somewhere other than Miller?" It seems like every situation that involves a game being canceled is made up at Miller Park. In my opinion they might as well just played the game at Wrigley.

It is also funny that Bug Selig moves it to his hometown ballpark. They could have played the game in Arlington or Dell Diamond in Round Rock (Astros AAA stadium).

And no, this is not the main reason why the Astros lost. I don't even think it is a minor reason. But, it was just a stupid decision by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball.

The thing that surprised me the most is how well Zambrano kept his emotions in check. Normally Zambrano is a fired up guy on the mound, and can lose his temper and/or control sometimes, but last night he looked calm and composed until the very end. Really the only time he showed any riled up emotion at all was after he struck out once and threatened to break his bat over his knee.

Maybe more importantly here is that it all but solidifies the Cubs as NL Central winners, as they are now up 7½ games over the Milwaukee Brewers. This also intensifies the race for the National League wild card spot, because now the Astros are two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies and Brewers. Congrats Mr. Zambrano on the no-no, let's see how October goes for you.