Carlos Zambrano’s Cracked Tooth Marks Begining Of Cub Decline

We know that Lou Pinella is trying to be a more loving, caring coach during his tenure with the Cubs, but he’s got to know when to keep his mouth shut. Since the Red Sox won the World Series, no other team’s fans have worn their “tortured soul” shirts more proudly than the Chicago Cub fans. So when something small happens, like having to go to the mound to check on their ace pitcher’s injury, maybe Skip shouldn’t make fun of their 100 years of misery.

Then just before starting the fifth inning, he bore down — literally. And the result was a shudder through Cub Nation as trainer Mark O’Neal jogged to the mound after seeing Big Z grimace in pain. Cramping? Another shoulder issue? Worse… Zambrano spit out half a tooth — a piece of the molar he broke chomping on his gum.

”That’s just a little Cubbie Occurrence,” Piniella said.

And with that, the heart of Cubdom went silent.

”I’ve been out to the mound many times to check pitchers’ injuries but never for a cracked molar,” manager Lou Piniella said. ”We needed a dentist.” Monthlong finger blisters. Twisted testicle. And now a tooth injury?

They’ve already lost their grip on the best record in baseball, what next? We’re going to go with a disaster involving Kerry Wood’s shoulder, the ivy at Wrigley, the ghosts of both Harry and Skip Cary and a misheard conversation between Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano. You know, just a little “Cubbie Occurance.”
Oh, dang gum it: Z cracks a tooth [Sun Times]
Image [Sun Times]