Zambrano contract shows what's wrong with baseball

	MAILBAG Submit a question or comment for Richard. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

I want a raise. A very big raise. I'm not looking for some cost of living bump but something along the lines of a 25 percent pay increase. And when my editors at Sports Illustrated ask me why, here's what I'll tell them: I had a better year than Mets pitcher Victor Zambrano. Much better, in fact. Unless you're a devotee of the transactions page or a die-hard Mets fan, you probably missed Tuesday's news: Zambrano signed a one-year contract for $3 million.

The pitcher's 2005 totals bring to mind a famous line by Catch-22 author Joseph Heller: "Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them." Zambrano, 30, was given a raise of $900,000 after going 7-12 with a 4.17 ERA in 27 starts and four relief appearances. For bad measure, Zambrano was among the National League leaders in walks (he had the ninth-highest total) and hit batsmen (he ranked third). Opponents hit a robust .264 against him. Last September, Zambrano was so ineffective that manager Willie Randolph relegated him to the bullpen. (It's irrelevant for this argument that the Mets acquired Zambrano for Devil Rays starter Scott Kazmir, who has seemingly limitless potential at age 22).

People may complain about Alex Rodriguez pulling down the gross national product of Poland, but there's no question that Rodriguez produces at a rate as high as anyone in baseball. What should really offend your sensibilities is when someone like Zambrano gets a raise for performing like Aeon Flux at the box office. If you're looking for a goat, blame the system. Unfortunately, you can't even blame the Mets. Zambrano was arbitration-eligible this year and given some of the decisions in past arbitration hearings, opting not to sign him may have cost the team even more money.