[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19343]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         CONGRATULATING CARLOS ZAMBRANO ON PITCHING A NO-HITTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 16, 2008

  Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Carlos 
Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs on his no-hitter against the Houston 
Astros on Sunday. In addition to being Zambrano's first no-hitter, it 
was also the first no-hitter pitched by a Cub since 1972 and only the 
second in the majors this season. In throwing what some are calling a 
Zambrano-no, he led the Cubs in a 5-0 victory at Miller Park in 
Milwaukee.
  Perhaps most remarkable about Zambrano's performance on Sunday is the 
unusual circumstances surrounding the game. Not only had Zambrano 
missed the last two weeks of games with a sore rotator cuff, but the 
devastation wrought by Hurricane Ike in Houston also forced Major 
League Baseball to relocate the game to Milwaukee. The crowd of over 
23,000 was comprised of a lot of Cubs fans, and all of us Cubs fans are 
thankful that the Brewers opened up Miller Park for the occasion, and 
more importantly, we are thankful that the Astros players, fans and 
families were able to take their minds off of the storm for a few hours 
to share baseball history with us.
  Carlos Zambrano made his major league debut for the Cubs in 2001 as a 
20-year-old and has spent his entire professonal career thus far with 
my hometown Chicago Cubs. He quickly made his mark as a premier pitcher 
in the league, earning a spot as a starter in 2003 and becoming the 
youngest Chicago Cub to pitch in an All-Star Game the next season. He 
is known not only for his abilities on he mound, but also for his 
enthusiasm for the game and his prowess with the bat.
  On Sunday, Zambrano struck out 10 and walked one and was aided by the 
stellar defense of his teammates--specifically Derek Lee and Mark 
DeRosa, who both made great plays to keep the no-hitter alive. But in 
the end, Zambrano showed that his shoulder was A-OK as he continued to 
throw pitches upward of 95 miles per hour into the 9th inning, striking 
out the final batter of the game en route to his 14th victory of the 
season, putting the Cubs 7\1/2\ games up in the National League Central 
Division going into today's game.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Cubs' neighbors in Lakeview and 
throughout Chicagoland, I congratulate Carlos Zambrano and all of his 
Chicago Cubs teammates the first Cubs no-hitter in 36 years.

                          ____________________