Cubs Carlos Zambrano Injured by His Teammate?

In one of those typical Chicagoland MLB rumors as common as Vienna All Beef wieners and cheese fries, Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano's shoulder discomfort has been described as being caused or aggravated by his odd pre-game warm-up routine.

In the routine, after stretching and limbering exercises Zambrano has a catcher, trainer or fellow pitcher repeatedly slam his fists on Zambrano's shoulders as though he were an NFL linebacker being fitted for his shoulder pads.

Nice. The only problem is, Zambrano, of course, is not wearing shoulder pads.

Zambrano underwent an MRI exam Thursday, and will have another on Friday. Indications are Zambrano likely will miss a start as a replacement was to be called up from Triple A Iowa.