So it looks like Joel Zumaya is feeling some remorse for his explosion of rage at Mark Wegner on Wednesday night. He says he acted like a "jerk" and promises he'll never act in such a manner again.
(As someone who was once kicked out of a softball game in college for complaining a bit too vigorously about an umpire's strike zone - he was right; our pitcher stunk that afternoon - I can almost relate. Oh, wait - that's not really the same thing at all, is it?)
Believe it or not, he wanted to ask the umpire to forgive him for acting so disrespectfully.
After taking a dip in Lake You, Zumaya came to realize that maybe his head's gotten a little big (not in that Barry Bonds way) and he has some growing up to do before becoming Detroit's closer.
It's a rather refreshing dose of humility from a kid who probably has every reason to think he's badder than bad right now. If you didn't already admire Zumaya for his awesome talent, he also seems like a genuinely decent guy who cares about his conduct. Of course, you also don't want him to lose the intensity and edge that makes him such a fearsome reliever. But he can't become unhinged by things beyond his control and let umpires get into his head like that, either. I imagine it's a rather fine line to walk for someone who's experienced so much success so early in his career.