The Tom Gorzelanny Era Begins Tonight In Cincinnati

MLB: MAY 19 Pirates at Nationals
Will Tom Gorzelanny become the next former-Pirate to become a star in Cubbie blue pinstripes?

The Great American Ball Park has been a house of horrors for Tom Gorzelanny (nine runs, 4.1 innings pitched), so it's only fitting that Chicago's newest left-handed starter is making his first start as a Cub against the Reds tonight, right?

Gorzelanny is the local boy hoping to do good for his hometown Cubbies, who he should know a thing or two about inauspicious starts. But I've got some good news for the Evergreen Park, Ill., native.

You're out of Pittsburgh. No longer will you be backed by futile management, mundane managers or a depleted fan base that hasn't had anything to cheer for since Barry Bonds skipped town.

Welcome to a fan base that demands winning and will accept nothing less than a championship.

We've seen a winning environment spark Matt Holliday's 20-for-37 start as a Cardinal after leaving Oakland. I can't be the only Cubs fan wondering whether or not a winning environment can do to Gorzelanny what it had done for Aramis Ramirez.

Ramirez went from a lazy defender with good offensive skills in Pittsburgh to a franchise cornerstone who has provided Gold Glove defense in the last two years ever since coming to Chicago.

Using that logic, Gorzelanny will turn into a slimmer version of C.C. Sabathia any minute now.

Good luck, and godspeed, Tommy.

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