Today the New York Times Dark Water movie download Enemy Mine the movie reports that Sammy Sosa allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. If true Sosa would make yet another player who was snared in the original tests which were supposed to have been kept secret (but were not destroyed by the players’ union.) Sammy could face possible perjury charges for lying to Congress and also join the ranks of Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmiero, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez. All of these players have put up Hall of Fame numbers but may not get the 75% vote necessary to gain admittance to the Hall.
Now I don’t want to bring up the whole “should PED users be banned from the Hall” controversy again because nobody at this stage is going to change his or her opinions on the subject (and few if any of us are likely to vote anyways.) But it is a newsworthy story, particularly to Northside baseball fans and really makes some of us wonder whether or not Sosa is mocking us when he tells us that he is patiently waiting for his call to the Hall. Sammy never has even expressed regret to Chicago for the way he dishonored his teammates, organization and fans when he left in 2004. Yet I suspect that he thinks Cubs Nation should support his induction the way we have former Cubs such as Santo, Dawson and Sandberg. Perhaps Sosa should have kept quiet about his hopes for baseball’s highest honor, today’s story has all the appearances of a purpose pitch to me.Fright Night trailer Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban download Good download Final Exam release
Sammy Sosa makes me want to puke. He’s a quitter and a cheat and is the poster boy for all that is wrong with baseball. I am ashamed he ever played for the Cubs.
Sammy is still the best Cub that I have ever seen (old enough to have seen Sandberg and Dawson, not quite enough for Banks, Williams, and Santo.) I support him for the hall and feel the Cubs should retire his number.
Whether he dishonored his teammates or had a hatchet job done on him by the Trib (probably some where in the middle, although IMHO it leans toward hatchet job), he was amazing to watch. He is frequently the lead actor in my fondest Cubs memories.
This is a tough one. I guess if Clemens, ARod or McGwire get into the hall, the floodgates should open to include everyone, including Sosa and probably even Canseco. Maybe a whole new wing of the hall telling the whole sad story. It could be sponsored by Minute Maid.
If Sosa gets in before Santo, I’d be beyond disheartened. But I can’t ignore the good times Sosa gave us. On the other hand, I feel saddened by the fact that some very good baseball memories will always be tainted for me.
Is doing steroids wrong and bad for the game–absolutely. But it is going to be hard to erase an entire era of baseball.
I loved Sosa, but that’s all gone now. If he had owned up and admitted his mistake when he had the chance on national TV, that would have gone a long way for me. Like Tommy, I’m ashamed I bought into his “greatness”.
Greatness? what greatness I have never seen someone disappear so much when It counts. I think I remember him hitting maybe 10 meaningful home runs throughout his career. Most came when it was to late or when they were already up by 5. Sammy was a much better player when he was hitting 25-30 home runs and hitting 330. Sammy Sosa was on steroids yeah that’s a huge shocker.
Anyone that is now ashamed should have woken up to reality years ago…..
On deck……….Albert Pujols
We are Cub fans, and assuming you are old enough to remember Sammy playing for the Cubs, you rooted for him. You were happy when he succeeded in helping up win, and when he homered. When they parted ways, not so much, but as a Cub, we cheered for him. I was in the stands in Cincinnati when he came off of suspension for the corked bat. He was widely booed, but about 9 rows behind the on deck circle, I was giving him support. As were a bunch of other people dressed in blue. I knew he was juicing, and so did most of you, but he was helping us.
I wish I could take credit for this, but I heard it on the radio this AM (I don’t mean to offend, Lizzie). If your wife/ girlfriend (hopefully not both), gets store bought titties, you know about it, probably paid for it, and like it (an understatement). They are “performance” enhancers. So don’t say you are outraged that some (?a lot of) our heroes looked for an edge,we knew it and reaped the benefits from it.
I’m not endorsing them, the permant effects on the human body are reason enough to eschew roids. But, I can’t be outraged, ashamed, or surprised.
Agree with Kris a bit, Santo should go. I just think Sammy should as well. They both should.
This whole steroids thing is overblown for me. You compare players based on the era. Does this mean we kick out Kiner, Mays, and Aaron for greenies or Fingers and Perry for doctoring the ball? Boot Ruth for corking his bat?
How about kicking out Koufax for pitching off a 15 inch mound or Young for pitching during the dead ball era? Or Sisler for hitting in the live ball era?
It’s friggin’ ridiculous the over-hype we have surrounding the steroids, like these players have taken something virginal and spoiled it. Baseball has been about cheating since it began. The new punishments seem fine and are pretty heavy for engaging in this activity. There is testing and baseball has a right to punish for violating its rules. A new technology or method of cheating will come along and start a new era. It’s in our competitive nature.
As to the Hall, players should be compared against others of their era. Those that are head and shoulders above the others go in.
Cap’n'obvious’s flood gates should be opened. Bonds, Clemens, McGuire, and Sosa were all clearly head and should above their peers.
Bullfeathers, unless by meaningful you mean walk-off.
Sosa’s Homers
161 with the game tied.
145 with the Cubs up by one run or down by one run.
100 with the Cubs up by two or down by two.
63 with the Cubs up by three or down by three.
140 with the Cubs up by at least four or down by at least four.
10 walkoff home runs – the same as Bonds, Reggie Jackson and Michael Jack Schmidt, and more than Junior, McGwire, Killebrew, Palmiero, A-Rod, Manny, Frank Thomas and Eddie Murray.
^ Nice. I was thinking he had quite a few game changing HR’s but had no idea where to look. In ‘98 it seemed like all of HR’s came when they were most needed.
Have to give credit to Wrigleyville23 for compiling the facts.
It was surprising, to at least me, how many of them mattered. If we consider ties, 1-run diffs, and walksoffs as definitely mattering and we consider scores with 3-run+ diffs as not mattering and we consider a 2-run diff a push. Not that this makes great sense, as a 2-run diff is cut to at least a 1-run diff by a HR and in many cases the lead is erased, still humor me.
That means
Meaningful – 316
“Meaningless” – 103
“Meaning-meh” – 100
I would argue that HRs are always meaningful. If you are down 7, HRs give you a better opportunity to get back in it. Still, even by the tightest standard, well over half of Sosa’s HRs had meaning.
The vehemence of hatred against him surprises me. How can people, that are likely very reasonable, make statements like “10 meaningful HRs”? He hit 609 HRs and played everyday. 10 HRs is 1.6% of his total. Honestly, if he been that anti-clutch, he should still be Hall of Fame worthy because he would have done something amazing and historic.