Though he is not as beloved as some other franchise icons like Ryne Sandberg, Sammy Sosa was one of the most productive players in Chicago Cubs history. From 1992-2004, Sosa belted 293 home runs at Wrigley Field, including the 1998 season where he and Mark McGwire both broke Roger Maris’ record of 61 home runs in a season. You think that that type of production would make him welcome to return to Wrigley Field for all events, but that’s not the case.
Sosa was not invited Wednesday when the Cubs held festivities to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Wrigley Field. A team spokesperson said Sosa needs to make amends with the franchise first.
“There are some things Sammy needs to look at and consider prior to having an engagement with the team,” Cubs spokesman Julian Green said.
ESPN Chicago says one of the things Sosa needs to do is apologize to some of his former teammates for his actions at the end of the 2004 season. Sosa sat out the final game of the season and left the stadium before the game ended. He was traded to the Baltimore Orioles after the season.
The team has interest in mending things with the Cubs. Sosa also said last year that he would like to have his jersey retired by the team.
Let’s just hope they’ve made it clear to Sosa what they’re hoping and expecting to see from him. If they’re just waiting for Sosa to come out of nowhere and apologize to former teammates, it’s probably not going to happen.
Forearm bash to Eye on Baseball
