When it comes to Sammy Sosa, should he

TheBenjamin · #1 Jun 5th 2009, 6:55 pm

A. Have his jersey retired by the Cubs?
B. Get voted into the Hall of Fame
C. Neither
D. Both

SKIPPER 11 · #2 Jun 5th 2009, 10:52 pm

This is my opinion- I personally think 18-20 of each 25 man club used steroids or performance enhancers at some point. Lets not forget we have never seen Sosas name mentioned that much by Canseco. Im not saying he didnt do it, but he made the Cubs enjoyable from the late 90s to the 2003, I think we can actually thank him for competitive team we seem to be putting on the field year in and year out now. Arguably, he had the best five seasons in a row in baseball history. I not only think he should be in the Hall and his jersey retired, but he needs a statue outside Wrigley.

taz57 · #3 Jun 6th 2009, 3:16 am

I believe the trade to bring Sammy Sosa to the Cubs for one year of George Bell should neutralize any Brock for Broglio talk at any level. The Cubs got the better of this deal for sure. For thirteen seasons, Sosa thrilled Cub fans with his play.

The Sosa arrival co-incides with the start of my relationship with my girlfriend Kris. She was not a big fan of baseball in the beginning, but started watching games with me and got hooked. Her favorite player was Sammy Sosa. She would scream "Sammy" every time he hit one out of the park. I think she became a bigger fan than myself during all those losing seasons.

In 1995, we were blessed with a beautiful daughter. I'll give you three guesses as to what her name is. If you said "Sami", you got it right. I always wanted a girl that loved the Cubs as much as I do, and I found one.

Sosa gave us something to cheer for in many a dismal season. Sammy couldn't do it by himself. I found myself thinking that Sosa would have more home runs than the Cubs would have wins. But 1998 came along.

The home run derby started with McGuire and Griffey, but included Sosa after his monster month of June. We have all been opposed to the steroid era. What really pisses me off in this time frame, is the fact that Selig knew what was going on, but didn't act on it back then. It was more important to baseball to put butt's in the seats at that time.

Bockstock · #4 Jun 6th 2009, 9:57 am

I agree with Skip - both

Bockstock · #5 Jun 6th 2009, 10:00 am

Boom-box smashing Kerry Wood's take:

Quote:

“Sammy never failed a drug test, never got caught up in any of that stuff and there’s no evidence that anybody has against him that he did something wrong. As his teammate for many years, he’s one of the guys I remember who came in and was prepared to go every day. What he did in his career was amazing and he deserves some credit for it.”

TheBenjamin · #6 Jun 6th 2009, 10:15 am

has to be both in my mind. When it comes to retiring his jersey, he was the only reason for Cub fans to come out for around a decade. That and his offensive numbers make him the greatest offensive player in Cubs history. Things ended badly, but thats because he was on the decline and Trib Co. was done using him. They decided they didnt need a sideshow like Sammy now that 2003 was over and they started winning to draw fans. So they "leaked" the footage of something they willingly covered up for years. They created the monster that was Sosa, and then threw him under the bus when they deemed it was time.

HOF, again, steroids or not, his numbers are so massive that he is hall of fame worthy. He never failed a drug test, never connected to any drug factory. The only thing that connects him to steroids (other then his cartoonish figure) is that Jose Canseco (who is batting close to 1.000) said that while he has no actual knowledge of Sosa using, Canseco said that Sosa APPEARS to be a user himself.

That being said, youd have to be a fool not to think he was taking steroids. He was jsut the smartest because he covered his tracks better then anyone else

SkullKey · #7 Jun 6th 2009, 7:53 pm

I believe he is still the only human being to ever hit 60+ home runs in a single season three (that would 3 - count 'em, 3) times? Is that correct?

Well over 500 for his career.

NOTHING approximating (sp) proof of cheating (just poor and feable allegations).

These are astounding accomplishments; show the man a little respect. He pizzed off Cub fans (myself included) with the nature of his departure but he was, and should remain a beloved and admired ex-Cub of historical merit.

TheBenjamin · #8 Jun 6th 2009, 9:22 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkullKey

I believe he is still the only human being to ever hit 60+ home runs in a single season three (that would 3 - count 'em, 3) times? Is that correct?

Well over 500 for his career.

NOTHING approximating (sp) proof of cheating (just poor and feable allegations).

These are astounding accomplishments; show the man a little respect. He pizzed off Cub fans (myself included) with the nature of his departure but he was, and should remain a beloved and admired ex-Cub of historical merit.

read my post on him and Z, I give my two cents on that incident and the trade. just something to think about

Jason · #9 Jun 6th 2009, 10:36 pm

Absolutely BOTH!!!

He was a Cubs GOD in the '90s... and early '00s!

Drockvb · #10 Jun 7th 2009, 8:31 am

Sosa used. His failure to not answer questions asked by the Congressional Committee is evidence of that. He played dumb, and that is all the evidence i need.

That aside, i do believe he should be honored by the Cubs. He brought the attention of the whole country to baseball, not just Cub's nation. The excitement and joy he brought to me personally will never be forgotten. It was an exciting time, and he does deserve some due.