Stupid Cubs: Sosa needs to make amends

[abuck1220]

yeah, I don't think sosa has to apologize to blake parker for that time he left a game early in 2004.

[SouthSideRyan]

Is anyone besides Kenney and some scout who may have died 8 years ago but nobody noticed even still on the Cubs payroll that was here in 2004? Roast is like their 4th longest tenured employee

[Thed Hoyerstein]

There has to be more to this story that we don't know...right?

 

I think this. There's gotta be a reason that many ex-players aren't openly campaigning for his return. You can't have so many silent people that were on the inside (ownership and FO obviously gone) be this quiet on the Cubs not inviting back their best player of this generation without having a decent reason for doing so. And if there isn't, well god dammit.

 

IMO, it's telling that Kerry (by all accounts, a pretty decent fella) still has some sort of grudge towards Sammy after 10 years, whether it's the cork issue, moping about batting 6th, clubhouse differences, or whatever.

 

I'd like to see Sammy come back eventually, but i'd be really surprised if there wasn't more to the story than we're led to believe. And as mentioned previously, if there isn't, well....sigh.

 

Which ex-players are you expecting to be campaigning for him? Wood is like the only one of any signifigance from Sosa's time that still has anything to do with the team.

 

Just a few off the top of my head that *could* vouch for him:

 

Dusty Baker, lord of the "Players Coach," hasn't said anything. Granted, no one would put much stock into it anyway, but given his players coach mantra and his overall distaste for the Cubs, it's not hard to imagine him criticizing the Cubs for ignoring a Cubs great.

 

Mark Prior, while minimally involved, now has good relations with the organization after a few sour years.

 

Greg Maddux, or Maddox, as earlier mentioned.

 

LaTroy Hawkins

 

 

But whatever, I'd still wanted to see him back. Just thinking that there's more to it than the one time he walked out on his teammates on the last day of the season and oh his boombox was loud that other time.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Thed Hoyerstein

[jersey cubs fan]

This isn't a political race.

 

Ricketts & Co. do not need to hear references before acknowledging the existence of a former player.

[Sammy Sofa]

There has to be more to this story that we don't know...right?

 

I think this. There's gotta be a reason that many ex-players aren't openly campaigning for his return. You can't have so many silent people that were on the inside (ownership and FO obviously gone) be this quiet on the Cubs not inviting back their best player of this generation without having a decent reason for doing so. And if there isn't, well god dammit.

 

IMO, it's telling that Kerry (by all accounts, a pretty decent fella) still has some sort of grudge towards Sammy after 10 years, whether it's the cork issue, moping about batting 6th, clubhouse differences, or whatever.

 

I'd like to see Sammy come back eventually, but i'd be really surprised if there wasn't more to the story than we're led to believe. And as mentioned previously, if there isn't, well....sigh.

 

Which ex-players are you expecting to be campaigning for him? Wood is like the only one of any signifigance from Sosa's time that still has anything to do with the team.

 

Just a few off the top of my head that *could* vouch for him:

 

Dusty Baker, lord of the "Players Coach," hasn't said anything. Granted, no one would put much stock into it anyway, but given his players coach mantra and his overall distaste for the Cubs, it's not hard to imagine him criticizing the Cubs for ignoring a Cubs great.

 

Mark Prior, while minimally involved, now has good relations with the organization after a few sour years.

 

Greg Maddux, or Maddox, as earlier mentioned.

 

LaTroy Hawkins

 

 

But whatever, I'd still wanted to see him back. Just thinking that there's more to it than the one time he walked out on his teammates on the last day of the season and oh his boombox was loud that other time.

 

Prior played with him for 2 years and is unfairly considered a joke by the vast majority of Cubs fans.

 

You dismiss Baker well enough on your own so I have no idea why you even brought him up in the first place.

 

Maddux barely played with him in '92 and then again in 2004.

 

There's really nothing to it beyond the Cubs being stupid and trying to placate the meatballs.

[Hawk4Hall]

Like him or not, Sammy was a great Cub and provided the fans many memorable moments. He deserved to be out there yesterday just as much as any other Cub celebrating Wrigley's 100th birthday representing his era as a Cub. Sure he may have took illegal substances but baseball let that happen to make the game exciting.

 

I wasn't happy with Sosa at the end of his career in Chicago but the good memories of Slammin Sammy far outweigh the bad.

 

Sosa was a great Cub any beef the organization or any former player has with him needs to be let go.

[Thed Hoyerstein]

There has to be more to this story that we don't know...right?

 

I think this. There's gotta be a reason that many ex-players aren't openly campaigning for his return. You can't have so many silent people that were on the inside (ownership and FO obviously gone) be this quiet on the Cubs not inviting back their best player of this generation without having a decent reason for doing so. And if there isn't, well god dammit.

 

IMO, it's telling that Kerry (by all accounts, a pretty decent fella) still has some sort of grudge towards Sammy after 10 years, whether it's the cork issue, moping about batting 6th, clubhouse differences, or whatever.

 

I'd like to see Sammy come back eventually, but i'd be really surprised if there wasn't more to the story than we're led to believe. And as mentioned previously, if there isn't, well....sigh.

 

Which ex-players are you expecting to be campaigning for him? Wood is like the only one of any signifigance from Sosa's time that still has anything to do with the team.

 

Just a few off the top of my head that *could* vouch for him:

 

Dusty Baker, lord of the "Players Coach," hasn't said anything. Granted, no one would put much stock into it anyway, but given his players coach mantra and his overall distaste for the Cubs, it's not hard to imagine him criticizing the Cubs for ignoring a Cubs great.

 

Mark Prior, while minimally involved, now has good relations with the organization after a few sour years.

 

Greg Maddux, or Maddox, as earlier mentioned.

 

LaTroy Hawkins

 

 

But whatever, I'd still wanted to see him back. Just thinking that there's more to it than the one time he walked out on his teammates on the last day of the season and oh his boombox was loud that other time.

 

Prior played with him for 2 years and is unfairly considered a joke by the vast majority of Cubs fans.

 

You dismiss Baker well enough on your own so I have no idea why you even brought him up in the first place.

 

Maddux barely played with him in '92 and then again in 2004.

 

There's really nothing to it beyond the Cubs being stupid and trying to placate the meatballs.

 

1) Prior came up in May of 2002, so pretty much 3 years. Seemingly enough time.

 

2) Baker because "but given his players coach mantra and his overall distaste for the Cubs, it's not hard to imagine him criticizing the Cubs for ignoring a Cubs great"

 

3) Maddux would likely have enough pull to calm down the meatheads even if he only played with Sosa for essentially one year.

 

For the third time, it would have been great to have Sosa back yesterday. And if it's as pathetically simple as cobs being cobs, then well dammit everything. But I find silence from others to be a leading indicator rather than it being just noise and/or coincidence.

 

The one guy who would have the best insight would be Pat Hughes, but he's obviously not going to say anything controversial one way or the other for obvious reasons. Or steve stone

[jersey cubs fan]

For the third time, it would have been great to have Sosa back yesterday. And if it's as pathetically simple as cobs being cobs, then well dammit everything. But I find silence from others to be a leading indicator rather than it being just noise and/or coincidence.

 

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THIS IS NOT AN OPEN DIALOGUE ABOUT PAST PLAYERS. THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.

 

 

We know he was not a beloved teammate. That does not matter.

[SouthSideRyan]

I think he thinks Sosa was snuck out of the country to avoid a murder charge and the cubs are keeping it under wraps

[Thed Hoyerstein]

I think he thinks Sosa was snuck out of the country to avoid a murder charge and the cubs are keeping it under wraps

 

maybe it was tom ricketts who destroyed the boom box

[SouthSideRyan]

I think he thinks Sosa was snuck out of the country to avoid a murder charge and the cubs are keeping it under wraps

 

maybe it was tom ricketts who destroyed the boom box

 

And give up all it's resale value? Not bloody likely

[Thed Hoyerstein]

I think he thinks Sosa was snuck out of the country to avoid a murder charge and the cubs are keeping it under wraps

 

maybe it was tom ricketts who destroyed the boom box

 

And give up all it's resale value? Not bloody likely

 

ummm. how do you think #ptr paid for the new troughs, duh

[Guest]

So Sosa being "back" with the organization is mostly for PR events like this celebration, maybe retiring his number, that sort of thing. My best guess is that they don't want PR fluff like that to be divisive, and since fans are at the very least conflicted about Sosa right now, they're looking for some sort of action on Sammy's part that might give him enough goodwill that him being back can be a largely positive affair. The confusing part(aside from the quote itself, I wonder what the whole thing was), is that I don't know what Sammy could really do to generate that goodwill, so the whole thing's a bit of a standoff. Fans(at least partially) aren't too jazzed about Sammy, and there's nothing that Sammy can really do to change that, but other fans and media keep asking about it.

[Splendid Splinter]

Here's the thing for me... It's just basically 1 day. You're bringing him back for 1 very important day. It's not like you're promoting him for a week/month/year. I think you can let whatever beef that you have between slide for a freakin' day.

 

Granted I'm sure it's longer because you have to plan it and everything (PR stuff mostly), but it's not like you have to see him, talk to him, and hang out for a long time. Who knows? Maybe it's Sosa that wants nothing to do with the Cubs (regardless of what he says to the media), but I doubt it.

[SouthSideRyan]

If I saw somebody in the stands doing anything but standing up and cheering as Sosa returned by sprinting out to RF I'd almost certainly punch him/her in the face

[jersey cubs fan]

Here's the thing for me... It's just basically 1 day. You're bringing him back for 1 very important day. It's not like you're promoting him for a week/month/year. I think you can let whatever beef that you have between slide for a freakin' day.

 

Granted I'm sure it's longer because you have to plan it and everything, but it's not like you have to see him, talk to him, and hang out for a long time. Who knows? Maybe it's Sosa that wants nothing to do with the Cubs (regardless of what he says to the media), but I doubt it.

 

Maybe Ricketts is trying to take a page, the least helpful page but a page nonetheless, from George Steinbrenner's ownership manual and starting a pointless feud with a former player to build up expectations for the eventual reconciliations which will lead to a sell-out of some meaningless game in the future.

[SouthSideRyan]

The annual premium priced random April day game for a shitty team

[OleMissCub]

and since fans are at the very least conflicted about Sosa right now

 

but are they really?

[Guest]

Roast is like their 4th longest tenured employee

 

only because he was willing to take a pay cut.

[Felix Leiter]

I think it's up to the Cubs entirely to welcome him back. No explanations needed. Just do it.

 

Scottie Pippen did a far worse thing by refusing to go in for a play where Tony Kukoc would get the shot. He pouted and whined and sat. We forgave him.

 

Sammy took roids but he never pissed on the fans and media. Look what that turd pos jumbo mac patty McGwire did. He pretended to sign a 3 year contract extension to boost season ticket sales. Then did not sign it and retired with a fax to the media. He didn't have the balls(can't wait for his to be the size of walnuts and then disappear altogether) to return to St. Louis one last time. What a bum.

 

Welcome Sammy back.

[Sammy Sofa]

For the third time, it would have been great to have Sosa back yesterday. And if it's as pathetically simple as cobs being cobs, then well dammit everything. But I find silence from others to be a leading indicator rather than it being just noise and/or coincidence.

 

This isn't some kind of mystery; Sammy wasn't beloved by his teammates and ex-players who fuckin' show up at every [expletive] event the Cubs host aren't going to risk getting blacklisted for siding with Sosa, especially when they didn't play with him.

[Sammy Sofa]

1) Prior came up in May of 2002, so pretty much 3 years. Seemingly enough time.

 

Enough time for what? The guy only recently started talking about the Cubs like he wasn't sounding like he had PTSD. And given how relatively distant he was in general I don't know why anyone would expect him to be sounding off for Sammy.

 

2) Baker because "but given his players coach mantra and his overall distaste for the Cubs, it's not hard to imagine him criticizing the Cubs for ignoring a Cubs great"

 

He just doesn't seem to talk about the Cubs much at all unless it's a story about how badly he thinks he was treated during his time there.

 

3) Maddux would likely have enough pull to calm down the meatheads even if he only played with Sosa for essentially one year.

 

Well, yeah, so would guys like Banks and Williams and Sandberg and Fergie and their ilk, but nobody is going to do it because they either didn't play with him, don't like him or don't care and don't want to rock the boat with the Cubs.

[Guest]

and since fans are at the very least conflicted about Sosa right now

 

but are they really?

 

As a whole, almost certainly.

[Sammy Sofa]

and since fans are at the very least conflicted about Sosa right now

 

but are they really?

 

As a whole, almost certainly.

 

Definitely. Most fans are meatballs, and meatballs don't like Sammy because they tend to buy into the "STEROIDS ARE EVIL AND ONLY A FEW EVIL GUYS DID THEM" line, because of how his career ended here and because even at his best they still plagued hm with the pseudo-racist "he's lazy/selfish/never hits when it matters" nonsense.

[biittner77]

I'm having a really hard time caring about this at all. Was the 100th anniversary a big deal in Chicago? I haven't seen or read or heard anyone talking about it anywhere except here and then only afterwards.

 

Has anyone considered the possibility that they invited Sosa and he told the Cubs to go pound sand? That would explain why he wasn't there and why PoorTomRicketts didn't say much about it.