Sammy Sofa

I accidentally spelled "tickets" with an "r" in my last post at first, but now I'm thinking that maybe rickets would have been a better gift than Cubs tickets at this point...

Well, I'll be going to this one, just like I did the last two. Saturday's tickets were birthday presents for my dad and today's were Xmas gifts from him to me. Thanks a whole freakin' lot, Cubs. At least Aramis loves us.

I'd wish there was someone else on my team who could mash 4 massive homers in RF-freakin'-K if I just did it myself, too. I don't see it as a shot at anyone...he's just being honest and trying to be a little funny. I was at both games, and none of them was in doubt for a second. For at least 2 of them Soriano just looked up and didn't even bother.

Haw-haw! I do love me some PNC Park, though. Easily my favorite MLB stadium besides Wrigley.

Cork doesn't help you hit the ball any farther and may actually be a hindrance to home run hitters. It's effect is entirely psychological. Ron was outstanding, but Sammy was better. I'm not arguing whether or not the stuff works...we all know it has an extremely negative connotation in MLB, and is pretty much one of the worst things you can do on the field. If it doesn't actually help, it just makes Sammy look even stupider for getting caught with it. I'm a young guy, Sammy is responsible for some of the greatest moments I've seen as a Cubs fan and probably will ever see...but the overall package of "Sammy Sosa, ballplayer" weighs him down below guys like Santo. What about the intense humanitarian work he did following the hurricane in the Caribbean (I think it might have been "Mitch)? He was recognized by the president at the State of the Union address. That's pretty impressive off-the-field behavior. He did one thing wrong and it was overhyped in order to run him out of town. I didn't begrudge his off the field behavior and actions, nor did I applaud his being run out of town. I simply am not impressed with the corking, the ego, the early departure and the stink about the batting rotation. Add onto that the excellent stat analysis provided by others here and I think that Santo ultimately belongs in the top 5 more than Sammy. Yes, I fully realize that a lot of the negative stuff was blown out of proportion...but they all happened, and it tarnishes him, in my opinion, as a player. Like I said, I think he is one of the top 10 greatest Cubs of all time...just not in the top 5.

Why do you have Mabry in your "Dusty's Toys" sig?

I'm all for stem cell research and cloning if it can somehow infuse this team with the mysterous and mighty essence of Z!!!!!!

Good. It's not worth risking on this debacle of a team/season.

If I have to pick between firing dusty and a ruined Lee...I'm sorry, I don't hate Dusty THAT much.

No way, dude. It'll hurt the team!

Would one of our relivers and a decent prospect get the job done?

I couldn't agree more.

Cork doesn't help you hit the ball any farther and may actually be a hindrance to home run hitters. It's effect is entirely psychological. Ron was outstanding, but Sammy was better. I'm not arguing whether or not the stuff works...we all know it has an extremely negative connotation in MLB, and is pretty much one of the worst things you can do on the field. If it doesn't actually help, it just makes Sammy look even stupider for getting caught with it. I'm a young guy, Sammy is responsible for some of the greatest moments I've seen as a Cubs fan and probably will ever see...but the overall package of "Sammy Sosa, ballplayer" weighs him down below guys like Santo.

Wrigley is an instiution. For better or for worse, the Field itself outshines the crap playing on it. I'm leaning towards "for worse."

Thanks for the convincing counter-argument. I don't really have the time right now to give too convincing of an argument, but I'll say a couple things. Ron Santo was a very good ballplayer, an admittedly better one than I had always thought after I just checked his numbers again. But to say that he was better than Sosa is just ridiculous. First off, can we please throw this WARP crap out the window? We're simply talking about a ballplayer, not who was better at his respective position relative to his peers, but the "greatest Cub." Sammy's career OPS: 882, which is 122 points higher than the league average. Santo's career OPS: 826, which is 93 points better than the league average. Also, Sammy's career OPS+ is better than Santo's. Another thing which begs discussion is what makes a player "great." Is it simply being a monster at the plate? Or are more variables involved? Does being a baseball icon make you greater than a non-icon? I think so, and Sammy clearly was an icon during his glory years. He was one of the top 2-3 hitters in all of baseball from 1998 to 2001. I'll tell you right now that I don't know how big of a "star" Santo was, but based on his stats, I'm going to wager that he wasn't ever one of the game's elite players. Good, certainly. But one of the best? I doubt it. I'm sorry, and its just my opinion, but I think its absurd to say that Ron Santo was a greater Cub than Sammy Sosa. Santo was never caught corking. Ron wins. I think Sosa should be an option, but I wouldn't personally put him in my top 5. Top 10, definitely, but not in the top 5. And not above Santo, and you can discount all the emotion from that. Santo is a greater player AND icon for this team, for all time.

What a moron.

His walks are up there, but if this kid gets some more control, he's going to be really impressive for a long time...so long as the Cubs don't saw his arm off. And nice 1-2-3 save, Demp!

I'm not, but I am at times just out of spite. SUCK IT, TIGERS!

I know it's superficial, but he blinks very oddly, too. Like he's trying not to go cross-eyed.

Nobody, huh? :twisted: Electon Blue also mentioned Lofton. So, what you're saying is, Mojo can't read? :wink: That sounds like a great TV movie of the week... And everyone picking Sosa needs to stop! He's an active player is his mind only.

SPEED. DOESN'T. SLUMP. But can they catch the ball? I'm with you all the way, Jimmy!

Nope, nobody. *Rimshot*

And he's acknowledging that. Despite what some want to say, this isn't the way things usually go with him and he's owning up to it. He had an extra crappy day on a team having a crappy day.

I'm surprised nobody has said Lofton yet.

Nomar and Alooooooooou. I'm gonna miss the hell out of Walker.