So Long Sammy

It was quite a (home) run Sosa may be a goner, but there's no question he left his mark on Chicago and the Cubs

By Paul Sullivan, Tribune staff reporter.
Tribune staff reporters Ed Sherman, Fred Mitchell and Hal Dardick contributed
Published January 30, 2005

A patch of snow covered a hallowed spot on the street outside 3705 N. Kenmore Ave., Saturday, obscuring the spray-painted mark of a prodigious Sammy Sosa home run from the summer of 2003. By the time the snow melts and the mark becomes visible, the emotional Cubs slugger will be long gone. After agreeing in principle to trade Sosa to the Baltimore Orioles for Naperville's Jerry Hairston Jr. and two minor-leaguers, the Cubs effectively ended an era filled with bunny hops, heart taps and quite a few headaches. Beloved for years for his long-distance home runs and his effervescent personality, Sosa leaves with a questionable legacy. Will he be remembered as the smiling star who dueled with Mark McGwire for the home run title, or as a self-absorbed sulker who walked out on his team during the first inning of the final game of the 2004 season? The only certainty is everyone has an opinion about Sosa, and for some fans in Wrigleyville, news of his imminent departure was worth shouting about." They finally got rid of him," said Estelle Sugar, a self-described "30-year Cubs fan," as she glanced at Sosa's front-page photo at a North Side convenience store. "Good riddance. They should have done it a long time ago. He was just not a good teammate, and you knew he was never going to change." Gov. Rod Blagojevich even weighed in, debating Sosa's career on sports radio while calling it a "sad" end to an era." Sammy Sosa gave us many great seasons and a lot of historic moments," Blagojevich said. "Because of that, he will one day be in the Hall of Fame. This is a sad way for the Sosa era to end in Chicago, but it's probably time for the Cubs and Sammy to go in different directions. Now maybe we've found our leadoff man in Jerry Hairston." At Wrigleyville Sports, a souvenir shop on the corner of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue, marked-down Sosa items sat on the shelves with few takers in sight. Near the entrance of the store, a life-sized cardboard cutout of Sosa was stuck in a corner behind some other merchandise, drawing no interest at $35. Overpriced at any price? Say it ain't Sosa. It was Sosa's dramatic home run binge in the late 1990s that led to the Godzilla-sized contract that turned into an albatross for the Cubs. With few suitors available, the Cubs opted to pay about $12.5 million of the $25 million Sosa is guaranteed in salary, buyout and severance for 2005-06 to grease the skids for his exit. Former Cubs broadcaster Steve Stone said the parting was inevitable." It's in the best interest of both parties," Stone said. " It was best for Sammy to move on. Judging by the money the Cubs spent (to drop Sosa), it shows you the Cubs were motivated sellers." Stone believes Sosa's departure, along with that of Moises Alou and others, will change the complexion of the clubhouse, making it "a much calmer scenario." In what amounts to addition by subtraction, the Cubs decided to remove a potential clubhouse distraction before it had a chance to ruin the feel-good vibes that greet a new season. The fact Sosa also happens to be the seventh-leading home run hitter in major-league history became a moot point." Sammy has been great for baseball and really great for the city of Chicago, and I'm sorry to see it end this way," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "It's really not what his legacy should be." Sosa's well-known tale of growing up poor in the Dominican Republic, selling oranges and shining shoes on the streets of San Pedro de Macoris is part of his legend. After his first professional contract was voided because he was only 15, Texas signed Sosa at 16 for a $3,500 bonus and $700 per week in salary. Four years later, in 1989, he made it to the majors." The only reason I made it so quick is because I want to help my family so bad," Sosa told the Tribune in 1990. "Everywhere I go, they are with me." After a brief stint with the Rangers and a couple of up-and-down years with the White Sox, Sosa was traded to the Cubs in spring training of 1992, evolving into one of the most talked-about stars in Chicago. He became the 10th player in National League history to join the 30-30 club of stolen bases and home runs in 1993, providing the Cubs with the rare combination of speed and power. During the summer of 1997, when Sosa was still a relatively skinny 28-year-old with fewer than 200 home runs, the Cubs gambled by giving him a four-year, $42.5 million deal. It was during that season that Sosa's teammate, Brian McRae, remarked Cubs fans didn't care if the team lost 10-1 as long as they got to see Sosa hit a home run. That scenario ultimately would serve as Sosa's Cubs epitaph. Sosa's popularity soared during his remarkable 66-home run season in '98, which featured the historic race with McGwire for Roger Maris' single-season home run record. While Sosa lost the race, he led the Cubs to the postseason, won the National League's Most Valuable Player Award and quickly became one of the game's most marketed stars, signing many endorsement deals.Sosa had Chicago in the palm of his hand. There was even a proposed deal to open a Sammy Sosa restaurant on the site of Michael Jordan's former place on LaSalle Street, until the idea fell apart in 2000. Things began to unravel for Sosa when he became involved in a contract dispute and then was nearly traded to the Yankees in 2000. He eventually signed a four-year deal worth $72 million in March 2001. Things took a marked turn for the worse in June 2003 when he was caught using a corked bat. That led to a suspension and his first experience of widespread criticism. Sosa subsequently withdrew from some of his teammates and soon began limiting his media availability. When he suffered a sneeze-induced back injury in 2004 and saw his production numbers drop, Sosa was booed and baited in his own "home" at Wrigley. The walkout during the last game of 2004 sealed his fate, along with his criticism of Baker for "blaming" him for the disappointing Cubs season." He is going to be missed," Cubs legend Ernie Banks said. "I know things turned out a little sour. It is just one of the unfortunate things that happen."