I think everyone one knew this one was coming just like everyone knew that American Idol Adam Lambert was gay; Sammy Sosa, outfielder for the Chicago Cubs tested positive for steroids in 2004. The same test that Alex Rodriguez turned out positive for. Unlike A-Rod, Sosa is in a heap of trouble and I really find no way out of this tunnel.
When the Home Run Chase between Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sosa everyone had some inclination that they were both juicing. Even when Andro, a drug like steroids was found in McGwire's locker everyone turned a blind eye. The fact that Sammy Sosa went from being a .200 hitter with eight homers to a guy who then hit around twenty five-thirty then ended up with back-to-back sixty homer seasons is absolutly mind-boggling that someone didnt point out that Sammy was juicing.
The reason why is because nobody gave a shit about baseball after the strike. When the strike happened, people didnt care anymore about the players, the coaches, or the game itself. Not until the 1998 home run chase and that is when baseball began to turn the corner. Fans were checking box scores everyday to see if McGwire or Sosa hit homers that night. In addition if either team was in town that was a must-see series you had to go to. People didnt care that players were using an unfair advantage to get ahead because they felt like baseball was a game again.
Sosa is in bigger trouble since he lied to Congress in 2005 about steroids. He forgot to speak English at the hearing and everybody that day felt Sosa looked guilty compared to others that were attending. He deserves to be punished somehow for lying in a Federal Office. He wanted to be the clean-cut, fun loving good guy but that time has run out on Sosa therefore he needs to do something to reshape an already tarnished image.
I try not to write to much on the steroid topic because it seems to never have a good answer and it just seems like I am repeating myself. The only reason I am writing about this is Sosa captured most of the fans heart in 98' and was a beloved player in the city of Chicago. Everybody had an idea that Sosa was on something but the overall hope was that it would never be leaked. Well its here now and I have said before that it was an era that no one wants to remember although some had great careers without the juice. I dont think Sosa fits in that category but guys like Manny Ramirez, A-Rod totally do.
-Charlie.
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