Sammy Sosa

On this date in 2007, Sammy Sosa hits his 600th career home run.

"I will calmly wait for my induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Don't I have the numbers to be inducted?"

Sammy Sosa

On this date in 2003, Sammy Sosa is suspended for eight games by Major League Baseball for using a corked bat in a game.

"I know that right now, anybody or somebody probably wants to think whatever comes to their mind but you know, I just picked up the wrong bat."

Frank Thomas

Born on today's date, Frank Thomas.

"I knew it was shady when Sammy Sosa hit 60 home runs. Sammy Sosa was my teammate for three years coming up. So watching his career and watching him grown, for three years, he was capable of only 20-25 home runs at most. There's no way Sammy doubled me up." - on steroid use in baseball

Sammy Sosa

On this date in 2007, Sammy Sosa hits his 600th career home run.

"I would just do what Mark McGwire did. Come clean with it. Explain it to them. 'This is what happened.' It is hard to do, to admit this. Just admit it and live with it and understand it. I am sure a lot of people will forgive him." - Ernie Banks on Sosa's alleged steroid use

Sammy Sosa

On this date in 2003, Sammy Sosa is suspended for eight games by Major League Baseball for using a corked bat in a game.

"I know that right now, anybody or somebody probably wants to think whatever comes to their mind but you know, I just picked up the wrong bat."

Sammy Sosa

Born on this date, Sammy Sosa.

"I will calmly wait for my induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Don't I have the numbers to be inducted?"

Sammy Sosa

On this date in 2003, Sammy Sosa is suspended for eight games by Major League Baseball for using a corked bat in a game.

"I know that right now, anybody or somebody probably wants to think whatever comes to their mind but you know, I just picked up the wrong bat."

Sammy Sosa

Born on today's date, Sammy Sosa.

"I will calmly wait for my induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Don't I have the numbers to be inducted?"

Remember years ago when all of Chicago loved Sammy Sosa....

....but deep down inside, they all knew he was a scumbag?

Extremely useful piece of trivia

No one has ever finished a season with 53 or 55 home runs!

It shows you how steroids completely screwed up MLB's records and statistics.

You know McGwire, Sosa or Bonds would have topped out there during those years without the juice.

What a mess!

Sammy Sosa

On this date in 2007, Sammy Sosa hits his 600th career home run.

"I will calmly wait for my induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Don't I have the numbers to be inducted?"

Sammy Sosa

On this date in 2003, Sammy Sosa is ejected in the first inning of the Cubs 3-2 victory over the Devil Rays after umpires find cork in his shattered bat.

"I know that right now, anybody or somebody probably want to think whatever comes to their mind but you know, I just picked the wrong bat."

Replacement for Santo?

The Cubs are looking for Ron Santo's replacement in the radio booth and the Tribune Company's website has a posting for the job vacancy which reads in part, "Preferred candidate will have played with the Chicago Cubs".

Come on Chicago!

He used to be your everything!

Just tell him he can't bring that boom-box into the booth.

Don't let that "No English" thing before Congress stop you either. He has had several years since then to learn the language.

Be the bigger man here.

Sammy Sosa

Born on today's date, Sammy Sosa.

"I will calmly wait for my induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Don't I have the numbers to be inducted?"

"They (the Cubs) made people think I'm a monster"

No Sammy, you did that on your own!

A couple of different times!

"Let's play two" wants to counsel Sammy Sosa

Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune says that Ernie Banks would like to assist Sammy Sosa in coming forward to address allegations that he used steroids.

"I would say just do what Mark McGwire did," Banks said. "Come clean with it. Explain it to them....Just say. 'This is what happened.' It is hard to do, to admit this. Just admit it and live with it and understand it. I am sure a lot of people will forgive him."

He goes on to add that he would be willing to fly down to the Dominican Republic to meet with Sosa and have this conversation.

Hey Ernie! I know you mean well but to my knowledge, Sammy Sosa does not have any type of protection like Mark McGwire has with Tony LaRussa so I don't think there is much chance of him getting back into major league baseball in any capacity so he would not likely admit steroid use for this reason. He also knows that any steroid admission will not help his Hall of Fame chances (see Mark McGwire) so there is no incentive there for him to "come clean".

Right now, Sammy is a guy who is busy bleaching his skin and living the life of a man with a different skin pigmentation than he was born with. That has got be exciting. That said, he is not doing any steroid admissions for you or anybody else for that matter.

Save the plane trip.

Oh and Ernie? Sammy doesn't speak English.

Remember?

Sammy says he's not a racist

Sammy Sosa says he is only using a "bleaching cream" to soften his skin and is not trying to change his pigmentation.

He further told ESPN Deportes, "I'm not a racist."

I don't know that anybody called him a racist. Ar least, not that I heard.

We just thought he looked a little weird and the last guy that tried this; well things didn't work out so well for him.

You know, like learn from the mistakes of others. That kind of thing.

Is Sammy Sosa doing a Michael Jackson thing?

David Brown of Yahoo Sports posted the above recent photo of Sammy Sosa and his wife at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas.

What the...?

Is Sammy Sosa going white? If not, he should sue that photographer for messing with that photo.

Look at that picture and then look at that card.* I think that guy is doing something.

We are going to need to watch his nose and chin in the years to come.

If he starts dangling kids over balconies or having sleeping problems, we know where this is headed.

*I bet Sammy did not meet his wife until after the photo on that card was taken. She seems like a "you are not looking that way around me" kind of gal.

This "bubble-gum" card needs some fixin'

This is a quote by Darren Oliver on Sammy Sosa in the LA Times:

"Most of those guys did some damage off me. Can I take that off my bubble-gun card? That's what I'd like to know."

Ok, so Oliver is essentially saying that Sosa's statistics don't count (those recorded against him anyway). Sosa says he is "calmly waiting" for his Hall of Fame induction obviously based on the strength of his statistics as we know he is not getting in on the integrity and character provisions of Hall voting.

How could both of these guys have been represented by the same union?

Well as to Oliver's cards, let's get some "white out" as we have some work to do.

And yes, before you mention it, I do realize that Donruss did not put "bubble-gum" in their cards like the one pictured above. I thought aesthetically it was a nice looking card.

Chone Figgins doesn't go for that "cheatin" stuff

Per AP, Chone Figgins of the Angels on Sammy Sosa's positive drug test:

"It's just like gambling in baseball. If you're not supposed to do it, you shouldn't be able to get in. It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of cheatin."

Priceless.