I have been following the steroid scandal in baseball for the past 3 years. I was a big Mark McGwire fan, a big Barry Bonds fan, and a big Sammy Sosa fan. Two of those stars have fallen. McGwire can’t even sniff the baseball Hall of Fame these days. Bonds just looks like and angry old man.
Today, Sports Illustrated broke the story of Alex Rodriguez testing positive for steroids in 2003, and that over 104 players were on this list. That is all well and good, even though A-Rod has been saying for years he is clean. I don’t care about Rodriquez at all. There have already been people saying for years he was juiced. What I am more curious to see is the listing of those 104 players.
More specifically, is Sammy Sosa on the list.
I have long been an advocate for Sammy. In Chicago, he had a rough end to his career but he was still the biggest superstar we have had not named Michael Jordan. His towering home runs gave hope to Cubs fans when, basically, there was nothing else to hope for with that team. He put the Cubs on his shoulders many times, and the press here has just torn him apart since he has left, mainly because of Sammy’s personal ego.
But now, what if his name isn’t on this list?
Ever since McGwire and Bonds have been found guilty of steroid abuse, Sammy has been lumped in with them. I don’t know how many times I had to read that wind-bag, Jay Mariotti, talk about Sammy’s steroid use, like he has all the inside dirt.
(thankfully Mariotti has left our city to peddle his negative tabloid columns else where)
Sammy will be eligible for the Hall in 4 years, and when he goes to the ballot, the question will have to be whether he was on this list of steroid users or wasn’t he? Sportwriters, especially in this city, tend to forget he has never been touched by the steroid scandal. No real mention in Canseco’s book. No Mitchell Reports. No tell all book. No annoymous report.
He has dodged all of these accusations. If he is not on the list from 2003, a list in which 104 Major League Baseball players are on, than the baseball writers will have to lay off and vote Sammy in to the Hall. If they don’t with the stats he has, they might as well just stop inducting people in to the Hall and close it’s doors. The man has 604 home runs, and has proven he is still productive, even if no team will touch him now because of his age and his supposed ‘involvement’ in steroids.
I am waiting for this list to come out. If Sammy is on the list, well, so be it. Maybe I will change my tune. But for now, I am and always will be Sammy fan number one.
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