2008 Woodie Awards
Sosa's fall from grace
Danny Sheridan
Issue date: 2/18/05 Section: Sports
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As you probably already heard by now, Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Jerry Hairston and two minor league players.
Sammy had been under much criticism from fans, media, and even his own team for the way he played last yea, as well as, his personality and his commitment to the team. During the last few months, the talk of Sosa possibly being traded was a very hot topic around Chicago and many weren't sure what to expect. Now, it's official, the Sosa era has ended in Chicago.
Sosa came to the Cubs in 1993 after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox. As soon as he arrived on the north side, he became an instant fan favorite. For 11 seasons, Sosa was the face of Chicago Cubs baseball.
His home runs brought an immense amount of joy to the fans at Wrigley Field. In 1998, Sammy had a historic year and hit 66 home runs, second most in baseball history at that time, and won the National League MVP award.
Up until his last year in Chicago, the fans embraced Sosa and considered him a hero. Considering his rough background in the Dominican Republic and what he had to go through just to make it to the majors, there wasn't much to dislike about Sosa. Sammy was the face of not just the Cubs, but the city as well, hitting over 400 home runs with the Cubs and bringing smiles to everyone's faces.
Sosa was also a media darling, and the press loved his child-like image and personality, as did all of baseball. It seemed like he could do no wrong.
The year 2004 was not very friendly to Sosa. He struggled mightily at the plate, having his worst offensive season statistically, and upsetting fans when he would fail to get a key hit and strike out time after time.
During the middle of the season, he was also caught using a corked bat and was suspected of using steroids. He also became a distraction to the team, as he didn't fit in well with the other players and wanted to be treated like a star around the clubhouse, even though his stature was clearly declining.
Sammy had been under much criticism from fans, media, and even his own team for the way he played last yea, as well as, his personality and his commitment to the team. During the last few months, the talk of Sosa possibly being traded was a very hot topic around Chicago and many weren't sure what to expect. Now, it's official, the Sosa era has ended in Chicago.
Sosa came to the Cubs in 1993 after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox. As soon as he arrived on the north side, he became an instant fan favorite. For 11 seasons, Sosa was the face of Chicago Cubs baseball.
His home runs brought an immense amount of joy to the fans at Wrigley Field. In 1998, Sammy had a historic year and hit 66 home runs, second most in baseball history at that time, and won the National League MVP award.
Up until his last year in Chicago, the fans embraced Sosa and considered him a hero. Considering his rough background in the Dominican Republic and what he had to go through just to make it to the majors, there wasn't much to dislike about Sosa. Sammy was the face of not just the Cubs, but the city as well, hitting over 400 home runs with the Cubs and bringing smiles to everyone's faces.
Sosa was also a media darling, and the press loved his child-like image and personality, as did all of baseball. It seemed like he could do no wrong.
The year 2004 was not very friendly to Sosa. He struggled mightily at the plate, having his worst offensive season statistically, and upsetting fans when he would fail to get a key hit and strike out time after time.
During the middle of the season, he was also caught using a corked bat and was suspected of using steroids. He also became a distraction to the team, as he didn't fit in well with the other players and wanted to be treated like a star around the clubhouse, even though his stature was clearly declining.
