Sammy Sosa

[BeauJangles]

With the controversy surrounding Bonds, I'm wondering what some of the baseball fans on this forum think of Sosa. Personally, I'm suspicious of his most recent comeback. In 2005, his last Major League season, this guy couldn't catch up with a fastball. Pitchers continually challenged him down the middle of the plate and he was unable to make anything of it.

His stats are here - http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sosasa01.shtml

What we're seeing, though, is an aging guy (38 now) who, all of a sudden can hit again. This is the same guy who certainly lies in the shadow of steroids vis-a-vis his home run derbies in the early 2000s. This is also a guy who was caught corking his bat.

I just cannot believe these doubts are not resurfacing, now that he's "magically" resurrected his career.

 

[aurareturn]

When will people stop watching baseball? The sport is more boring than golf and almost everyone is a cheater.

 

[hdeck]

he's a hall of famer, just like bonds.

 

[YoungGun21]

he cheated back in 98 im sure he still cheats now

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: aurareturn
When will people stop watching baseball? The sport is more boring than golf and almost everyone is a cheater.

thanks for your contribution.

 

[dbk]

All time favorite player. He also was in the best commercial of all time

 

[drum]

Originally posted by: aurareturn
When will people stop watching baseball? The sport is more boring than golf and almost everyone is a cheater.

I don't even know where to start with this 'post'. :roll:

 

[txrandom]

Originally posted by: aurareturn
When will people stop watching baseball? The sport is more boring than golf and almost everyone is a cheater.

When will people stop watching futbol? The sport is more boring than golf and almost everyone is a staller.

 

[TallBill]

That guy has always been an idiot and a show off. Bad for baseball, period.

 

[BrokenVisage]

Originally posted by: aurareturn
When will people stop watching baseball? The sport is more boring than golf and almost everyone is a cheater.

Ironically, the same could be said (and should be said) about NASCAR.

 

[SludgeFactory]

He's not that much better than the 2005 season with Baltimore. His OBP is almost the same. He's slugging better (relatively speaking to his pathetic 2005), but that's inflated somewhat by the Texas ballpark. He's stopped the steady decrease in his production that's been going on since 2002, but this really isn't a huge career resurgence yet.

Overall, I never liked him, but he's HOF worthy, he's tied to the hip with McGwire, and he'll get the same HOF voting treatment.

 

[Mucho]

Homer Simpson: "I never knew how boring this game was until I gave up beer."

 

[jman19]

One of the most insignificant players who ever mashed the ball so well. A fraud, plain and simple.

 

[shilala]

Sammy kicks ass. He's healthy and he's likely juiced.
As a matter of fact, he's probably healthy BECAUSE he's juiced.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: shilala
Sammy kicks ass. He's healthy and he's likely juiced.
As a matter of fact, he's probably healthy BECAUSE he's juiced.

Bingo...

I think a lot of the power hitters from the late 90s and early 00s will encounter a lot of resistance when they are up for the hall, regardless of whether or not they juiced. Canseco will never get in. Bonds might, eventually. Sosa, MacGwire and others like them will get the stinkeye for sure at first. They might get in later after things die down... IF they die down.

It'll be interesting over the next few years as to who gets in and who gets snubbed. Especially if they wind up against A Rod, Griffey Jr, etc... guys who haven't been tainted by all of this.

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
With the controversy surrounding Bonds, I'm wondering what some of the baseball fans on this forum think of Sosa. Personally, I'm suspicious of his most recent comeback. In 2005, his last Major League season, this guy couldn't catch up with a fastball. Pitchers continually challenged him down the middle of the plate and he was unable to make anything of it.

His stats are here - http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sosasa01.shtml

What we're seeing, though, is an aging guy (38 now) who, all of a sudden can hit again. This is the same guy who certainly lies in the shadow of steroids vis-a-vis his home run derbies in the early 2000s. This is also a guy who was caught corking his bat.

I just cannot believe these doubts are not resurfacing, now that he's "magically" resurrected his career.

He's got similar or worse stats today than he did in 2004. He's playing in a home run friendly ballpark and is able to hit mistake pitches over the fence. But throw him 3 good hard breaking pitches around the corners and he's down on strikes easily. I watched him up close for the majority of his career - I'm glad he's on another team. He's a sideshow on the worst team in baseball. While I wish him no ill fate, I would never want him back on the Cubs, and I can't even believe the ESPN idiots suggested Sosa deserves to be on the all-star team! .255 BA, .309 OBP, .479 SLG, 14 HRs. That's bad. He's probably just lucky the guys ahead of him in the lineup get on so much so he can pick up RBIs.

Just like McGwire, Sosa will not be elected into the Hall Of Fame. He is a cheater and a lier.

 

[mooglemania85]

Controversy over #600?
DALLAS, Texas (Allied Press) -- Sammy Sosa became the fifth member of the Major League's 600 home run club on Wednesday when he connected a solo homer to help the Texas Rangers to a 7-3 win over his old team, the Chicago Cubs.

Sosa, who had gone off the boil after reaching No. 598, hit a solo home run off Jason Marquis in the fifth inning during the interleague home game.

He circled the bases to a standing ovation and was called out for a pair of curtain calls. His 12th homer of the season came in only his second game against the Cubs.

Sosa started his career with the Rangers but did most of his damage with the Cubs from 1992 to 2004.

Sosa joined Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays in the elite 600 club.

However, allegations have surfaced that Sosa had Grilled Cuban Sandwiches before the game. When questioned about the Grilled Cuban Sandwiches, Sosa, through an interpreter, cited his poor English skills, and deferred to his lawyer.

Sosa, in a statement read by his lawyer, asserted:

"To be clear, I have never eaten illegal performance-enhancing Grilled Cuban Sandwiches. I have never consumed myself or associated with anyone who has eaten illegal performance-enhancing Grilled Cuban Sandwiches. I've not broken the laws of the United States or the laws of the Dominican Republic. I have been tested as recently as 2007 for traces of Grilled Cuban Sandwiches and I am clean."

Reporters then asked the slugger for his thoughts on the historic milestone.

"I'm never going to forget this night," Sosa told reporters in fluent English. "Tonight was something that brings a lot of joy."

"I'm very thrilled to have that opportunity to come here and hit number 600, especially here."

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: cubby1223
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
With the controversy surrounding Bonds, I'm wondering what some of the baseball fans on this forum think of Sosa. Personally, I'm suspicious of his most recent comeback. In 2005, his last Major League season, this guy couldn't catch up with a fastball. Pitchers continually challenged him down the middle of the plate and he was unable to make anything of it.

His stats are here - http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sosasa01.shtml

What we're seeing, though, is an aging guy (38 now) who, all of a sudden can hit again. This is the same guy who certainly lies in the shadow of steroids vis-a-vis his home run derbies in the early 2000s. This is also a guy who was caught corking his bat.

I just cannot believe these doubts are not resurfacing, now that he's "magically" resurrected his career.</end quote></div>
He's got similar or worse stats today than he did in 2004. He's playing in a home run friendly ballpark and is able to hit mistake pitches over the fence. But throw him 3 good hard breaking pitches around the corners and he's down on strikes easily. I watched him up close for the majority of his career - I'm glad he's on another team. He's a sideshow on the worst team in baseball. While I wish him no ill fate, I would never want him back on the Cubs, and I can't even believe the ESPN idiots suggested Sosa deserves to be on the all-star team! .255 BA, .309 OBP, .479 SLG, 14 HRs. That's bad. He's probably just lucky the guys ahead of him in the lineup get on so much so he can pick up RBIs.

Just like McGwire, Sosa will not be elected into the Hall Of Fame. He is a cheater and a lier.

Interesting. He seems better to me than 2004 / 2005, but I wasn't watching that closely. What I have noticed (at least in the games I've watched him in this year) was that he is able to catch up much better to fastballs than he could in 2005.

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
Interesting. He seems better to me than 2004 / 2005, but I wasn't watching that closely. What I have noticed (at least in the games I've watched him in this year) was that he is able to catch up much better to fastballs than he could in 2005.

He really lost his focus in 2004 when he was beaned and his helmet shattered. He would stand so far back in the batter's box that his bat could not reach a pitch on the outside corner. It was bad. That season was really bad for relations between the Cubs / Sammy Sosa / Dusty Baker / Chicago fans. A lot of that probably carried over to 2005 too.

Your profile says you're in Massachusetts, maybe this year you're only seeing the big highlights of Sosa on ESPN? There really is no national interest in Sosa like there was in 2004 & 2005, so ESPN really isn't covering any of the bad Sosa.

 

[ric1287]

before steroids - he was a fast, good hitter, and good fielder

after steroids - slow, terrible fielder and hit berry berry many homeruns and brought baseball back into the spotlight.

despite what the league says, steroids brought back and likely saved the game.

 

[Gunslinger08]

He's probably using steroids. I remember in 05 when he was with the Orioles.. I guess now we know why he took a year off.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: cubby1223
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
Interesting. He seems better to me than 2004 / 2005, but I wasn't watching that closely. What I have noticed (at least in the games I've watched him in this year) was that he is able to catch up much better to fastballs than he could in 2005.</end quote></div>
He really lost his focus in 2004 when he was beaned and his helmet shattered. He would stand so far back in the batter's box that his bat could not reach a pitch on the outside corner. It was bad. That season was really bad for relations between the Cubs / Sammy Sosa / Dusty Baker / Chicago fans. A lot of that probably carried over to 2005 too.

Your profile says you're in Massachusetts, maybe this year you're only seeing the big highlights of Sosa on ESPN? There really is no national interest in Sosa like there was in 2004 & 2005, so ESPN really isn't covering any of the bad Sosa.

I'm certain I'm getting an incomplete view, but his numbers still looked up and that strikes me as suspicious. Plus, I've never liked him at all and he was the difference the Sox / Rangers game a few days ago

 

[FallenHero]

the guy always just swung his bat as hard as he could trying to hit a HR. He is worthless and overrated. And I have little doubt in my mind he is a riod user.

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: ric1287
before steroids - he was a fast, good hitter, and good fielder

after steroids - slow, terrible fielder and hit berry berry many homeruns and brought baseball back into the spotlight.

despite what the league says, steroids brought back and likely saved the game.

Baseball was never in danger of collapsing in the late 90's.

 

[ric1287]

Originally posted by: cubby1223
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: ric1287
before steroids - he was a fast, good hitter, and good fielder

after steroids - slow, terrible fielder and hit berry berry many homeruns and brought baseball back into the spotlight.

despite what the league says, steroids brought back and likely saved the game.</end quote></div>

Baseball was never in danger of collapsing in the late 90's.

yeah that whole strike thing didnt do anything bad i guess :thumbsdown: