Don't Let The Door Hit You In The Ass On The Way Out

Either sometime as early as this afternoon or at the latest tomorrow an era in Chicago sports will come to an end. Sammy Sosa will be traded to the Baltimore Orioles. In return my lovable Cubs are getting a slap hitting utility man and two career minor leaguers. That is all you need to know to realize just how far this former icon has sunk.

In 1998 when Sammy was hitting 66 home runs it would have been un-imaginable that it would ever come to this. Sammy was perky, friendly, said the right things and had a public perception as high as one could get. In eight years that image has come full circle, and in the end Sammy has no one to blame but himself.

I take this personally, as I always defended the guy. For years as my jealous Sox fans friends would try to knock him down and I would back Sammy. It was easy to stnad up for him. He had the numbers, and Sox fans knew it. They were just mad that they once had him and traded him to the Cubs for next to nothing. I forgave the coming late to spring training every year. I forgave the home run hop. I looked past the sub par fielding. In 2003 when the corked bat incident happened, I let it slip. I knew he went to the plate with that bat on purpose but, I’m a Democrat and as such I believe in giving people second chances.

Last year was an unusual year in Cubdom as the Cubs were actually expected; now get this, to win. Well, the season unraveled right before our very eyes. They say you can only judge the true character of a man in times of despair. Well, if that is true than Sammy surely showed his true colors. He slumped all sulked all year. First he was out a month after sneezing. Then when he came back he went into a slump. He was striking out all the time. So, it was naturally suggested Sosa be moved down in the order, instead of taking it graciously, he bitched about it. You see, Sammy only and always only cared about Sammy. Numbers were his main concern. His teammates and winning were secondary.

So after the neutered Dusty Baker waited a month and moved Sammy down to 6^th in the order it was only after he got Sammy’s permission. God forbid we bruise his tender ego. The proper response for Sammy would have been to put his head down, start hitting the shit out of the ball and things would have taken care of themselves. Instead, Sammy never found it and in September, along with the rest of the team he really went in the tank.

The final day of the season was the last straw with not only me but apparently the Cubs as well. Sammy showed up at 12:45 for a one o’clock game. He then proceeded to leave in the second inning while his team was out there playing a game. After Dusty Baker called him out on it in the media, Sammy lied saying he left in the 7^th inning. The problem with that statement was the Cubs had him on tape in the parking lot leaving in the 2^nd inning. He offered a half assed apology a week later through his agent but by then the damage had been done.

It was at this point where I had to turn my back on Sammy. After all the years of sticking up for him, I felt betrayed. I was done. To borrow a line from my Grandmother, He was dead to me. It’s ironic in the same year we have the past star, Sandberg going to the hall of fame with class and dignity; we have Sosa the current Mr. Cub exiting in such disgrace. Of course Sammy will give a press conference in Baltimore blaming the media, the Cubs, Global Warming, anything other than himself. All of which is bullshit. In the end Sammy’s biggest problem has always been Sammy. He can take his thin skin and home run hop east. I wish the Oriole’s all the luck in the world. They are going to need it.