- Sosa and the Cubs have been at odds since he left the North Side in 2004
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By Alex Raskin and Associated Press
Published: | Updated:
Sammy Sosa was expecting some softball questions when he spoke to veteran Chicago sportscaster Lou Canellis at a signing in the Windy City on Friday. Instead the estranged former Cubs slugger was quickly reminded about the steroid scandal that led to his departure in Chicago.
‘You recognize the fact that maybe you did do steroids?’ Fox 32’s Canellis asked a visibly surprised Sosa.
‘Like I said, this is… um… not a question that I expected from you,’ the 55-year-old Sosa said.
Sosa, the Cubs’ all-time record-holder with 545 home runs, remains on the outs on the North Side. Slammin’ Sammy was banished by the Cubs and traded to Baltimore after he showed up late for the 2004 finale at Wrigley and left early. Furthermore, he and other accused steroids cheats like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire were shut out for the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for 10 years, leaving them with limited opportunities to be enshrined in Cooperstown going forward.
Naturally this has left some lingering friction with the Cubs, who have neglected to honor Sosa as they have with other former All-Stars.
Sammy Sosa was surprised to get asked about his alleged steroid use by Chicago reporters
Sosa (left) shares a laugh with rival Mark McGwire in 1998 before either were scandalized
‘I’m a mature man,’ Sosa told Canellis when first asked about the Cubs at the autograph convention. ‘I think it’s a possibility that we could do that.
‘I’m open. I don’t have any problem with that. Like I said, I had a lot of misunderstandings in the past. I’m a real man, I feel great. So I recognize my mistake so hey, why not?’
It was then that Canellis saw an opening to ask Sosa about his steroid scandal.
‘This is not an interview that I’m really going to sit down and do with you with that piece right now,’ Sosa said. But like I said, I feel great. Let’s see what happens.’
Bruce Levine, who covers the Cubs for 670 the Score, reported soon thereafter that there ‘have been no talks between the Chicago Cubs top officials and Sammy Sosa on returning to Cub Nation.’
Sosa runs under a sign hung in the bleachers as he takes a lap around Wrigley Field in 1998
Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts has been hesitant to honor Sosa the way he has other players.
‘I just want to be thoughtful about it and do it in a way that’s respectful of both the people that loved Sammy as a player — as I did — and people that respect the game, too, and I think there’s a balance for that somewhere and maybe we’ll find it at some point,’ Ricketts said in 2023.
Last year, the Cubs revealed plans to build a statue for Ryne Sandberg, who sympathized with the club’s position on Sosa.
‘You got to respect the game and play the game the right way,’ Sandberg said. ‘There was a little problem there with the way that Sammy played the game. If that’s a roadblock, then that’s a roadblock.’
