One miracle at a time for the Cubs.
Sammy Sosa will not be returning to Wrigley Field this season as the team celebrates its first World Series in 108 years, unless the organization approaches him first. The team and Sosa have had a strained relationship since 2004, when he left the final game of the season early and then was traded to the Orioles in the offseason.
Sosa did an interview with the Cubs’ former media relations guru Chuck Wasserstrom, and was asked if he would ever return to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” or in some other capacity.
“I never say ‘No’ to that. I owe something to the people – to the crowd in Chicago. For that, I would come back. But I’m not going to go up there and say, ‘I’m here. Please bring me back and give me a chance.’ No way. I’m not hungry,” Sosa said.
“I have too much pride. They know where they can find me. They’re in their way; I am in my way. If they want to have a meeting – of course … I’m a gentleman. I’d never say ‘No’ to that. If one day it happens, I’d be happy.”
Sosa’s early 2004 exit angered teammates, who broke his boombox in frustration. It was a sad and sudden ending to a relationship that had seen Sosa become one of the most famous baseball figures in the city’s history.
“My relationship with the organization was great. The last day of the season, the last game, I asked [assistant trainer] Sandy Krum to talk to Mr. Dusty Baker and ask him if I could leave early. He said yes, that I could go. That was a mistake by me. I should have stayed there. It was the last game. My intention was to finish my career in Chicago,” Sosa said.
“That was my intention all the way. I never wanted to leave Chicago. I should have handled that situation differently, yes indeed. I recognize my mistake. But look, I have my pride, and I know I had a tremendous career in Chicago. When nobody knew who Chicago was, I put Chicago on the map. Like you said, if I could have done it again, I would have done it differently. The only thing we cannot do is turn back time. We can’t do that. But hey, we have to move forward. I understand I made a mistake. I regret it, definitely, but I have to move on.”
Sosa’s place in history has been tainted by suspected PED use. Sosa, who finished his career with 609 home runs and was part of the infamous home run duel with Mark McGwire in 1998, has continually fallen far short of the Hall of Fame. Sosa has spent most of his post-baseball career out of the spotlight, and says he has business dealing in South America and Europe.
He curiously compared himself to Jesus when defending himself against PED accusations.
“It’s like Jesus Christ when he came to Jerusalem,” Sosa said. “Everybody thought Jesus Christ was a witch [laughing] – and he was our savior. So if they talk [poop] about Jesus Christ, what about me? Are you kidding me?”
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