January 30, 2005

So Long Sammy

When he last appeared at Wrigley Field, Sammy Sosa snuck out of the ballpark about thirteen minutes after the game started on fan appreciation day.  The fans didn’t appreciate that and neither did his teammates or management.  His infamous boom box took a hit that day as someone went ballistic on it, obviously crazed from the incessant din of salsa music that deafened the ear drums of everyone that entered his house; the clubhouse.  Don’t let the door hit your a_ _ on the way out Sammy.

Once an icon in Chicago, Sosa had to go and the goods received in return were of little consequence.  This is the case of addition by subtraction.  He had worn out his welcome long ago, but with diminishing stats, a shrinking body, a bloated head, and an inflated contract; he was not the prize catch other teams were clamoring for.  So the Cubs were stuck with him even though most of his teammates tolerated him rather than embraced him.  And with the numbers he put up for a few years there, you overlooked all of the negatives because the figures were staggering.  When they came back to earth along with his incredible shrinking body (steroids anybody) he was no longer the poster boy for bringing the game back to prominence.

His staggering stats had hidden all of the dark secrets.  Fans only saw the lovable Sammy running out to his position in right to start each game as they bowed to his greatness.  His kisses to the camera after each home run hid the selfishness that was the real Sammy Sosa.  He lived for the accolades and the fame and adulation.  He fed off the love of the fans while his teammates all along saw the true person; a selfish me only player that only cared about Sam-Me.

When the numbers diminished, so did the outward façade of being a special player and one of the guys.  Because Sammy was never one of the guys.  He placed himself above everybody else on the team as he constantly arrived late to spring training every year.  He went from a player that was a threat on the bases to someone who didn’t even steal one base last year.  While he used to itch to be a member of the 30-30 club, stolen bases were no longer glamorous.  Chicks dig the long ball and Sammy dug everybody digging him.  With Michael Jordan retired, he was the king of Chicago and he relished the crown he wore.  Except there was one difference between him and Jordan.  Jordan was a winner.  The only numbers that really mattered to him were the ones engraved on the championship trophy each year.  Sosa settled for his numbers, because like another Chicago icon, this one on the South Side of Chicago, Frank Thomas, their stats meant everything while their teammates or winning took a back seat. 

Now that Sosa is gone, the players can rest easy knowing that there won’t be an albatross to deal with everyday.  Dusty Baker can fill out his lineup card without having to worry about hurting Sammy’s feelings if he’s not in a spot in the order that he deems worthy of his talents.  He was very sensitive after all.

The question now though is who does fill his spot in the order and in right field.  While the Cubs knew all along they couldn’t come into this season with Sosa still on the team, Cub’s GM Jim Hendry sat on his hands while all of the attractive free agents found new homes.   He could have acquired a Beltran or Drew as a replacement, letting Sosa know his days were numbered, but he sat on his hands and cried poor until he could get rid of Sosa’s contract.  As it is, the Cubs are still paying a significant amount of his salary next year.  But with the cash cow that is Wrigley Field, there was plenty of money left to acquire a replacement before the trade.  But the Cubs are still a bottom line team and the bottom line is they still prefer profits to winning.

Hendry is widely hailed as a genius in these parts.  He is better than most of the general managers the Cubs have had thru the years but is not the genius that everybody makes him out to be.  In Chicago, if you’re better than mediocre, you’re hailed.

He said he wasn’t just going to give Sosa away, yet all the Cubs are receiving is a reserve second baseman who might be playing the outfield for the Cubs, and two minor leaguers that are not highly rated.  What happened to not trading Sosa unless it made the team better?  When the market wasn’t as excited as expected to find Sosa available, Hendry brought him to the flea market and got what he could in exchange.

With Sosa and Moises Alou gone, there is a power outage at Wrigley Field.  The Cubs could have kept Alou, but blamed him for a lot of the problems with the media last year, and for initiating the infamous ‘Bartman’ incident in the 2003 NL Championship Series.

 He was a far better player and much more respected in the clubhouse than Sosa, but he’s nearing forty, and his base running last year left quite a bit to be desired.  He seemed to run until he was tagged out.

The cupboard is getting bare for replacement parts.  Maggs Ordonez is still out there with his suspect leg.  Jeromy Burnitz is also available and is probably the perfect fit.  He comes cheap and is all or nothing, just like most of the players on the team.  He smokes the long ball or swings at air and grabs some bench after another whiff. 

I would definitely prefer Ordonez, who would like to remain in Chicago, accept the Tigers are alleged to be making him a ridiculous offer, especially since nobody has yet had a chance to examine him and see if he is capable of playing.  Aubrey Huff of Tampa Bay would be an attractive alternative, becoming a free agent after the season and too expensive for the Devil Rays’ blood.  But that would cost the Cubs some prize prospects, and who says the fiscally responsible Cubs would sign him to an extension.

Everything is up in the air, and pitcher and catchers report in just a couple of weeks.  Last year, everybody was picking the Cubs to win it all.  This year so far, everyone is picking the Cubs as one of the biggest losers of the off-season, losing players like Alou, Sosa, and Matt Clement while receiving backup catcher Henry Blanco and Hairston in return.

Perhaps this is a good thing.  Whenever the Cubs have expectations, they inevitably disappoint.  When little is expected of them, they sometimes come out of nowhere and surprise.  As things now stand, my expectations for this season are low.  Maybe they’ll be celebrating breaking their curse this year like the Red Sox did last year.  Then again, maybe not.

SportzNutz Columnist Darrell Horwitz isn’t shy when it comes to “A Fan Speaking Out”… he holds nothing back and tells it like it is, from a fan’s perspective.  A Chicago native, Darrell is a lifelong Cubs and Bulls fan. Along with his “A Fan Speaks Out” column, Darrell is the fan writer for the Chicago Cubs, here on SportzNutz.  If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to email Darrell at darrell.horwitz@nutzworld.net