For Chicago Cubs fans, I’d imagine there’s nothing “fun” about this particular memory. Everyone else probably got their lulz in.
In 2003, a 34-year-old Sammy Sosa was in a bit of a slump after taking a pitch to the helmet by Salomon Torres, which was thrown hard enough to do this to the helmet. Whether by virtue of that slump or by an honest mistake as he later claimed, Sosa used a corked bat in a June game that year, leading to one of the most bizarre and memorable ejections in the last 30 years:
When the dust cleared, Sosa was suspended eight games, and his reputation was forever tarnished. Preceding PED suspicions and subsequent PED allegations didn’t help, either. That the cork incident happened during the magical 2003 season is also a rankling memory.
For me, I never quite got over the incident, which I watched unfold live. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and, with apologies to Sosa, I never could believe – at least not entirely – his innocent explanation.
At least 12 years later I can look back at the moment for what it is: an absolutely crazy moment in baseball history, featuring one of the most recognizable faces in the game being caught doing something others only joked about.