Sammy Didn’t Make It In, But When Do We Welcome Him Back? And Other Bullets

sammy sosa kissIn case you missed yesterday’s super-sized edition of the BN Podcast, it’s not too late (it’s never too late (I think that’s a song line)), as you can tune in here. And then you can subscribe via iTunes, so you never miss a future episode. On to the Bullets …

  • A day after the Hall of Fame voters opened their arms to no one, despite the availability of one of the most stacked ballots in history, the national conversation figured to be all about that non-event. Jayson Stark says it, if not the best, then the most plainly, that what happened yesterday is insane, and something needs to change. The Hall is supposed to be a museum, Stark says, and no one should be taking an eraser to an era. It happened, let’s deal with it. I’m inclined to agree – when I take my kids to the Hall in a decade, I want them to see what there is to see from the 90s and early 2000s. Heck, the 90s is when I grew up – and I did it on baseball.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig said he was not unhappy with the result, when speaking at an owners’ meeting. “The Hall of Fame is the greatest honor a player can get. A very small percentage of players. Next year, I think you’ll have a rather large class, and this year, for whatever reasons, you had a couple of guys who came very close. This is not to be voted on to make sure someone gets in every year. It’s to be voted on to make sure that they’re deserving. I respect the writers as well as the Hall, itself. This idea that this somehow diminishes the hall or baseball is ridiculous, in my opinion.”
  • Sammy Sosa, who received just 12.5% of the voting, indicating that he’s never going to make it in by way of the voters, released a statement after the results were released: “It has been a moment of great honor for me to have my name on the ballot for the first time along with some of the game’s greats. Even if we weren’t inducted on our first time, we are still winners and there is always a next time. God has blessed me with a beautiful family, great career, and I know He will determine my future in the years to come. Baseball has been very, very good to me. Kiss to the heavens.”
  • Jon Greenberg yesterday tweeted, appropriately (if cynically): “Forget the Hall of Fame, what does Sosa have to do to get invite to Cubs Convention? Not like he ever made team any money, right?” I hate saying that “coming clean” is the only way Sammy will be welcomed back with open arms, but it might be the case. Part of me hates saying it that way, because I hate standing in a position of accusation when I don’t definitely truly KNOW something with 100% certainty. I do feel like, at some point, I’d like to be over all that ugliness, and just be able to enjoy remembering Sammy as a great Cub to watch.
  • Of course, it’s fair to wonder whether Sammy even wants to come back and be a part of the Cubs’ world.
  • Jesse Rogers says the voters got it right with Sammy Sosa, largely because, until the Steroid Era and the associated increase in numbers, Sammy wasn’t on his way to a Hall of Fame career.
  • The Tribune looks ahead to next year’s even more stacked ballot, which adds Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Tom Glavine, Jeff Kent, and Mike Mussina, among others.
  • Kerry Wood’s now annual Winter Warm-Up event is January 18, and it’s an opportunity to be served drinks by Cubs players (for charity). If you’re going to be around for the Convention anyway, check it out.
  • Former Cub Kosuke Fukudome is headed back to Japan on a three-year deal with the Hanshin Tigers.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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