Sosa speaks, but Cubs are still not listening
Hall will honor Simpsons episode
PHOENIX — Sammy Sosa speaks about as often as the Sphinx these days, but when he does have something to say it’s usually over the top and ready to go viral.
On Tuesday, Sosa chose an unusual outlet, a personal blog former Cubs media relations employee Chuck Wasserstrom writes, to relay his thoughts on his exile from the Cubs organization, his paltry totals in Hall of Fame voting, the end of the Cubs’ championship drought and other subjects near and dear to his heart.
In a nutshell, Sosa insisted he never did performanceenhancing drugs, prefers being filthy rich to being in the Hall of Fame, admitted he made a “mistake” when walking out on his teammates on the final day of the 2004 season, said he would like the Cubs to welcome him but is way too proud to beg and was happy the Cubs finally won.
Amazingly, he also compared his plight to that of Jesus Christ when asked if he has been “found guilty (of PED use) without any evidence.”
“It’s like Jesus Christ when he came to Jerusalem,” Sosa replied. “Everybody thought Jesus Christ was a witch (laughing) — and he was our savior. So if they talk (bleep) about Jesus Christ, what about me? Are you kidding me?”
RANGERS: Before Texas opened its first full squad workout of spring training Tuesday, manager Jeff Banister reminded the players of the meaning of the “86400” and “The Game Knows” slogans on the front and back of the workout shirts he had made up.
The front of the shirts read simply: “86400.” “The Game Knows” runs across the back.
There are 86,400 seconds in a day, Banister said, and “They go by very quickly. Don’t waste any of them.”
“Very simple message,” said Banister, who nevertheless invoked Socrates’ famous quote “An unexamined life is not worth living” as inspiration.
SIMPSONS: Baseball’s Hall of Fame will honor “The Simpsons” on May 27 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show’s “Homer at the Bat” episode.
First televised on Feb. 20, 1992, “Homer at the Bat” featured future Hall of Famers Wade Boggs, Ken Griffey Jr. and Ozzie Smith among the ringers on Homer Simpson’s Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team. Voices of actual players were used in the episode, which also included Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Steve Sax, Mike Scioscia and Darryl Strawberry.
NATIONALS: Four-time All Star catcher Matt Wieters and the Nationals agreed in principle on a $10.5 million contract for 2017, pending a physical, according to a person familiar with the deal. The contract includes a player option for 2018 worth another $10.5 million.
ANKIEL: Rick Ankiel says he drank vodka before his first two starts in 2001 to quell anxiety after throwing five wild pitches in one inning during the previous season’s playoffs.
Ankiel detailed his experience during an interview with 590 The Fan on Monday.
Ankiel had a promising rookie season as a 20-year-old with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000, but he lost his control in the postseason. He pitched the first game of an NL Division Series against Atlanta and became the first major leaguer with five wild pitches in one inning.
He said he was “scared to death” before his first start the next season against Randy Johnson and the Arizona Diamondbacks and turned to alcohol to suppress his nerves.
“I know I have no chance,” he said. “Feeling the pressure of all that, right before the game, I get a bottle of vodka. I just started drinking vodka. Lo and behold, it kind of tamed the monster, and I was able to do what I wanted.”