Sammy Sosa - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Just211 · 06-03-2003, 08:59 PM

just got ejected in 1st for a corked bat [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] how stupid

Murphy3 · 06-03-2003, 09:01 PM

nothing brings me more joy than to find out that Sosa is a cheater.

there's no baseball player that i like less than sammy sosa....fine him and suspend him for the rest of the season for disrespecting the great game

Just211 · 06-03-2003, 09:13 PM

Great game, i think not. This is just more proof that baseball has no future as a top sport. They lose more and more fans every year, and now, one of the hereos that brought baseball "back" a few years ago , was probably cheating. How weak.

Just211 · 06-03-2003, 09:15 PM

also I find it funny that the media(ESPN) is sticking up for him, and making exscuses. I don't remember them doing this for Belle.

Member · 06-03-2003, 10:28 PM

haha! he says he "picked the wrong bat", what a liar

and with the media he never answered their questions directly, and just kept saying the same thing

he couldnt tell the difference between the two?

Drbio · 06-03-2003, 10:42 PM

I hope they suspend him for at least a week and impose a hefty fine. But baseball has never really done the right thing before.

jayC · 06-03-2003, 11:14 PM

How did we know that all of sammy sosa's numbers are fradulent. This could be a black eye for baseball. I didn't know it was corked. Sammy Sosa moron.

Member · 06-03-2003, 11:22 PM

i wonder if he used a corked bat to break Roger Marris's record

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 07:49 AM

But the question should be......If a guy who "doesn't" need a corked bat uses it accidentally in a game, how many 170lb middle infielders use a corked bat on a every day basis? (mike and mike mentioned this earlier on the radio [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] )

Murphy3 · 06-04-2003, 08:48 AM

cheating in some form or another occurs on a regular basis in just about every major sport..
baseball isn't alone out on a little island Just211.

u2sarajevo · 06-04-2003, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Murphy3
cheating in some form or another occurs on a regular basis in just about every major sport..
baseball isn't alone out on a little island Just211.

True Murphy, but I think when you compare paying College football players to intentionally putting cork inside a bat to better your numbers (or using sandpaper on a ball to get better control pitching), there really is not comparison. Baseball is full of cheating bastards. I was just getting back on the Baseball bandwagon this year too. They have too much wrongs to right for this sport. It certainly is no great game. Not anymore.

Murphy3 · 06-04-2003, 11:02 AM

You seriously cannot imagine the amount of college and professional football players that use illegal substances to enhance their performance..it's pretty high in basketball and baseball as well...

However, every play in football, you can find someone doing something illegal that in which they are not penalized for..

the number of pitchers that doctor a ball in baseball, i cannot imagine that it is a high percentage at all...the number of batters that cork their bat..probably slightly higher

u2sarajevo · 06-04-2003, 11:09 AM

Well I have a larger problem when you do something to better your results by altering the equipment used than I do with a player trying to better their performance by using steroids. It just seems dirtier to me.

Quote:

However, every play in football, you can find someone doing something illegal that in which they are not penalized for..

And the same is not true in Basketball and Hockey? Please.

Murphy3 · 06-04-2003, 12:22 PM

players in football routinely use illegal tactics that could injure another players health (such as leg whips, using the helmet as a weapon, etc.).. personally, that seems a little dirtier than altering a baseball bat

Chiwas · 06-04-2003, 12:24 PM

I hate steroids and I hate cheaters.

I knew about Sosa's steroids; now he has a corked bat. I hate him double now.

Quote:

"I was just trying to get ready for the game," Sosa said, "and I just picked the wrong bat."

Yeah, he chose the wrong bat, the one that was going to split. Cheater.

Nash13 · 06-04-2003, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Murphy3
nothing brings me more joy than to find out that Sosa is a cheater.

there's no baseball player that i like less than sammy sosa....fine him and suspend him for the rest of the season for disrespecting the great game

I am one of those people who thinks he didn't intentionally use it. Think about how Nolan Ryan had sandpaper on his glove. People still liked him. And their were rumors of Mark McGuire used Steriods, people still liked him.

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 01:57 PM

I guess nobody here ever played baseball or I should say the people that are saying he did this on purpose haven't. I have myself accidentally grabbed another team mates bat and not realize it until I have gotten all the way to the batters box. Accidents happen.

If people actually believe that Sammy would do this intentionally definately has something wrong with them.

Nash13 · 06-04-2003, 02:02 PM

ummmmm OK, I played baseball, that's why I know he couldn't have done that on purpose. I think people just want to see him fail because of his success.

Drbio · 06-04-2003, 03:09 PM

This was the topic of discussion on the Dan Patrick show today. To a man...every player and former player agreed that you do not grab the wrong bats. One of the comparisons was that you would know if you had the wrong shoes on. Same with the bats. The one stipulation was that numerous players cork up a bat for fun. It COULD have made it into his bat stall. Still, that is a reach. When that many former and current players agree completely it has to be taken seriously.

The bat BTW, was obviously corked according to Patrick and Rob Dibble. How they knew this was beyond me though because I never heard them talk about that. It wasn't even sanded over on the end to conceal it. If Sosa only hits 10-20 homers the rest of the way instead of the 50 he usually gets it will be awfully suspect. If he continues to crush the ball, then it probably means it was a goof up somehow.

Dibble said he thought Sosa would get a ten game suspension.

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 03:55 PM

Well I don't see how they could say that. If you are up to bat and into the heat of the battle and or Struggling, you usually just look into your Bat bin and grab your bat. You don't inspect it to make sure its your "special corked bat". You know it is by the Bin your bat is in. I would have to think that all Sammy did was just reach in his bin and grab his bat, walked to the plate and started swinging. Honestly I don't know what Sammy did or didn't do. Just trying to come up with a reason why this happened. He has never given me a reason to throw him under the bus without first believing him and exploring if he is really telling the truth and give you my own personal reasons as to why I think he didn't do it on purpose.

But to say to Sammy that he is a cheater by swinging a corked bat that felt the same and even looked the same without first believing the he "might" of actually grabbed the wrong bat would go against our very belief that you are "innocent until proven guilty."

Chiwas · 06-04-2003, 04:38 PM

Let's assume he didn't know. He used it. Period. He was a cheater, knowing it or not.

The odds that his bat, "mistakenly" taken, would split and reveal a corke, are close to zero. Probability theory says that he had to have used it many times before it could happen.

When you are a regular weekend baseball player, you feel exactly what bat you have in your hands (and the glove, and every little stone in your shoes); then just imagine a pro, imagine Sosa!

Edit: "Probability theory says that he had to have used it many times before it could happen."...many times during official games. If he used it before the game practicing (showing) as he said, the odds that his bat could split precisely in the game, are quite smaller.

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 04:49 PM

I used to play softball 6 nights a week and I played on (2) tournament teams along with playing in the Mens senior baseball league in Dallas, and I am telling you that the difference between his "corked" batting practice bat and his gameday bat was practically the same bat. All he did with the corked bat was get a bat from the same wood, same manufacturer, that was a couple of ounces heavier, drill a hole and put the cork in and drop it back down to the regular ounce he uses during the game. The bat, weight wise, would feel and look just like his game day bat except that he was probably a little more worn as his game day bat was probably a little newer.

But to say that he did this intentionally without him taking a lie detector test and without further research would be ludicrious. And until I see more proof that this is true, he is INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.

Murphy3 · 06-04-2003, 04:51 PM

the excuses are hilarious.

I hope he gets booed from this day forward through the rest of his career.. i also hope they put a nice * beside his name and "achievements" to note his chearting ways

Drbio · 06-04-2003, 04:52 PM

Gotta agree with murph here.

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 04:53 PM

and I hope he hits 200 homers over the next 3 years while every day people checking his bat just to rub it in their faces...

Chiwas · 06-04-2003, 04:57 PM

Quote:

he is INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.

It's proved. He used it. It's recorded; I saw the cuts in the news. The umpires saw it; he was ejected of the game. The MLB is going to apply a punishment. He is guilty this time. We can't know about other times, but yesterday he did it.

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 05:02 PM

so you are ready to throw him to the wolves without even "thinking" that it might have been just an innocent accident? If MLB comes back and says that some of his bats are corked than I will be all for bashing him, but I won't throw him to the wolves until his statement has been disproven.

Chiwas · 06-04-2003, 05:09 PM

If he has
cat legs
cat tail
cat fur
cat mew
cat ears
cat nails
cat girlfriend
cat house
cat pooh
cat parents
cat owners
cat friends
cat organs
cat offspring

and a biologist call him cat...

...he is a giraffe because he says so.

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 05:17 PM

Right now you have "one" incident and you can't give me any proof that he was intentionally trying to use the cork bat. If NLB comes back and finds just (1) bat that is corked other than the one he broke, than I will definately say he was cheating. But until I see proof as to it was his INTENT to go to bat purposedly using the cork bat, I will not change from this stance that it was just an honest accident.

I really wish Chiwas that you would at least "try" to see a different side of the story, but I think I am fighting a lost battle here. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 05:34 PM

CHICAGO -- Seventy-seven bats seized from Sammy Sosa have been found not to contain cork.

Columnist George Will told ESPN on Wednesday that Major League Baseball will announce before tonight's Cubs-Devil Rays game that those 77 bats were found to be clean.

An embarrassed Sosa apologized after he was ejected for using a corked bat Tuesday night against the D-Rays. Sosa admitted he let down many of his fans with what he claimed was an honest mistake.

But how can one of the game's foremost power hitters repair his reputation or silence the doubters?

"It's going to be tough. Some fans are probably not too happy about it," Sosa said. "I've got to deal with that. ... I know that I lost the fans and they have been great to me. It's a mistake, and I take the blame for it."

Sosa's stunning ejection came early in the Cubs' game Tuesday night. His bat sheared in half when he hit a ground ball to second in the first inning of a 3-2 interleague victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Umpire crew chief Tim McClelland, who was working the plate, said he spotted the cork after Tampa Bay catcher Toby Hall flipped the part containing the handle at his feet.

Sosa claimed the bat that shattered and contained cork was one he uses to put on home run displays in batting practice.

"Just to put on a show for the fans. I like to make people happy and I do that in batting practice," he said.

"I was just trying to get ready and go out there and get ready for the game, and I just picked the wrong bat. I feel sorry. I just apologize to everybody."

Sosa, who gained national prominence in 1998 during his home-run race with Mark McGwire, apologized to fans, teammates and commissioner Bud Selig. Sosa's other bats were confiscated by security personnel and turned over to Major League Baseball, which has not released any statement on the incident.

Sandy Alderson, executive vice president for baseball operations, was headed to Chicago on Wednesday afternoon as were Bob Watson, vice president of on-field operations, and Rich Levin, senior vice president for public relations.

But how much will this tarnish Sosa's accomplishments?

He is No. 17 on the all-time list with 505 homers. And in a five-year stretch from 1998-2002, Sosa hit an almost mind-boggling 292 home runs.

Sosa has the most 60-homer seasons in major league history, hitting 66 in 1998, 63 in 1999 and 64 in 2001.

"Deep down in my heart, I truly believe Sammy didn't know that was in there," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "But I just hope that this event, whatever it was, doesn't tarnish his career or take away all that Sammy Sosa's done. For baseball and for Chicago."

The Cubs had runners at second and third when Sosa broke his bat with a grounder that at first appeared to drive in a run.

McClelland gathered with the other three umpires to examine the handle area of the bat. Baker came out and the umpires showed what was left of the bat to him.

Mark Grudzielanek was sent back to third base, the run was wiped off the board and Sosa was ejected as he stood in the dugout.

Cork inside a wooden bat is thought to help players hit the ball farther and is against baseball rules. Several players have been caught using altered bats in the past, including Albert Belle, Wilton Guerrero, Chris Sabo, Billy Hatcher and Graig Nettles.

All were suspended, but none had Sosa's credentials.

Umpires initially took part of the corked bat into the Cubs' dugout and down the runway toward their clubhouse before security came and took it away about an inning later, McClelland said.

McClelland said he wasn't sure what happened to the other part of the bat that was split away and landed between third and shortstop. But he said a batboy may have picked it up and took it to the dugout, or it may have been tossed into the stands.

McClelland also was the umpire who took away a home run from Kansas City's George Brett in 1983 because of excessive pine tar, a decision later reversed by AL president Lee MacPhail.

The umpire said the cork in Sosa's was clearly visible.

"I turned it over and there was a small, probably half-dollar size piece of cork in the bat right about halfway down the barrel head, I guess," he said. "It was notched in there. I felt it, and it obviously was cork, so I called the crew together. It was reminiscent of what happened about 20 years ago with me."

Sosa's bat immediately became a big topic around the major leagues.

"Unfortunately, it's a dirty mark, when you consider all he's accomplished," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "It's really unfortunate for the game. Everybody's scratching their heads right now. ... It's embarrassing. He's too good of a player. It's too bad."

Sosa just came off the disabled Friday after having the nail taken off his big right toe and missing 17 games.

Entering Tuesday, he was just 2-for-15 in his three games since coming off the DL, including one five-strikeout game in which he also had the game-winning single against Houston.

"I just hope it doesn't taint what he's done," Seattle second baseman Bret Boone said. "Corked, not corked, he's got as much power as anyone in baseball. He's probably got as much power, outside Mark McGwire, as anyone in history."

Sosa, a six-time All-Star who reached 500 career homers earlier this season, hasn't homered since May 1 and his power numbers have dropped drastically since he was beaned April 20 by the Pirates' Salomon Torres. He has just six homers this season and 24 RBI, while batting .283.

Chicago won Tuesday's game in the ninth when Al Levine (2-2) threw a wild pitch that allowed Troy O'Leary, who had replaced Sosa, to score from third.

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 05:35 PM

From Joe Morgan:

We all know that Sammy Sosa used a corked bat in the first inning of Tuesday night's Cubs-Devil Rays game. But we don't yet know the results of the investigation of his confiscated bats.
Officials took all of Sosa's bats after the incident, and until that investigation is completed, I'll reserve my judgment. If it turns out that Sosa has a number of corked bats, then I'll have a different opinion than I have now.

If he has only one or two, he could have made a mistake. This could have been an accident, because all bats, corked or not, look alike. But if lots of his bats are corked, that's a different story. So stay tuned.

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 05:36 PM

Still ready to throw his ass to the wolves? 77 bats were not corked. Now does it look more like a honest accident?

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 05:41 PM

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs were quick to rally around Sammy Sosa, saying one unfortunate incident shouldn't tarnish his spectacular career.

But others around the major leagues weren't so charitable, saying the slugger's use of a corked bat Tuesday night will taint the entire game.

"Sammy's sad about it. He came in here and thought he let everybody down,'' said Lenny Harris, one of Sosa's closest friends on the Cubs.

"The guy's got like four, 500 bats in his locker. So he pulls one out and, unfortunately, it was that one,'' Harris added. "He admitted he made a mistake, and he's going to have to put up with what needs to be done.''

Cork was discovered in the handle of Sosa's bat when it shattered in the first inning Tuesday night. The bat was confiscated, and Sosa was immediately ejected.

Cork inside a wooden bat is thought to help players hit the ball farther and is against baseball rules. Several players have been caught using altered bats in the past, including Albert Belle, Wilton Guerrero, Chris Sabo, Billy Hatcher and Graig Nettles. All were suspended.

But Sosa is a far bigger star, 17th on the career list with 505 homers, and he gained international prominence in 1998 during his home-run battle with Mark McGwire.

Sosa admitted his bat was corked, but said it was mistake. He accidentally pulled out a bat he uses for batting practice -- a bat he says is corked so he can put on a show for fans.

"Deep down in my heart I truly believe Sammy didn't know that was in there,'' Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "But I just hope that this event, whatever it was, doesn't tarnish his career or take away all that Sammy Sosa's done. For baseball and for Chicago.''

Sosa met with the media immediately after the game, and many of his teammates watched his news conference to hear his explanation. He then came into the clubhouse to apologize, Harris said.

"Yeah, I believe him. You can only believe a man until he's proven wrong,'' Baker said. "In our society, you're supposed to be innocent until you're proven guilty. But things have gone the other way. You've got to prove your own innocence, it seems like. Seems like guys are guilty no matter what.''

Security confiscated the corked bat so it could be turned over to major league baseball. Sosa said security officials also took the rest of his bats -- filling two boxes and a canvas bat bag.

But they won't find anything illegal, he said.

"I don't really need to use that,'' he said.

But there will always be people who doubt him -- and other players -- from now on.

"Had I known there were corked bats in the bat rack, I certainly would have been using them, too. I'd have probably hit 25 home runs,'' said Arizona's Mark Grace, a former Cubs' star. "It's weird. Instead of hitting them 500 feet, he wants to hit them 550, I guess.''

And it's not just Sosa who may suffer from the fallout.

"Everyone who hits a home run now, they're going to think you're using a corked bat,'' said Atlanta's Andruw Jones, who hit a game-winning, two-run homer against Texas. "It just makes home-run hitters look bad.''

Especially Sosa.

"Unfortunately, it's a dirty mark, when you consider all he's accomplished,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "It's really unfortunate for the game. Everybody's scratching their heads right now. ... It's embarrassing. He's too good of a player. It's too bad.''

But Seattle second baseman Bret Boone said Sosa's career shouldn't be judged on this one incident.

"I just hope it doesn't taint what he's done,'' Boone said. "Corked, not corked, he's got as much power as anyone in baseball. He's probably got as much power, outside Mark McGwire, as anyone in history. It's probably embarrassing for him.

"Pitchers cheat all the time. They scuff balls, use pine tar. I've never used a corked bat, not even in batting practice. If I was guaranteed I wouldn't get caught, I probably would.''

Chiwas · 06-04-2003, 05:42 PM

1) You only need one bat to bat. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

2) 77 bats and he used the corked!!!?? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

I wish you could see my side on the subject. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Ummmmm Ok · 06-04-2003, 05:52 PM

I am done with this arguement, we can finish it when Sosa has either been cleared as it being a honest mistake or has been kicked out of the league. But right now I got a headache and I hate trying to make a point when you are not willing to listen.

p.s. I see your side of the story, but you just haven't seen mine.

p.s.s. I am going home.

Member · 06-04-2003, 05:58 PM

so you can accidentally pop in a steroid pill on accident before the game when you meant to grab the advil...and it's ok?

as long as its an accident...it's ok to cheat?

Murphy3 · 06-04-2003, 08:08 PM

For all we know, if there were other corked bats, they could have been removed before his other bats were confiscated.

All we have is the truths...

1. He used a corked bat and was caught

2. this is not the first time he has gotten into trouble because of cork. When he played for the White Sox, he beat his wife with a wine bottle.

Obviously, cork has been an issue that he has had issues with for a long time.

His excuses are ludicrous... THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR HAVING EVEN ONE CORKED BAT... NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER.

Murphy3 · 06-04-2003, 08:11 PM

One last thing... Sammy Sosa is a total fraud. He is a lying, cheating sorry @ss bast@rd that does nothing actually for the fans..
Everything he does is so that he can better the way he looks to the media/fans.. Why? Because it translates into money

Murphy3 · 06-04-2003, 08:12 PM

To borrow the words of Tom Grieve..."Sammy Sosa is a dimwit"

Just211 · 06-04-2003, 09:07 PM

Quote:

cheating in some form or another occurs on a regular basis in just about every major sport..

I didn't claim it didn't , but this is different than any form of cheating in Football or basketball. This is illegal equipment , to give him an unfair advantage over his competitors.