the sun

Bad time to turn the world off for a day. Bad bad time.

Okay, first thoughts. Calm, rational, reasonable, emotionless THIS SUCKS THIS SUCKS THIS SUCKS THIS SUCKS THIS SUCKS THIS SUCKS THIS SUCKS thoughts, no problem

I refuse to believe some settlement could not have been worked out with Sosa this season. Yes, it would have been a distraction, but there are always going to be distractions during the course of a 162 game major league season. Plenty of teams have done fine with malcontents, and I don’t believe that would’ve been Sosa’s aim for this season – he’d just been a loner (in public – he’d still have friends) on the way out, trying to prove himself for the next contract. It would’ve been an awkward situation, but not an impossible one.

Given that belief, I think the deal is a bad one for the Cubs. They’re saving $9 million, but they’re getting a backup utility man when they already have too many backup utility men, and two minor leaguers I don’t have much confidence in. Most of that saving in cash will go directly to a man (Burnitz? Wilson?) who can’t be expected to do as well as Sosa, so it’s not like we’re saving a lot of money here to use at the deadline; it’s just going to be a player exchange when we’re done.

It would seem a lot better if Magglio was still available and we could sign him. That’s not the case. Everyone else free is obviously a tier lower than Sosa – so we’re dropping a level in production for three players who may not make any impact. It couldn’t have been that bad with Sammy, right?

I didn’t want it to end like THIS. I was hoping for everyone to reach an workable arrangement, Sammy would have a better year while the spotlight was moved over to this group of Cub heroes, with the fans warming back up to him (both sides knowing it’d never be the same) and Sammy making two or three memorable plays down the stretch and the playoffs before thanking fans for supporting him as he slipped out the door. He didn’t even have to come to the victory parade.

He never got a chance to make it up to everyone; a Sammy Sosa game winning play would’ve healed wounds no staged and scripted press conference could touch. And we’ll never see him in a Cubs uniform again – he’s going to be with the O’s this year, and he’ll be with someone else next year.

I know he walked out on his team.
I know he used a corked bat.
I don’t understand how this could’ve happened.

Would you trade the blue from the uniforms?
Would you trade Wrigley Field?
How could you trade Sammy Sosa?

From 1993 to 2002, Sammy Sosa was as much the Identity Of The Cubs as the Blue and Wrigley. Or at least the part of the identity which were not losers. He carried the franchise thru some awful, pathetic attempts at baseball teams, carrying the hope of the fans with him. Maybe the team wasn’t good enough to win over the course of the season, but any day, Sammy might change that for his team. And we all loved him for it.

Those days were perpetually warm, sunny and bright summer days. Today