Sammy Sosa's batting incident
 

Your thoughts?

I'm curious how long this has been going on if he did intentionally use the corked bat.

Even if he did intentionally use that bat, I just hope this little incident won't turn into a big issue (yeah right), I believe many more baseball players and other athletes use performance-enhancing drugs...and questionable equipment. Yeah, there's also a chance that he is using PE drugs too.

It's unfortunate that his reputation will probably suffer because of this. What was he thinking? :confused::mad:

What gets me is the way this guy hits, he doesn't need a corked bat! He's usually hitting them out of the park.. His story seems pretty lame.

According to what I heard on the news this morning all 50+ of his other bats (do they really need that many bats??) tested o.k., so maybe his story about his "trick bat" for the fans was true. I know I thought Mark McGuire was on something the year he beat Sammy for the home run crown, so I was truly put out whe n I heard this

Andro, I think.

Yep, androstinedione.

Scamming Sammy's
 

Been taking some. This Skip Bayless column from the San Jose Mercury News is a howler:

Posted on Thu, Jun. 05, 2003



World sees Scammin' Sammy

By Skip Bayless
Mercury News

Finally the cover has been knocked off a beloved slugger known for knocking the cover off the ball.

Finally an all-time great con artist has been exposed. As I've written many times, including in the newspaper that owns the Chicago Cubs, Sammy Sosa is the biggest phony I've encountered in any sport. Baseball's most popular player is Madison Avenue's most successful marketing fraud.

Finally the world has seen that its cartoon superhero -- sweet, cuddly Sammy -- has feet of cork.

If you think that's far too harsh, please understand that nothing poisons my pen like heroic hypocrites. While many fans, through the Great Home Run Race of 1998, were conned into seeing Sammy as this heart-tap-kissing, bunny-hopping buddy and rival of Mark McGwire's, the sly-eyed guy I often heard about or observed off-camera was a profane bully with highly questionable integrity.

There's some Martha Stewart in Sosa, and vice versa. Here is a great actor who can be a bad actor. I'll say it again: At least Barry Bonds is always exactly what he is.

Yet fans believed the Mark-and-Sammy fairy tale they badly wanted to believe. A mystified McGwire privately told St. Louis reporters he had no idea why Sosa kept telling the media they were close friends. McGwire knew Sosa only from conversations at first base and never played golf or socialized with him.

Does anyone remember that Sosa, as a member of the Chicago White Sox, was accused of spousal abuse? No. Does anyone remember that his family-operated Sosa Foundation set up to help rebuild his Dominican Republic after it was ravaged by storms in '98 collapsed under accusations of corruption? No.

Now maybe some of the wide-eyed Sosa worshipers will narrow their eyes with skepticism. Now maybe some of the companies whose products he pushes will rethink paying millions to Say It Ain't Sosa. No, he's no worse than a lot of wealthy superstars. But the corked bat he was caught using proves he isn't the baseball-saving role model so many fans were sold.

My educated guess: Sosa cheated, got caught and lied about it.

Yet fortunately for Sosa, his bat shattered in the bottom of the first inning, revealing the illegal cork and getting him ejected. He had the rest of the game 1) to remove other possible weapons of corked destruction from his clubhouse bat bin before baseball officials confiscated them for inspection; and 2) to rehearse his apology and excuse.

Not surprisingly, the league office announced no cork was found in the 76 bats examined. Sosa's no fool, and neither are baseball executives. He remains one of baseball's biggest draws.

Answering ``yes, sir'' and ``no, sir'' to TV reporters' questions, Sosa has begged forgiveness while claiming he accidentally picked up the one corked bat he uses only ``to make the fans happy'' by hitting tape-measure home runs in batting practice. That's only slightly less believable than former Alabama Coach Mike Price's story that he awoke in his hotel room bed with a woman he'd never seen before.

Some players prefer slightly heavier batting-practice bats so their regular lumber will feel lighter during games. But Sosa has struggled of late after being hit in the head with a pitch and missing some games with a toe problem. When he returned last weekend, he looked as overweight as his bat looked slow. He struck out eight times in two games.

So Tuesday night, with runners at second and third, it was probably no accident he reached for the hollowed-out bat he could swing a little faster. It's highly possible Sosa has occasionally tried to put a cork in a home-run slump.

Experiments have shown corked bats provide only an approximate 1 percent improvement in distance. That, however, could occasionally mean the difference in a ball hitting high in Wrigley's ivy instead of catching the home-run basket. Now you wonder how many of Sosa's 505 homers were cork-aided. Five? Ten?

For sure, a corked bat can provide a psychological edge for a slumping slugger.

And Slammin' Sammy has sometimes desperately looked for ways to live up to the image he created in '98. He returned in '99 sporting about 30 more pounds and announced: ``I am a slugger now.'' Is it much of a stretch to believe, if he resorts to corked bats, he might have used testosterone boosters to build his body? He has repeatedly denied using them, but Cubs insiders have long suspected he has.

But do most fans really care? No, most just want to be awed by home runs bouncing across streets and splashing in coves no matter what it took to produce them. I'm for outlawing performance-enhancing drugs to protect the players who don't want to risk using them but have no choice if they want to compete. But I'm for stiffer corked-bat penalties because it's time our national pastime stopped glamorizing cheating.

My fairy tale would be baseball sending a tape-measure message by suspending Sammy Sosa 20 games, instead of the usual seven or eight for getting caught swinging cork. But we'll sooner see world peace.

Nor will this incident damage Sosa's Hall of Fame chances. Spitball specialist Gaylord Perry was enshrined after seasons of being portrayed as colorfully crafty for illegally doctoring baseballs and avoiding detection. Then again, crusty old Gaylord wasn't sweet, cuddly Sammy.

Sosa's image has taken a fitting hit. This just in: Sosa no angel.

Do I think that Sammy honestly grabbed the wrong bat...yeah.

Do I think he's used a corked bat before in games - now I'm not so sure, but I may be inclined to say yes.

Who knows - but it does come at a bad time, what with Sammy just passing 500, and gaining a ton of support as a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he is done.

I've read a couple of other columns like the one Steeltrap posted about his "show" for the cameras...but I think you'll see a lot more of those type articles now that he has been exposed a little.

Fair? I'm not sure, but it will be interesting what some media types say about Sammy now.

it was an accident...

Fifty or sixty other bats tested OK. I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I was at the game when it happened and at the game it was not that huge of a deal ... of course we were in the middle of talking to the miller lite vendor when it happened... he was taken out and we later found out why. But as soon as we left the friendly confines it was all over television news and the papers in the a.m. I still have my tix stub - wonder if it ill be worth anything???

Only if you have a part of the bat to attach it to.

If only Baseballs classic greats were still around...

Where have you gone, Joe Dimaggio?
a nation turns it's lonely eyes to you... (ooo ooo ooo)

What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?
Joltin' Joe has left and gone away (hey hey hey, hey hey hey)

Athletes know their equipment I doubt it was an accident.

well too bad that this had to happen. Hopefully he can pull out of the whole funk he's in this season and come back from his suspension and get some quality numbers after his return.

I don't like the guy but like others have said, if 50 tested fine then it was probably an accident.

BTW! I, of all people, should know what a cork bat does exactly but I don't. I assume it allows baseballs to fly farther. Anyone know what year they outlawed using them during games and why?

umm . . . are you kidding?

Cheating is as old as the sport - from Cobb's sharpened spikes to Gaylord Perry's vaseline under the cap to (LEGAL!!!!) use of androstenedione and other supplements, it's a PART of baseball. When you get caught, you serve the time - some guys scuff balls, some guys cork bats, and sometimes guys get caught.

And, yes - this happened in the DiMaggio era, too, that's where the idea was originated, and why it was made illegal a little later.

As for the bats - some guys have 20 dozen bats shipped at a time. Why cork more than one at a time? If it breaks, you're dicked - so because 72 bats were clean, that doesn't absolve him.

Now, they did saw open the bat purportedly used for homer number 498, and it was clean - as were scans of the 5 bats from his run w/ McGwire in Cooperstown. That just means those homers weren't hit with corked bats - in 8000 at-bats, do you really think this was the first time he stepped to the plate with a corked bat, whether it be intentionally or unintentionally? I don't really know, but it does lower my image of Sammy Sosa in that he did something illegal, and will now have to sit his 7 to 10 days for it. He cheated, got caught, and that's what happens.

Now - I COMPLETELY agree with those who question the need for corking a bat. Actual scientific studies have shown that corking a bat adds exactly zero distance to batted balls, under lab conditions - any increase is placebo effect or the like. It's moronic for him to have put himself in that position, even if it was "for the fans", because it's simply not something that works, period.

Also - why isn't anyone mad that Sosa uses BP as an "exhibition for the fans"? It's PRACTICE - shouldn't the essence of competition be based in practice? Shouldn't all the people who jumped AI's back about that stuff be on Sosa too? It reeks of a double standard to my mind.

That actually brings up an interesting point. BP pitches are gimmies. There’s no reason for a corked bat to put on a “show” when you’re warming up not avoiding a strike out.

I am a Sammy fan, and he did make a mistake.

But, this happened/suspension comes at a very bad time (IMO, the WORST this season) for Cubbie fans. Cubbie fans know that the NY Yankees are coming to town this weekend, and this is the first match-up since DiMaggio and Gehrig played in '38. :(

Sunshine Sammy got eight games, and he's appealing it. So the Dominican Daddy will play against Roger Clemens, pretty-boy Derek Jeter, fat David Wells & Co.

hmm....
 

I was happy to read that in the Trib today, but I would much rather talk/hear about this much-anticipated series than the Sammy situation on SC, in the Trib/Sun-Times, you know? It should have been a week to talk about the series than this unfortunate incident. Oh well. :(

The scientist that concluded that corking doesn't add distance is a moron. Corking does add distance. Why do you think Sosa was using the corked bat in the first place? Sosa essentually said it adds distance, when he admitted to using a corked bat to impress the fans at batting practice. Corking lightens the bat which allows the batter to generate greater bat speed which results in more distance. The cork itself does not increase the distance but the increased bat speed does increase the distance.

Me too, plus he made a good argument that pro golfers use non regulation clubs for driving exhibitions because that is part of crowd entertainment, and people come to see him hit balls, so that is why he had ONE out of 68 bats that was not regulation. Also, I don't think he grabbed the bat. It was probably a bat boy who saw him use the bat earlier (to show off for fans) and gave it to him.

He received an 8 game suspension and is appealing it. I think he made a mistake and the media is making a big stink about it.

:rolleyes: http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/eek4.gif http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/nut.gif

[QUOTE]Originally posted by CatStarESP4
[B]He received an 8 game suspension and is appealing it. I think he made a mistake and the media is making a big stink about it.
QUOTE]

The Enron Execs made a mistake, so did Martha Stewart, Richard Nixon, etc. What they all did was illegal, but they were held accountable for it. Why not hold Sosa accountable? Is it because he is Sunshine Sammy?? Everyone needs to be heald accountable, no matter who they are or what they do. Say you work at a firm and you take home a stapler's worth of staples, or maybe a stack of paper. It's illegal wrong and you get caught you're punished. Sammy is no different, he did something that is illegal in his profession and got caught, he should be penalized and the media should make a stink, if they don't make a stink over him then why did they over Nixon, Enron, Martha, etc?

Yeah I agree with PSK...how many people get the chance to say, "Sorry I made a mistake...don't hold it against me."? Not a lot. Most NORMAL people are held accountable for their mistakes. Mistake or not if you break the rules then you have to expect to be punished for it. Otherwise people could say that rules can be broken and bended to suit certain people. And where would be the fairness in that?

You were actually one of the 3,000 or so people to go to the game each night???

I tell you this - if they tear down Rosenblatt, I will be super super mad.

(and that corked bat is hilarious...what timing!)

Edit - just saw the bat on the news...in honor of sammy sosa they did it :) - how hilarious!!!

Sammy Sosa made a mistake and is being punished for it. The had a poll on he news. it was pretty even. About one third thinks the punishment is too severe, on third think it is too lenient, and one third think that it is just right.

The same day that it happened, ESPN did it's "Did You Know?" about corked bats. They said that a corked bat adds about 1.1 mph to the bat swing, which is a 1% increase. Based on those numbers, if a person would hit a homerun 400 ft with a non-corked bat, he would only hit it 404 ft with the corked bat. The corks do add distance, but not too much that it makes a very noticeable distance (unless you hit a ball only 318 ft with a corked bat ;))!

I don't buy that.

1. I heard a number of ex players interviewed after the Sosa incident and they all said the ball jumps off of a corked bat.

2. Sosa's own comments don't even support the conclusion of of a 1% increase. He said that he uses the corked bat in BP to impress the fans. Who is going to be impressed with a 404' homer vs 400'. That is such a small increase, a fan couldn't even see it by eye.

For the most part, I agree. On the other hand, in a game, if the wall is 401 ft. away, the corked bat could win or lose it.

Same in batting practive, there's something more exciting about at 401 ft. homer than a 399 ft. "almost."

I'm still willing to give the benefit of the doubt on this, though.

Although dumb, it could happen.

I definitely want to believe that it was an accident, but it's hard. It makes you question all his past accomplishments... It's really too bad.

Every article I've seen has mentioned the 1% figure when mentioning the difference between corked and non-corked bats. I'd be willing to bet that most, if not all, of the difference is psychological.

Out of curiosity, if the improvement is that small, why outlaw corked bats at all? Why not just allow players to use corked bats? This would eliminate the "illegal advantage" that some players would have over others if they were secretly using corked bats, and apparently it wouldn't change the number of home runs enough that they would have to change the dimensions of the parks.

There have been a few baseball commentators who said the suspension should be reduced for "all Sosa has done for the game" (Dave Campbell on ESPN, and a couple more on local stations).

That is garbage - the guy cheated, got caught, now he has to pay for it. I don't buy the "only in practice" thing - if he wants to put on a show for the fans who show up to batting practice, wouldn't he also want to put one on for the rest of the crowd that shows up for the game.

He screwed up - yes, andro and steroids are just as much cheating, and the players who do that should be disciplined; but Sosa should be too.

You do the crime, you do the time.

I was thinking the same thing...Maybe it was just an honest mistake.