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<!--quoteo(post=42092:date=Jun 4 2009, 01:59 PM:name=veryzer)-->QUOTE (veryzer @ Jun 4 2009, 01:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=42084:date=Jun 4 2009, 01:42 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Jun 4 2009, 01:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I like Maddux and all, but I don't even think of him as a Cub. He's a Brave.
We let a huge opportunity walk away and when I think of Maddux, all I can think of is bitter regret.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
yeah, fuck maddux too.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]
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<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->But first baseman Derrek Lee believes the Cubs organization should pay tribute to Sosa with a day in his honor after the retirement becomes official, as it did with Greg Maddux.
"I think he carried this franchise a long time," Lee said. "I think it would be fitting. Obviously he has had the [steroid] allegations against him, but nothing has been proven. I think you have to do something for him. "The guy was the franchise for a long time, put up Hall of Fame numbers, and put fans in the seats."
The Cubs have no current plans to honor Sosa. He left on a bad note after the 2004 season and was traded to Baltimore for Mike Fontenot and Jerry Hairston in 2005. Former Cubs President John McDonough ended the cold war between Sosa and the Cubs during spring training of '07, but Sosa went back to being an invisible man upon McDonough's exit, and he has had no recent contact with anyone in the organization. He didn't play last season.
Lee believes Sosa will be brought back to Wrigley to be honored, though he's not sure if it will occur while he's still around.
Should Sosa be elected to the Hall of Fame in spite of the suspicions?
"His numbers [say so]," Lee said. "Nothing has been proven. I don't think you can keep him out just on the assumption. I guess you have the corked bat stuff [from 2003], but that's all you have that's proven against him. I think if you look at the numbers, he's easily a Hall of Famer."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
From the Trib.
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it's funny/sad to me that the cubs built the monster, got everything from the monster that they could possibly get, and then kicked the monster to the curb when they had no more use for him. he left early at the end of another lost season, in a meaningless game, and they crucified him for it. the cubs are hypocrits.
Wang.
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<!--quoteo(post=42292:date=Jun 5 2009, 12:41 PM:name=veryzer)-->QUOTE (veryzer @ Jun 5 2009, 12:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->it's funny/sad to me that the cubs built the monster, got everything from the monster that they could possibly get, and then kicked the monster to the curb when they had no more use for him. he left early at the end of another lost season, in a meaningless game, and they crucified him for it. the cubs are hypocrits.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I had never seen an organization turn on its biggest star like that so quickly. Maybe the Manny or Frank Thomas situations were the most comparable, but still makes you scratch your head. All that talk about releasing the video of Sammy leaving that final game, and all the other stuff about smashing boomboxes, etc were pretty odd. I mean, I was really pissed at him and still am, but can't help but wonder if Dusty was behind the smear campaign. He seemed to try to run every person he didn't get along with (Sammy, Stoney, Grudz, etc) out of town, and kept all the slobbering yes men around for the 2005-06 seasons.
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Honestly. Who gives a flying fuck that he left a day early? In the grand scheme of things, who really gives a fuck? Sosa was totally vilified by the Tribune -- and it was completely planned. And Cubs fans, much to my dismay, bought the entire thing hook, line, and sinker. The vast majority of Cubs fans who loved Sammy, now despise him more than any other ballplayer. It really is sad.
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In retrospect, I pretty much agree. At the time though, fans (myself included) were pissed as hell and were looking for someone or something on which to blame our failures. I still think Dusty and McPhail engineered the entire fiasco, and Sammy made for an easy target.
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I think eventually the Cubs will honor and recognize Sosa, but I think they will probably wait several years to make double sure no evidence or scandal ever comes out involving him and steroids. Either that or when he gets elected to the hall (if that happens).
I was never really pissed at Sosa, but I was happy we cut ties when we did, I think he had become a distraction and it was time to move on. Its just too bad we waited 2 more extra years to fire Dusty and do something about turning the organization around.
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RF has been an absolute black hole ever since the Sammy fiasco, starting with Jeromy fucking Burnitz.
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<!--quoteo(post=42316:date=Jun 5 2009, 02:26 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Jun 5 2009, 02:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->RF has been an absolute black hole ever since the Sammy fiasco, starting with Jeromy fucking Burnitz.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
And sadly he was our steadiest performer there since Sammy's departure, albeit for only one season. Pretty incredible how much refuse we've stationed out there in 4+ years.
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<!--quoteo(post=42303:date=Jun 5 2009, 02:52 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Jun 5 2009, 02:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Honestly. Who gives a flying fuck that he left a day early? In the grand scheme of things, who really gives a fuck? Sosa was totally vilified by the Tribune -- and it was completely planned. And Cubs fans, much to my dismay, bought the entire thing hook, line, and sinker. The vast majority of Cubs fans who loved Sammy, now despise him more than any other ballplayer. It really is sad.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Excellent post. Sammy was never the brightest bulb--he got pilloried by the Tribune P.R. machine in the end.
I'm 100% fine with this. I'm just glad there's an actual plan in place that isn't, "Let's load up on retreads and hope we get lucky." I'm a little tired of that plan.
Butcher
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We should sign him and let him retire a cub...or play RF for us while Bradley nurses his torn labia.
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Thanks to the Tribune, Sosa's on-field performance, Sosa's persona and antics, Sosa was the face of the Cubs for almost a decade.
Then Tribune finally figured out that they had to destroy the Sosa beast in order to rebuild.
Unfortunately, no one at the Tribune/Cubs management figured out that you don't want to trash a player before you finalize a trade for him.
Remember how Jerry Hairston Jr., Mike Fontenot (AAA), Dave Crouthers (AA) + paying Sosa's salary ($16 MM) was presented as decent a trade value
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There are so many things that I want to say about Sosa but I am tired of it and him. I hope he rides off never to be heard from again. So glad he had to "announce" his retirement [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img] Oh he also said in his retirement his favorite season was his last season with the Rangers. Fuck him. So I guess making the 98 playoffs and the playoff run of 03 meant little to him huh? Anyway I can not let myself get started on this again. Fuck Sosa.
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love me some sammy. i like the idea of bringing him back to retire. won't happen, but i like it.
Wang.
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<!--quoteo(post=42367:date=Jun 5 2009, 10:34 PM:name=veryzer)-->QUOTE (veryzer @ Jun 5 2009, 10:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->love me some sammy. i like the idea of bringing him back to retire. won't happen, but i like it.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Amen, Tom. I love you for your Sammy love. He loved to play about as much as Ernie did, and that's saying something.
I'm 100% fine with this. I'm just glad there's an actual plan in place that isn't, "Let's load up on retreads and hope we get lucky." I'm a little tired of that plan.
Butcher
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