Sammy's still The Show

Seasons removed from the Home Run Chase of '98, Sosa moves crowds and opponents, but Rays are not fazed.

[Getty Images] In 2004, his final year with the Cubs, Sammy Sosa's production fell to 35 home runs and 80 RBIs. Tonight, he makes his first appearance at Tropicana Field.

ST. PETERSBURG - The ball sits among the most cherished memorabilia in his father's house in Marlboro, N.Y., adorned with all the historic details.

Rob Bell, though, doesn't need much prompting to recall the specifics. He remembers the weather, the scene, the situation.

And, most of all, the outcome.

Bell's April 2000 major-league debut for the Reds came with a memorable sidelight, and highlight: The first big-league batter he struck out was the mighty Sammy Sosa.

"It was first and third and I struck him out swinging," Bell said. "Then the next at-bat I faced him with the bases loaded and two outs and I got him looking.

"It was awesome. ... I don't think my feet hit the ground when I came off the mound. I levitated off the field."

Sosa can have that effect on people, even when making an out. When he makes contact, he can be a one-man highlight show, a player who for years has been one of the game's larger-than-life personalities and marquee attractions.

His 574 home runs rank seventh all-time. He is the only player in major-league history to have three 60-plus homer seasons. And he has hit more homers over the past 10 years (479) than anyone.

But as Sosa, 36, makes his first career Tropicana Field appearance tonight, his legacy has changed a bit.

He is an Oriole now, his once-glorious 13-year reign in Chicago having ended under bitter terms.

He is something of a question mark after a significant 2004 dropoff in production, his 35 homers and 80 RBIs his fewest since the strike-shortened 1994 season.

And he is somewhat less an icon, his place among the game's greats perhaps eroded by the embarrassment of getting caught using a corked bat against the Rays two years ago and persistent suspicions of steroid use.

That doesn't mean, however, that the Rays won't recognize him.

"Sammy is Sammy, and he still is," shortstop Julio Lugo said. "People are going to speculate, and things come out about players. People try to kill your image. That's sad. He's been through a lot of stuff, the corked bat and steroid accusations, but you can't take away all the work he has put in. You can't take that away."

"Regardless of all the rumors and suspicions, he's done what he's done," veteran outfielder Chris Singleton said. "No one really knows, so all you can do is say, "Hey, this guy stepped in the box and hit 66 home runs (in 1998).' And he did it in a market where he had high visibility, so that makes him more dynamic in people's eyes. So many people see him because of all the exposure (the Cubs) have with WGN.

"You add that exposure to a very, very good player and he becomes a draw that people want to come out and see - the Sammy Show."

The last - and only - time the Rays saw Sosa featured one of the low points of his career: the June 3, 2003, game when his bat shattered during a first-inning at-bat against Jeremi Gonzalez and umpires found a half-dollar-sized piece of cork.

Sosa said he accidentally grabbed a batting practice bat, apologized and eventually served a seven-game suspension, but the damage to his reputation was done.

"I'm sure it's not a highlight of his career being caught with that bat," said Rays third baseman Alex Gonzalez, who played 21/2 seasons with Sosa in Chicago. "But it happened, he took responsibility for it and moved on."

The current Rays pitchers have limited experience with Sosa. Of the three scheduled starters, only Bell has faced him. Among relievers, Lance Carter and Trever Miller have had minimal exposure.

The key to success against Sosa, as with most power hitters, is keeping the ball away so he can't get a good swing. Gonzalez, if asked, can offer some advice from watching Sosa up close. Expect the Rays to try to take advantage of his aggressiveness, which may be exacerbated by his slow start - a .200 average through six games and no homers.

"He's very pitchable," Miller said. "He will chase balls out of the strike zone for you. You've just got to stay within yourself and not pitch to his name or his stats. Attack him with your strengths. ... I know with the game on the line he gets a little more jumpy. With runners in scoring position he gets a little more anxious really trying to get them in, so he's a little more vulnerable at that point in the game."

The one thing the Rays say they won't do is get caught up in who he is, or focus too much on him at the exclusion of the other sluggers in Baltimore's potent lineup.

"There's no awe here," Miller said.

"Our guys pitch against all kinds of Sammy Sosas in our league," pitching coach Chuck Hernandez said. "The Yankees have about six of them, don't they?"

Even if the Rays pitchers are successful, Sosa's batting practice sessions could be quite eventful, especially if he takes aim at the new videoboard affixed to the front of the Beach above leftfield.

"For fans who come to see BP, I'm sure he's going to give them a good show," Gonzalez said. "If there is anyone who has a chance of hitting the scoreboard, it's him. He can hit them pretty far."