Far too good to be a Cub

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By GARY SHELTON

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 12, 2000

ATLANTA- On the other side of the stands, on the other side of the cameras, on the other side of the batting cage, Sammy Sosa kept swinging. And the ball kept flying toward the other side of the moon.

It was moments before the beginning of the All-Star Game, and once again, Sammy Sosa had claimed the night. He stood in the batting cage and most of the activity around him stopped. Players turned into fans. Fans turned into cheerleaders. Baseballs turned into satellites.

Sosa swung, and the ball disappeared into the distance. "Marietta," you thought of the destination.

He swung again. "Chattanooga," you thought.

He swung again. "Saturn," you thought.

And so it goes. Swing after swing, ball after ball. Sosa took over the joint until it was his night, his park, his event. He laughed, and fans cheered, and players grinned. He's popular. He's powerful. He makes you feel good. And all at once it occurred to you.

This is why the Chicago Cubs wanted to trade him.

Because he didn't fit in.

The closer you get to some riddles, the harder the solution is to find. Watch Sosa at the All-Star Game, soak in that contagious glow of his, wonder at the pop in his bat, and how can you help but love the guy? Better yet, how can the Cubs? Even now, when the dust has settled -- at least temporarily -- in the Sosa trade talk, it seems hard to believe how ugly, how unseemly all the discussions became between an icon and an eyesore.

How does this happen? How does a team luck into a star such as Sosa and then seem not only willing but eager to ship him out the door? This is nuts. Most places, they would block the interstates with government cars to keep Sosa from leaving. Most places, they would declare Sosa a national monument. If he left, it would be with the general manager clinging furiously to his leg and the fans in mourning.

Not in Chicago, and not with Sosa. It is as if Sosa went to bed one night with everyone talking about his 66 and 63 home runs the past two years and when he woke up, he was Trent Dilfer.

Can you imagine this happening with Mark McGwire? Ken Griffey? Cal Ripken? Can you imagine such a player seeing his accomplishments diminish and shortcomings grow in the eyes of his team?

Is this about baseball or business? Is it about a team concerned about what Sosa would want in a new contract or a team weary of the old results? Either way, things should never have gone this far, no matter how silly the Cubs might think Sosa's agent has been, no matter what the Cubs' record has been. Should the Cubs have listened to offers? Of course. Look at their record. But should they have acted quite so gleefully at the prospect of Sosa in a different uniform? Of course not.

Oh, it started simply enough, with new Cubs manager Don Baylor talking about the ways Sosa could improve as an all-around player. Instead of nodding his agreement -- let's face it, who can't be better? -- Sosa bristled. Fault him for that.

But instead of letting things calm down, the Cubs suddenly seemed to turn Sosa into the big deal of the day. If they had shopped him any harder, he would have been on eBay. Then the whispering campaign began. The Cubs, fearful of the public relations hit they might take with such a trade, began to let slip the things Sosa didn't do. He wasn't that great in the field. Or in the clubhouse. He didn't do the little things. All of which ended up backfiring, of course, when they went to the Yankees and asked for the world. Sosa did only one thing. Right. And all the Beatles did was play music.

The truth of it is this: Sosa does have shortcomings. For that matter, McGwire isn't going to hit behind the runner, either. Ripken doesn't steal bases anymore. Shakespeare was a lousy singer at parties.

But if Sosa does only one thing well, it should be pointed out that it's the most mesmerizing thing in the game, the home run. And because of it, the fans love him. And Sosa loves them back. Besides, think of it this way: If you were doing a scouting report on the Cubs, would you start with the problems in rightfield?

For now, the farther Sosa is from Wrigley, the more he seems to be loved. Take Monday night, when he made the fans at Turner Field fall in love with him with his performance in the Home Run Derby. It was something awesome to behold sitting in leftfield as the balls he hit rained down. Fans chanted his name. They did the "we're not worthy" salute. They did everything but storm Ted Turner's box and demand the Braves trade for Sosa on the spot.

This is what Sosa does. More than any player in the game, he reflects the fans' glow back at them. Can you imagine him in Texas? In Baltimore? In Boston? I bet the fans in Texas, Baltimore and Boston can.

Maybe the Cubs should pay attention. Maybe they should realize what they have. Maybe they should hold on for dear life.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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