Plain and simple, Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa, broke the rules of Major 
League Baseball when he used a corked bat in yesterday's game against 
TB. He will more than likely be suspended for about 10 games, and will 
deservedly face the consequences. He made a mistake and will be 
punished by the game. 

Sosa gave an excuse, saying that he picked up the bat by mistake, 
and I honestly do not buy his explanation of accidently using a designated 
batting practice bat during a game. Batting practice bats are not mixed in 
with the bats that players use during games, but are instead separated by 
the equipment managers of each team. Coming off of a slump, Sosa 
probably used the corked bat in some sort of desperate attempt to get 
himself mentally back into the groove of things. Baseball players are very 
superstitious and will try anything to get themselves out of long, dire 
slumps, including braking the rules of Major League Baseball. 

Many feel that Sosa will forever be linked to this inccident and thought 
of as a cheater, yet I tend to disagree. Will his image forever be 
tarnished??First and foremost, what is his 
image? Dominican-born Sosa is the Latin 
Home Run King. A corked bat does not help 
one hit a ball farther, but increases bat 
speed. If Marvin Benard, May 2003 
Nica of the Month, used a corked bat for 
the rest of the year, his numbers more than 
likely would not be that much better than his 
current .211 avg. A corked bat, gives a hitter 
a lighter feeling bat, making a 35 inch, 33 oz. 
bat, feel like a 32 oz. stick. Not really a big 
difference, and very advantageous, if at all, 
for a player like Sosa, a slugger, not one that 
hits for average, to be using in the first place. 


As mentioned, Sosa made a mistake and the league will punish him for 
his action. This incident, however, does not garner a player to have a dark 
cloud hang over him for the rest of his career. It's not like Sosa was 
betting against his own team, attempting to fix games, or sending a 
pitcher to the hospital that hit him in the head with a pitch.  All Sosa did 
was use a bat, out of insecurity, that had some traces of cork in it which 
made the bat 1 oz. lighter, a more than common practice in the Major 
Leagues. Cork or uncorked, Sosa has as much power as any player in        
the game. To err is human, and Sosa still is and always will be Slammin        
Sammy the pride of the Dominican Republic and Chicago.        

Link: Raf Plays Devil's Advocate

- June 4, 2003

| Home | Contact Us |