The Chicago Cubs have repaired their relationship with estranged star Sammy Sosa. All it took was an admission of guilt, though Sosa didn't make it all that clear what he was apologizing for – a common theme among alleged users of performance-enhancing drugs.
Sosa's post-playing career has taken a few strange turns, but it has finally led him back to the north side of Chicago, which is where he belongs. Sosa hit over 600 career home runs, including a memorable 1998 season, when he and Mark McGwire battled for both the season home run title and the single-season home run record. Sosa finished that campaign with 66 home runs, and revived the sport wiht McGwire in the process.
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Those were the good old days, before we knew exactly what those players were up to off the field, and how they were flipping competitive balance on its head. Sosa has not admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs like some other star players of that era. However, he also hasn't been welcomed back into the sport with open arms, like Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez. Finally, Sosa caved, albeit in his own way.
"There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games. I never broke any laws but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize," Sosa's statement read. Here is the text in its entirety.
I, unlike the Baseball Hall-of-Fame voters who left him out of Cooperstown to this day, do not blame Sosa for giving in to performance-enhancing drugs. He is not alone, and surely some of those culprits will never be caught. It was a different time, and sports has always been about gaining an edge, even if by illegal means.
My problem with Sosa's statement is that he still doesn't get it. Sosa took the easy way out, again, by refusing to admit exactly, word for word, what he did wrong. An apology is a start, but Sosa is essentially apologizing for (insert drug here), and even went as far as to say he did nothing illegal.
Pro athletes struggle to check their egos at the door. Sosa is no exception, but one would hope after decades of being barred from the game he loves, he might have learned a thing or two about honestly.
