With his insistence that he only uses the corked bat for batting practice, Sosa has become the first person to rival Bill Clinton’s “I didn’t inhale” quote in terms of utter stupidity.
And let us guess, Sammy - you built those arms with JUST lots of curls and wheaties, right?
But of course, Cress.
You’re not implying that guys who add 40 pounds to their frames in 2-3 seasons require them there “roids,” are ya’?
The audacity of some people.
You just have to wonder now, what will happen to Sammy’s numbers? Either his bat will be clean and they’ll drop or he’ll have totally lost his mental edge and they’ll go down no matter what type of bat he uses.
I just hope he, or someone in the dugout, was smart enough to get rid of the other bats. If not he will forever be a tainted player, called a liar and a cheat. He ain’t the first and won’t be the last but he might have the most to loose.
corked and loving it,
j.
I think that even if the league discovers that all his confiscated bats were corked they won’t release that information.
Stuff like this is hurting more then just one player, its killing an already fragile league.
Things started to go downhill with him when he reacted the way he did after the “juice” question and urinalysis refusal.
But will he still go to the hall of fame?
I say yes…
Look at George Brett and Ty Cobb… Those guys were busted cheaters and still ended up in the hall.
Brad
The tools of the trade.
I’ve heard that Sammy’s favorite grip training exercise is the needle-to-ass plunge.
While you guys are right that Sammy juices. BTW, if you remember in '98 Sammy had a mole on his face and now it is gone. The reason is when he was juicing the mole would get bigger, that is how teammates knew when he was ON.
Let me ask you this…if you are a guy in ‘AAA’ and they tell you that the only way you’ll get to the big leagues is if you develop more power, would you take the steps that he has taken? I know if I could go back in time to my minor league days I would. Its the difference between sitting in an office and making $15 million per. Most organizations, I’ve come to believe, actually like the fact that their players are willing to make these sacrifices to make themselves better. They see it as a players committment to the organization. It is pretty perverse way of conducting business.
But keep in mind that these guys don’t need that as the ballparks have been shrunk and the balls have been juiced to aid the offensive levels of the game.
But as far as cheating with a corked bat during the game, I find that to be reprehensible act that dimishes the integrity of the game and the integrity of great ballplayer.
Cork doesn’t do shit anyways… theres no denying his power. That guy crushes balls with or without a rigged bat.
He’ll be back.
Im sorry but i disagree about the use of steroids. Why are all of you condemning him for it anyway? This is Testosterone, not Men’s Workout. All of these guys who have been accused of using steroids need their money back because they none of them got that big. We are talking about very elite athletes who for the most part never really lifted or did anything until recently. Sammy was from the Dominican Republic. How many gyms do you think they have over there? When these very elite athletes start getting first rate nutrition, training, and supplementation, outrageous gains are not only likely but expected. The only person i might would look at for steroids is McGwire because he was huge. but bonds, sosa, and some of the others, although large are not steroid large considering all they have to work with. The finger should probably be pointed at expansion which really waters down the pitching. think about it. Pitchers are starters now who wouldnt even be in the majors if the diamondbacks, marlins, rockies, and devil rays were not in existance. this could probably explain the expansion of homers.
I believe the cork is put in to make the bat lighter and improve swing speed, which enhances power.
Why then, would you have a lighter bat for BP?
Ryno,
I hear ya my man! Regardless of a corked bat or not…Sammy still has to “connect” with the ball which is hard as hell to do at the professional level. You trying to tell me those 450 foot shots he hits wouldn’t be homeruns without a corked bat? Corked bat or not…he still mashes the ball. And I highly doubt ALL of his bats are corked. I think we can all ascertain that in his 10+ year major league career, Sosa has broken more than one bat, were all of them corked?? I dont know whether or not it was a mistake on his part or not. Maybe it was, maybe it wasnt. When the bat broke, he didnt act as if the bat was corked. If I were him and I knew the bat I was using was corked, I would ran to 1st with the bat in my hand and not let go of it like he did. However, you would think that he would notice that the bat he was using felt a little heavier than usual. Oh well…regardless, he IS a hall of famer. He admitted to his mistake, he didnt run from the media…he faced it like a man, so I have to give him credit for that. As for the steroid issue…well, that is another story…;o)
Come on no dont tell me you really thought that when Big Mac and Sosa were chasing the record that year that everything was clean??
Nobody was even watching baseball before that year…
I’m sure those balls have been doctored up since then, the official major league ball remains a secret and I’m not knocking those guys power all of them have tremendous hitting power
and oh yea McGwire was JUST on andro? Riiiiiiiight. Take a look at McGwire when he used to play for the A’s. He was 6’ 5" 190. Before he called it quits he was up to 265-270. Uh huh, just andro…
The entire MLB is pretty much on steroids, isn’t that why they dont require drug testing?
Gear is more prevelant in baseball than anybody is willing to admit. When my brother was about to be drafted out of college he wasn’t sure if he was going to go as a pitcher or first baseman and knew that to compete at first base, he was going to have to juice.
It’s not a matter of AAA to the major leagues it is all over the minor leagues. There are all kinds of stories about cars full of prospects from the Arizona Fall League (wooden bat for pro prosepcts) heading to Mexico to get their gear.
I could care less if those guys are using gear. All I care about is if they entertain me. I want to see bombs flying over those walls… if steroids are going to help them… sheit, more power to 'em.
But the cork takes something like 2 ounces out of the bat… and improves swing speed by what? about 1%… so his 420 foot dingers without cork go 424 with it…
I think it’s stupid that he corked it, but I don’t think any less of him.
Greekdawg-So nobody has ever gained 50 lbs of lean mass over a lifting career when they probably got the best of everything? Steroid use is probably prevelant just like it is in every other sport but talking about it like using steroid caused bonds, mcgwire and sosa to hit all those homeruns is rediculous. I can guarantee that most people on this forum who have used steroids, have used more than they have. THEY ARENT THAT BIG! What does Sosa weigh? 220-230. I was 220 with 8% bf last summer with no steroids and a lot less opportunity to train than him (hes ten years older than me). And judging from his speed and power with the bat he has more to work with than i do. Why do most of you talk about these guys like you are living in some ivory tower?
And now they are saying on ESPN that corking the bat doesnt even help any? They had a physicist from Yale that said the only reason it may help is that it makes the bat lighter and that the cork doesnt react fast enough to cause any impact on the ball.
Goldberg, I think a lot of people have a problem with players using, but not admitting to it. The only problem with that is that if I, or most of us, were in the “users’” shoes, then we wouldn’t be saying a word either.
Goldberg I think the argument they’re presenting on ESPN is faulty. More bat speed=more power(For most hitters). Also without the increased bat speed, he probably wouldn’t have had as many homeruns. While it seems silly even 1% change in weight can alter the contact point, and swing in Baseball.
Renegadedragon-Is it not true that force=massxacceleration? If you take away from the mass and increase the acceleration, have you have really improved upon anything?
Goldberg, the fact that these guys aren’t that big doesn’t mean they aren’t on the “shit”. Look at the recovery factor that steroids give somebody. Do you think half of these guys would maintain their size with their hectic travel schedule if they weren’t using something? Add in the fact that gear will give a lot of warning track hitters a little extra power to get the ball over the fence, it’s pretty obvious drug use is rampant in ALL pro sports. Did anybody hear Barry Bonds’ response to the drug issue? He sounded like an idiot. I suppose he thought if he confronted the media about it, he would appear innocent.