The Return of Sammy Sosa

At the Cubs vs. Rangers game at Sloan Park on Sunday, I casually mentioned to our control room crew that we might see Sammy Sosa at some point this spring. After all, he was back in the fold—he’d attended Cubs Convention in January, and a Mesa appearance seemed possible.

Fast forward to yesterday, during the Cubs vs. D-backs game. Scanning the Cubs dugout through my binoculars, I spotted a familiar figure. A quick check of my phone confirmed it: Sammy Sosa was in the house. The legend. The pariah. Call him what you will. And just like that, an old chapter of Cubs history cracked open again.

Yes, there’s still lingering animosity toward Sosa from some fans, mostly over allegations of steroid use that inflated his home run totals. His recent “confession”—if you can call it that—left plenty to be desired. But at some point, we have to move forward. This isn’t about debating his Hall of Fame worthiness. It’s about acknowledging a player who was, for better or worse, an integral part of the Cubs’ story.

I was interviewed last week by Crawly from Crawly’s Clubhouse and asked about this very topic. I didn’t hold back. Let’s be real—if you’re one of those people who insists, “I would have never used steroids,” are you sure? If your job, your career, your family’s financial security were at risk, and you knew others were doing it to get ahead, would you have made the same choice? It’s easy to judge from a distance.

And if your grudge is more about Sosa quitting on his team the final game of 2004, or what kind of a teammate he was, fine, I get that. But if it’s purely about steroids, let’s talk about Babe Ruth and others of Ruth’s era. Do we discredit their numbers because they never faced the best talent due to MLB’s color barrier? Were their stats inflated because they played in a segregated league? History is messy, and context matters.

For years, I’ve believed the Cubs should bring Sosa back into the family. I even made a mini-documentary in 2020 called Long Gone Sammy about his legacy. Time heals, and it’s time to embrace our past—flaws and all. Hopefully, Sosa has grown too.

But one thing I can tell you for sure: back in the day, there was nothing like the roar of the crowd, even in spring training when Sosa stepped to the plate. That magic? That feeling? It’s worth remembering!

Kevin Alcantara and Sammy Sosa at Sloan Park. Mesa, AZ. 02-25-2025.Angel Cepeda and Sammy Sosa at Sloan Park. Mesa, AZ. 02-25-2025.Sammy Sosa speaks with Seiya Suzuki in the dugout of a spring training game at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ. 02-25-2025.Seiya Suzuki and Sammy Sosa shake hands in the dugout during a spring training game at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ. 02-25-2025.Sammy Sosa speaks with Michael Busch in the dugout during a spring training game at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ. 02-25-2025.