Once Sammy Sosa was caught using a corked bat, there was one big question: Was he cheating when he hit any of those 505 home runs?
Cork inside a wooden bat is thought to help players hit the ball farther and is against baseball rules. Several players have been caught using altered bats in the past, including Albert Belle, Wilton Guerrero, Chris Sabo, Billy Hatcher and Graig Nettles. All were suspended.
Sosa has the most 60-homer seasons (three) in major league history, hitting 66 in 1998, 63 in 1999 and 64 in 2001.
All it takes is one broken bat to get caught. Why do baseball players risk tarnishing themselves?
"I use that bat for batting practice,'' Sosa said. "It's something that I take the blame for. It's a mistake, I know that. I feel sorry. I just apologize to everybody that are embarrassed.''
What nonsense. Have you ever seen a bat fly into the stands when a player loses his grip? The team usually trades the fan another bat for the lost one. And if the bat wasn't damaged in the tossing, the player will use it again on the very next pitch. Why? Baseball players know their bats like their children, and they have a feel for certain bats.
Many players travel to Louisville to pick out their own bats. Some players use certain bats in certain situations. Many players will send bats back to Louisville Slugger if something doesn't feel right. Now, I don't know why Sosa or anyone would want an illegal bat for practice, when the point of practice is to simulate a game situation. But if that was all he was using the bat for, it would have been marked with something visible on the outside and he never would have made the mistake.
Security workers were seen carting off two boxes of Sosa's bats in the ninth inning, as well as a bat bag.
Cork inside a wooden bat is thought to help players hit the ball farther and is against baseball rules. Several players have been caught using altered bats in the past, including Albert Belle, Wilton Guerrero, Chris Sabo, Billy Hatcher and Graig Nettles. All were suspended.
If I were commissioner, I would make Sammy buy an X-Ray machine for the clubhouse. For the rest of Sammy's career, a league official could x-ray his bats before the game. If Sammy's production didn't decline, he would regain his reputation, but if his production numbers dropped significantly, he'd be in question. It would give us an objective way to judge Sammy's career.
It's funny that Sosa will be suspended a week for cheating, but Rose is banished for betting on his team to win. How does Rose giving himself more incentive to win hurt baseball more than an icon who cheats his way through the record book?
UPDATE: Some Good News for Sammy!
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