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| Wednesday, June 14 | |||||
| Trade Sammy? Say it ain't Sosa | |||||
| CHICAGO -- As impressive as one of his 500-foot homers, the
Sammy Sosa trade rumors have brought a new buzz to Wrigley Field at
a time when the Chicago Cubs are in the midst of their usual
midseason vanishing act.
Trade Sammy? Say it ain't Sosa.
A media horde has been following Sosa since trade talk
intensified and the possibility of a deal involving the Cubs'
marquee player is the talk of the town. A midweek game against the
New York Mets seemed in many ways a sideshow to the big news
developing.
For many fans at Wrigley on Wednesday, the once-unthinkable now
seemed almost inevitable.
"Sosa souvenirs! Get 'em while they're hot!" barked vendor
Alex Powlak, hawking caps, pennants and miniature bats at a stand
outside the ballpark. "They may not be hot for long!"
About 800 people sent e-mails to the Cubs' Web site last weekend
when trade talk burst into full bloom -- most in favor of keeping
Sammy, a spokeswoman said.
Coming after Michael Jordan's retirement and departure to
Washington to run the Wizards, for many this is just too much.
"Trade him? No way," said Joel Buege, 31, an information
technology specialist who was sipping a pregame beer at Murphy's
bar beyond center field.
"I don't care if he's batting .002 -- he brings people into the
ballpark, into the city. He's good for tourism. I come out to see a
winning team but I also want to see Sammy hit a homer."
Kids, souvenir salesmen and fly-ball catchers all agree.
"I'm going to miss him out here, I'll tell you that," said
Marvin Irizarry, 33, standing outside Wrigley with glove ready as
he does before most games. "He's still doing well, and he brings
genuine excitement to the games."
Moments later, he snagged a batting-practice homer off the bat
of Sosa -- or another unseen slugger's bat -- with a diving catch on
a Waveland Avenue sidewalk, near a Dominican flag hung in tribute
to Sosa.
Nine-year-old Andy Quinn didn't hesitate when asked what he'd
think if he heard the Cubs had traded Sosa. "I wouldn't believe
it," the youngster said. "They've got to keep him."
"I'd keep him," echoed Tom Mitchell, 42, a visiting salesman
from Detroit. "He seems a Chicago tradition."
"He's the second-best hitter there is," said 7-year-old
Terrell Newmann, who wore a Sosa No. 21 shirt but secretly prefers
Ken Griffey Jr.
Still, fans said they are curious to see whom Cubs management
could land in exchange for Sosa, whose allure, while still great,
has faded lately due to his many strikeouts. Might the perennial
losers, owners of baseball's sixth-worst record, actually improve
by dealing their superstar?
From the makeshift seats on a Waveland Avenue rooftop across the
street from the left-field bleachers, the view of the Cubs' future
is perfectly clear for Leslie Levin: Trade Sammy.
"He's a great player but he's getting old," the concession
sales worker, 22, said of the 31-year-old Sosa. "Let's trade him
while we can get good prospects for him. We'll be bad for another
few years, then better."
In the clubhouse, Cub players are annoyed with the swarm of
reporters dogging the Sosa issue and some have been quoted
anonymously as saying Sammy's soap opera is wearing on them. But
the happy-go-lucky Sosa, while continuing to sidestep trade issues,
appeared relaxed Wednesday as he bantered with teammates while the
boom-box at his locker belted out pop hits.
Manager Don Baylor, who clearly would like the Sosa hoopla to go
away, said Wednesday he wouldn't comment on a possible trade
"until we have something concrete."
Cubs fans appear increasingly sure that time is not far off. | ALSO SEE Red Sox reportedly get serious about Sosa sweepstakes Sosa watch: Torre, Steinbrenner discuss slugger Stark: Sosa's days with Cubs numbered Bronx bombshell: Yankees, Cubs talking Sosa trade AUDIO/VIDEO   Sammy Sosa has no idea what's in store for him.wav: 149 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Mike Piazza and the Mets are ready to welcome Sammy to New York.wav: 79 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 | ||||