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Saturday, June 17
Sosa tries to quiet Red Sox rumor


CHICAGO -- Sammy Sosa may not be calling his friends as much anymore.

Sammy Sosa
Sosa

Manny Alexander, Sosa's former Chicago Cubs teammate who now plays for the Red Sox, told the Boston media that Sosa wants to play there.

Sosa, who has been mentioned in possible deals with the New York Yankees, New York Mets and the Red Sox, tried to squelch the rumors.

"I'm going to have to call and correct him," Sosa said Friday. "The point is, he says a lot of things to these reporters that he's not supposed to say. Manny's not my agent."

Earlier in the week, following a conversation with Sosa, Alexander said: "I talked to him just a few minutes ago and he would like to play for Boston. I told him he would be happy here."

Sosa said Alexander was simply excited at the prospect of being reunited with his former teammate and fellow Dominican.

"He's saying that because he's in Boston. If he were in New York, he'd say the same thing," Sosa said.

The Cubs have assigned scouts to the Red Sox minor league teams after watching the Mets and Yankees this week.

The Cubs' star right fielder was asked yet again Friday if he wanted to stay in Chicago. His contract runs through 2001.

"Definitely," Sosa said about the prospect of not leaving. "I don't have a problem here. I'm an employee like anybody else. I see myself here, no doubt about it. I'm still here.

"If it (a trade) happens, I don't have any control over that," he said.

Sosa actually does have the final say because of his status as a 10-and-5 player. He has 10 years in the majors and five with the same team, the Cubs.

And how will he avoid future miscommunications like the mixup with Alexander?

"I'm not going to call nobody anymore," Sosa said.
 


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