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Sammy Sosa—#21; one of the greatest Cubs ever. Sammy Sosa—a future Hall of Famer. Sammy Sosa—his 574 career home runs ranks seventh on the all-time list and most by a Cub ever. Sammy Sosa—great for Cubs’ business. Sammy Sosa—with the signature sprint to right field before games. Sammy Sosa—the 13-year Cub and fan favorite.
Sammy Sosa—move on.
The clubhouse of the Chicago Cubs will lead off its 2005 baseball season on a better note than when they left it last September. Instead of the usual monotonous, overbearing clamor that came from the same boom box every day, that note will be a fresh, optimistic, and calm atmosphere. That note will be Sammy Sosa-less. And that note will be ringing wins for the Cubbies.
Don’t worry; Sosa had already moved on long before the end of last season. On the outside, Sosa was all smiles. On the inside, Sosa listened to no one and expected everyone to listen to him. And his music too. Sosa imposed himself on everyone in the clubhouse, blasting his salsa music and forcing everyone else in the room to listen. He might have been a power hitter with the Cubs, but somehow he assumed his superiority followed him everywhere off the field as well.
On the field, the 36-year-old’s numbers started to dip after his peaking 64 home runs, 160 RBIs, and .328 batting average in 2001. His average, home run total, and RBIs dropped steadily with every year until he ended last season with only 35 HR, 80 RBIs, and a .253 batting average, all of which were his lowest totals since 1997.
His numbers weren’t the only thing falling, as his teammate and fan support went in the hole as well. In 2003, Sosa was suspended seven games after shattering his corked bat on a ground ball. Sosa claimed he was innocent, but his teammates turned their backs on supporting him. No surprise; all season long they had practiced turning their backs on Sosa and his music in the locker room.
Amidst injuries and low production, Sosa was dropped from the number three slot in the lineup to cleanup, where he struggled even more with both his production and happiness. Soon, manager Dusty Baker moved him to fifth. Finally, Sosa was moved all the way down to sixth in the batting order, and he was very vocal about his dislike for these moves. A rift between Baker and Sosa formed, and it seemed that Sosa could get along with no one but get away with a lot.
The final straw came at the meaningless last game of the season, after the Cubs had blown a chance at winning the Wild Card that week. Less than fifteen minutes into the game, Sosa quit. He walked out on the team and later criticized Baker for blaming him for the team’s failure at the end, 16 games below the Cardinals in the Central Division.
In January, fans booed when his picture came up at the Cubs Convention, an event in which Sosa did not even attend. It was time for a move.
So early February, Sosa was unsurprisingly dealt away and is now making a new nest as an Oriole, wedged between power hitters Miguel Tejada and Rafael Palmeiro in a lineup with two 500+ home run hitters for the first time ever. Baltimore’s VP Mike Flanagan wants to keep Sosa healthy, but what he should really be worrying about is keeping Sosa happy.
Positives for the Cubs? They lose an aging one-dimensional hitter of late and a whole lot of strikeouts. Sosa is second on the all-time strikeout list behind Reggie Jackson with 2,110. They also get speedy outfielder/second baseman Jerry Hairston, Jr., and two minor leaguers. The Cubs have also signed veteran Jeremy Burnitz to a one-year deal to take Sosa’s spot. Burnitz guarantees a definite 30 HR and 100 RBIs and will add power from the left side of the plate.
Cubs also saw the departure of Moises Alou, whose left field spot could be filled with Hairston, Todd Hollandsworth, or Jason Dubois. Dubois seems to be a promising prospect, hitting .314 in Triple A with 31 HR and 99 RBI.
Even more important, the Cubs should see a healthy Nomar Garciaparra. Last season after coming over from the Red Sox, he played only 21 games because of wrist and Achilles’ tendon problems. There’s another 25 HR, 100+ RBI, and .300+ batting average waiting in the shadows for the team.
I’m saying it now; the Cubs will win the Central this year. They’ve had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in a while, and there is a bad taste lingering in their mouths. However, Chicago’s success is dependent upon four factors:
One: Mark Prior and Kerry Wood
It is essential that these two starters remain healthy the whole season. Last year Prior missed two months with elbow problems and Wood missed 10 starts because of a biceps injury and back stiffness. But Wood feels that he’s stronger than ever now after discovering Pilate’s. Wood also lost weight around his stomach, which should take some of the pressure off his back. At ages 24 and 27 respectively, this is their time, and they are both capable of 20-win seasons each.
Elsewhere in the rotation, Chicago will have to replace Matt Clement, and Glendon Rusch, a solid lefty, seems to be the leading candidate for the fifth starter.
On paper, this rotation is good. Very good. They’ve got Prior, Wood, Rusch, Carlos Zambrano, and veteran Greg Maddux—arguably the best fielding pitcher in the majors. Maddux has collected a total of 14 Gold Gloves in 19 years in the bigs.
Two: The Bullpen
One stat says it all about last year’s team—24 blown saves. That’s 24 more games the Cubs should have won. That’s 24 reasons why the bullpen will play a huge role this year.
Part of the problem was closer LaTroy Hawkins, who blew eight of twelve one-run save opportunities himself. Hawkins is definitely better suited as a setup man, where he is more comfortable. So the forerunning contestants for the closing job seem to be Joe Borowski and Ryan Dempster. Borowski had a club record 22 straight saves last year before injuring his shoulder and knee. This offseason, he lost 15 pounds while rehabbing and seems to be in good shape. On the other hand, Dempster only has two career saves, a number which could affect the final decision.
The Cubs also bring in lefty Raul Valdez to the bullpen, who pitched a stunning .51 ERA in the Dominican Summer League last year, as well as Roberto Novoa, a 6’5 reliever from the Tigers.
Three: Fundamentals
After leading the National League in home runs last year, the Cubs finished just eleventh in on-base percentage. This year, Baker is focusing on a more balanced attack, and new hitting coach Gene Clines says the speed game will be the main prerogative. Expect many more hit-and-runs. Hairston and Patterson will be key for this aspect of the game, and 25-year-old Patterson had 32 steals himself last season. If he can decrease his strikeouts, watch out for Patterson, the reigning leadoff man, to be all over the bases.
Four: Team Chemistry
The 2004 Cubs was a team out of control, seeing several ejections and anger outbursts. Four coaches had to restrain Hawkins for trying to fight with umpire Tim Tschida, and Hawkins was ejected. Zambrano was also ejected in a different game for throwing at Cardinal Jim Edmonds, Wood got himself involved in an incident, and reliever Kyle Farnsworth threw his glove in the stands and kicked an electric fan in the clubhouse after a poor performance. Farnsworth injured his knee in this episode, found himself on the DL, and was traded to Detroit this offseason.
If the Cubs learn to get along, tone down the comments to the media, keep a cool head, and play ball, the rest of the NL Central doesn’t stand a chance. The only real competition will come from St. Louis, Houston, or Cincinnati. The Cardinals’ lineup became thinner after losing shortstop Edgar Renteria, and Houston will rely totally on Roger Clemens and the rotation after losing Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran to free agency. After not re-signing captain Barry Larkin, the Reds are still desperate for fielding up the middle as well as pitching. But don’t worry about the Pirates, whose already weak lineup lost catcher Jason Kendall, and you can always count on the Brewers for another losing season. They’re going for their 13th straight.
The 2003 Cubs made the playoffs with good pitching and clutch hitting. Not only will they have one of the highest payrolls in the league this year at $104 million, but also they have a general manager willing to make the big deals, a solid lineup, and durable pitchers.
Sosa might have been a quitter, but this year’s sleeping giant is not.
Sammy Sosa—glad you’re gone. Sammy Sosa--quit the Cubs in 2005, the year they win the World Series.
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