It ends at 588. That's it and that's all. Should Sammy Sosa retire this year, and all events indicate that he will, 588 will be his final home-run tally in the records of Major League Baseball.
Just this week, Sosa turned down an offer from the Washington Nationals, leaving no obvious suitors for a man who, at one time, seemed suited for a first-ballot Hall of Fame vote. The only slammin' headed toward Sammy now will be the door on his way out of baseball's fraternity.
Sosa is a touchy subject for me. He was an idol of mine. In fact, I'll argue he was an idol of almost every baseball fan. Few events in sport have ever been as magical, as exciting or as important, for better or worse, than the home-run race of 1998. For that reason, Sosa is ingrained into the memories of fans everywhere.
When the strike ended the 1994 season, the Expos were the best team in baseball: Matt Williams had a chance to break the single-season home-run record and Tony Gwynn had a shot at hitting over .400 for the first time since Ted Williams in 1941. Instead, the strike nearly killed baseball. Attendance went down and heroes were lost.
In 1998, baseball found the heroes it had been missing. Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa were both on a quest for the Holy Grail: 61 home runs. The race enchanted the nation and brought the honor back to baseball'??or so it seemed.
Everyone knows the story of the steroid scandal and I won't waste time detailing it, but needless to say, Sosa was dragged through the worst of it. Between steroids, a corked bat, a mysterious toe injury, an even more mysterious back-wrenching sneeze and an utter fallout with the Cubs management that made him the poster boy of the MLB, Sosa has been wrecked.
After a rough 2004 campaign where Sosa hit only .253, despite hitting 35 home runs, the Cubs decided to let the disgruntled superstar test the market. He found a home with the Baltimore Orioles, who quickly learned Sosa's star had burnt out.
Now, Sosa is facing the music. His career was marked by noise. He made noise with his bat and with his charm; he even made noise with the salsa-blaring boom box he brought in to the clubhouse at the start of every season.
His exit will be far less noticeable. Sosa hit .221 with only 14 home runs last year for the O's.What mark he leaves on baseball is yet to be seen. Although he has been implicated in the steroid scandal, nothing has been proven. His marked decline in performance is evident, however, and it's difficult to see any athlete go out on such a low'even one with such a checkered lore as Sosa.
No one can take away the summer of 1998. Not from baseball. Not from the fans and not from Sosa. Baseball has to thank him for that.
So long, Sammy, so long.
