If Given Chance, How Would Cubs Fans Receive a Sammy Sosa Return?

Throughout the course of the day I engage in or passively read various email and forum conversations with other sports fans of the Midwest variety. A lot of these conversations tend to center around Chicago sports because, well, it’s the biggest market in the MSF realm.

One recent conversation that particularly piqued my interest is the question of how Cubs fans should/would receive Sammy Sosa in the event that he returns to the team or city in a manner similar to how Mark McGwire has returned to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Allow me to present a few of the more compelling arguments that I read on both sides. I will then give my opinion and provide you with an opportunity to give yours.

First, the original post from Another Cubs Blog that started the “should Cubs fans receive Sammy warmly” debate (because, as I’ve learned, there is always an “original post that started it all“):

We already know what Cubs fans would do if Sammy Sosa showed up at a Cubs Convention. There would undoubtedly be a large round of boos and I’m pretty sure some of those in attendance would throw knives at him. Unlike every other fan base, the Cubs fans are incapable of appreciating good players. Instead, they like the Ryan Theriot’s and Mark DeRosa’s…

…I don’t know what it is about Cubs fans, but they are a weird bunch of people. If Sammy Sosa spent the majority of his career with the Cardinals, he’d already be getting standing ovations by the Cardinals fans. Actually, I’ll put money on the Cardinals fans giving Sosa a standing ovation before the fucking Cubs fans do.

And here are a few of my favorite responses, from some of your and my favorite Chicago bloggers:

JD from Not Qualified to Comment:

I like Sammy.  He is a victim of his era and while I’m not  saying I condone what he did, he definitely saved baseball. At what cost is another issue, but if it wasn’t for him I honestly wouldn’t have come back to the game.

The Zoner from Zoner Sports:

If you had to “come back to the game”, I’m not sure if you were truly into it in the first place. I cheered my brains  out in ’98 and was at a bunch of those games. But after the cork, the  walkout and the increased realization that he was full of roids, I have absolutely no reason to cheer him ever again. At least not now.

Rex Jaybels from i94 Sports:

I cheered for him too, but I don’t see him as a victim of his era. He made a decision to do what he did and he is making the decision not to come clean about it. He will always be a part of some fond memories I have of the Cubs, but as for giving him some rousing standing ovation now, I’m not sure that I would. Then again, I’m not sure when I would ever have the opportunity as I find conventions and things of that nature a tad creepy. It just seems like the author was trying to condemn all those who don’t have this overriding love of Sosa. He seems to be a self-hating Cub fan.

Joe Cubs Fan from <<<insert any link to any Cubs forum/blog here>>>

I just want to see the Cubs win a World Series title before I die. But I know it won’t happen. Boo-hoo. At least our stadium rocks! Ivy…yeah!

Okay, so I made the last one up. But the other three are real responses from real Cubs fans/observers that I think sum up with disparate opinions that the Cubs fan base holds about the greatest statistical achiever in its franchise’s history.

Here is my opinion, which I will frame by bringing the discussion a little bit closer to home: what if it came out that Frank Thomas had used steroids during his time with the White Sox?

(And, for the record, Frank is one of the few people left for whom it would absolutely shock me if any reports surfaced that he’d used ‘roids. Read this if you want to know more about my feelings for the The Big Hurt.)

Now, I know that it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison between Frank Thomas and Sammy Sosa, but it’s relatively close.

No, White Sox fans did not have to suffer through the ignominy of Frank’s final years being dogged by steroid speculation. In fact, Sox fans have always been able to stick their noses up in the air just a little bit with the knowledge that our greatest hitter is almost universally assumed to have been clean.

However, reports of Frank’s selfishness throughout his career and the way that he left town – at odds with GM Ken Williams – on his way to becoming a Designated Hitting Mercenary for the A’s and Blue Jays did rub some fans the wrong way. So in that sense, there are at least some similarities between the two cases.

For me, even if it was revealed now that Frank Thomas had been juicing his whole career, I would stand and cheer for him…once. I would want to thank him for the time, energy, hard work, and especially the memories he provided me over the years. Steroids or not, those moments were real, even if something happens now to make me look back on them differently.

But that’s where it would end. As they say, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

Once trust is broken between a fan and a player, the onus is on the fan to allow or disallow the player back into their good graces. I wouldn’t actively hate or admonish Frank, but I would certainly keep him at arm’s length…after I left him know, one time, that I appreciated the achievements he was able to attain. Over time, I’m sure that the memories of Frank as Sox star and his accomplishments would mean far less than they do now, but not so much so as to be rendered totally insignificant or negative.

So obviously I understand and can relate with both sides of the Cubs fans’ arguments, and in this case I don’t think the middle ground is such a bad place to be. Like most things in life, the ultimate resolution for most people probably lies in the gray area.

It’s a little bit like when a relationship ends, even if it ends badly. Hopefully, after time has been able to heal the most exigent post-breakup wounds, two people can remember what brought them together in the first place and at least appreciate the good times that were shared. You never really forget a betrayal, and sometimes you may not even be able to forgive, nor do you need to actively participate in the person’s life anymore, but hate, anger, rancor, and regret are viruses that infect the soul. So even if you don’t believe logically or mentally that a person deserves forgiveness, it ironically is often the best action you take from a selfish standpoint.

So why not take it?

My advice to Cubs fans if Sammy Sosa does ever make a Big Mac-like return to the Windy City: at least cheer the man once and show some appreciation for the his achievements as a Cub.

That closes a squeaky, creaking door and allows you to either a) open up a new one and forge a new fan-player relationship, or b) keep it closed and move on. Either response is correct, all based on your personal feelings.

Forgive, don’t forget, as they say. And despite all of his faults and transgressions, even Sammy Sosa deserves to cheered and thanked by Cubs fan for one – and probably only one – more day.

What do you think? (The first question is for Cubs fans, the second question is for everyone else. Obviously you can answer both and screw up the final totals, but why in the hell would you want to do that?)

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* – Sammy Sosa cheater sign photo credit: AP via SI.com

* – Sammy Sosa ovation photo credit: Al Tielemans via SI.com

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