Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Pitchers and Catchers Report

Ah spring, when our minds turn to...screw it. It's not spring here, and real baseball is still 6 weeks away. Today isn't much more than a milestone we pass each year that reassures us that yes, this seemingly interminable winter will eventually end. This year's spring training will be a lot like every other of the last 10 years in 2 respects:

1. Sammy Sosa will not report at the opening of camp.
2. The media will spend a lot of time reporting on Sammy's absence.

Unfortunately, the Cubs just won't let the Sammy issue die. Michael Barrett supposedly gave an interview where he revealed that not only did Sosa leave game 162 early, but he didn't show up until he was summoned to the ballpark by, well somebody. Sammy said he was sick, showed up at the insistence of management (looking healthy by all accounts) then packed up his stuff and left. And while this merely confirms what we thought about Sosa (that he's a jackass), there's just no point to it. Sosa's gone. The quicker everybody accepts this and gets on the with the season the better.

I must also say that I hope the NHL lockout settles today. If only because we'll be treated to 200 stories on the local news about how funny it is that baseball and hockey are holding their training camps at the same time.

The Cubs will come alive in two-oh-five.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Michael Barrett hasn't done squat yet in his career and in this fan's opinion didn't handle the stellar young staff of the Cubs all that well last year. He ought to leave the Sammy criticism to teammates such as Nomar and Maddux and concentrate on his game.

11:05 AM  
Blogger CT said...

I didn't hear the interview, so I'd imagine that Barrett was pushed pretty hard to comment on the Sosa thing. I agree with you about him not talking about Sosa, but frankly, I don't think anybody on the team should talk about Sosa. You site Nomar and Maddux as guys who could talk about it, but those are also two guys who I believe won't have anything to say about Sosa to the press, other than "he's not here anymore".

11:50 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are absolutely correct in opinion of what Nomar and/or Maddux would have to say in response to questions about Sammy. That was sort of my point. I wonder if you really think he was pushed that hard to jump on the Sammy bashing band wagon.

4:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Barrett's comments about a former teammate are of the same ilk of Canseco's. Shut up and play ball, Mike!

4:33 PM  

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