The shades of Sammy

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After Amber and I are married next week, we’re honeymooning in the Dominican Republic My running joke is that we’re going to visit my old friend, Sammy.

Former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa is maybe the most famous resident of the Caribbean nation, at least in these parts. And I’m certain Sosa doesn’t remember it, but he and I do have a history.

Back in the days when I was a mere part-time sports writer and college student, Herald Sports Editor T.G. Smith and I would sneak up to Wrigley Field to cover the Cubs a time or two each summer. This was when Sosa was in his Flintstones-vitamin-fueled slugging heyday. A one-on-one with him would have been to a sports writer what a one-on-one with Richard Daley would be to an aspiring political writer. At least.

As the press is permitted to do, I was roaming around near the Cubs dugout well before a game, notebook in hand, looking to talk to anyone in pinstripes that wasn’t busy in the batting practice cage and would acknowledge my existence. My path crossed Sosa’s almost directly, and after swallowing the lump in my throat, I gave it my best shot:

“Hey, Sammy, you got a minute?”

All I got in reply was a mumbled, “I’ve got to go take B.P.”

That’s an acceptable excuse for any ballplayer. Preparing for the opponent that day — I believe it was the San Francisco Giants — should take priority over answering the queries of any scribe, let alone one that looks like he’s there reporting for his high school weekly.

The thing is, Sosa spent maybe 30 seconds longer in the cage that morning than I did. And though he had ample time to sit in the clubhouse for an extended period right after taking his hacks, listening to music, Sosa never did get around to granting my interview request.

I’m not sharing this story to rip Sosa or because I hold a grudge against him for it. I happen to think it’s amusing story, and the only grudge I hold against Sosa is as a Cubs fan, for ending his career with the team like he did. At the time, Sosa probably got asked to talk more per game day than Jay Cutler gets intercepted, and I absolutely do not fault him for not wanting to bother with me.

In the months and years that followed, Sosa went from hero to goat in Chicago. He left the team on terrible terms, had forgettable stints with Baltimore and Texas to end his baseball career and now faces accusations of using performance enhancing drugs. He went from a very bright spotlight in Chicago to almost being forgotten, until he recently resurfaced for the strangest of reasons.

It all started when Sosa was photographed at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas. Sosa’s skin tone appeared several shades lighter than it was when he played. Since then, Sosa has been thrust back into the national spotlight, as speculation ran wild that he was following in the footsteps of deceased pop singer Michael Jackson.

Since then, Sosa has insisted he is not lightening his skin, either intentionally or because he has a medical condition, as Jackson did. Years of playing day baseball were hard on his skin, says Sosa.

To combat the sun’s effects, Sosa is applying a European cream, which he will not name, nightly. He does admit the cream has a bleaching agent, though he has also insisted that the lighting when he was photographed made his skin tone appear lighter than it actually is.

Sosa admitted during a Spanish interview with Univision reporter Tony Dandrades to being surprised by the “tsunami” of attention being paid to the tone of his skin. In the sensationalist media world we live in, I’m not too surprised. For Sosa’s sake, I’m glad we’re finally talking about him again for lighter reasons than steroid accusations.

By now, Sosa should be safely back at home in his native country. He had to be there earlier this month for his 41st birthday party. Hopefully he’s around when I visit for a week, and our paths cross again. If they do, I’ll try again for an interview. The batting practice excuse isn’t going to fly this time.

Mark Johnson is a sports writer for the Morris Daily Herald. He can be reached at (815) 942-3221 x 2027 or by e-mail at mjohnson@morrisdailyherald.com

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