Sosa to retire, calmly wait for induction

[24fps]

The title of the article says it all.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/31093821/

"Everything I achieved, I did it thanks to my perseverance, which is why I never had any long, difficult moments [as a baseball player].

[Birds of B'more]

Keep waiting.....keeeeeeep waiting.

Still waiting, Sammy?

[LookitsPuck]

He's going to be waiting just as long as Raffy.

[mark_beckens]

I dont think you will see either of them in the HOF. Writers have long memories and those who used roids will not be getting in any time soon!

[mikezpen]

waiting for Godot

[Gurgi]

Only way he makes the hall is in a far future "Steriod Committee" a group of aging steriod cheats who have to decide which of only 5 known steriod cheats will be allowed to sit in the Hall.

Bonds and Sosa can say they deserve to go because "after all, the Roids worked on them best".

[mweb]

I have no problem with steroid users going to the HOF, but there's a legit argument that Sosa's career doesn't warrant making the HOF regardless.

[ccbird]

I have no problem with steroid users going to the HOF, but there's a legit argument that Sosa's career doesn't warrant making the HOF regardless.

That's a pretty tough argument to make but I'm game. His numbers compare favorably with a lot of HOF sluggers. Jackson, Killebrew, McCovey.

[GotNitro]

Didn't Sosa have the corked bat incident as well????????

[scOtt]

I'll just say this... he has a FAR greater chance of getting in than Mark McGwire. 3-60s in a row is All-Time-eness... Even Babe had only a 59 and a 60, Maris... A 60(1)...

Hank Aaron's best any two or three or 4 or 5 seasons were all 44, 45.

Barry has 4 or 5 mid-to-high 40's years, wrapped around the 73.

Hank Greenberg had several 40s and a 58.

Dave Kingman only once hit over 40. Teddy Ballgame only once over 40 too.

The immortal Reggie only had 2 40s.

I'm kinda tired of thinking and looking for guys who had more... Sammy did what NONE of these guys even came close to! I say he deserves to be in.

And I'll barely mention the FAUX PAS that Sammy HEAPED on himself. "Sitting back and" yada is just rude! Someone, even as great as I think he was.... needs to sit back and ponder his historicosity... and stfu.

[mweb]

That's a pretty tough argument to make but I'm game. His numbers compare favorably with a lot of HOF sluggers. Jackson, Killebrew, McCovey.

WARP3:

Sosa: 69.6

Jackson: 93.5

Killibrew: 70.5

McCovey: 74.0

All of them may be a little overrated.

Will Clark: 74.4

John Olerud: 80.0

Dwight Evans: 70.5

Raines: 94.2

There's plenty of non HOF'ers who have WARP's in Sosa's range. Not saying that's the end all be all, but it's worth mentioning imo.

Sosa had an incredible peak for 4-5 years, so that certainly bodes well for him. However, other than the peak he was able to compile good hr stats while mostly not being anywhere close to a HOF caliber player.

I'm not saying I wouldn't vote for him, but I think it's a lot closer than most people do when they see those impressive hr and rbi totals.

[UMDTerrapins]

The Hall of Fame is just a club now. All systems of measure are out the window. How can you compare Jim Rice to Sammy Sosa to Ron Santo to Gil Hodges, etc. ? Sosa has to know he may never get there in his lifetime. When he's an old man and this era is a long memory, people will talk about the injustice of excluding someone for steroid use, with no evidence.

The Hall of Fame is just a cool place to see baseball history. The steroid years ruined any chance of pretending to be able to make objective comparisons across generations.

[Boy Howdy]

I dont think you will see either of them in the HOF. Writers have long memories and those who used roids will not be getting in any time soon!

Please remind me of the evidence that Sosa used PEDs. Oh, that's right, there isn't any.

Nothing except people in no position to know one way or the other speculating. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but punishing people based on a bunch of nothing is a slippery slope I want no part of.

Orioles/Sosa trivia = The first time Sammy ever has a multiple homer game in the big leagues was the final Opening Day at Memorial Stadium in 1991.

[Mad Mark]

Someday, we're going to have to decide what is "enhancement" and what is "cheating". We've become such a bitter, vindictive people...no longer able to see shades of gray; only black and white.

The idea that you could compare players of different generations was always suspect. How did you factor for segregation, better nutrition, enhanced training, changes in the ball, changes in the bat, changes in the uniform fabric...these, and hundreds of other things that have changed over time?

Can you truly compare the statistics of a bunch of white part-timers who played during the afternoon on fields we would barely find acceptable for youth ball today to the current group of full-time athletes who play (mostly) at night under controlled lighting, on fields so manicured you and I aren't even allowed to walk on them?

I say "no, you can't". Therefore, I'm inclined to let the "Steroid Bunch" in. But I'm also inclined to note--right there on their HOF plaques--that those who were caught were caught.

Compared to what's coming, steroids--and even HGH--are laughably crude ways of "performance enhancement". Let's make a note of what happened, and save the outrage for things that are truly outrageous.

[Spoonless]

I'd vote him in.

The so-called "steroid era" is what it is, to use a terrible cliche. You can pretty easily make an argument that since steroid use was so reportedly widespread, and used not only by hitters but also pitchers, the playing field was relatively level. It's not really that different/worse in my mind than greenies or doctoring the ball. How many "olde time" pitchers are in the hall who would keep a little extra salve on so they could grease up their fingers, or would have their catcher over-oil his glove so the ball would be slick. It's funny how many people look back on those days fondly, but when you mention steroids it's like this generation of players is the only generation that has tried to do everything in their power to gain an edge. It's really pretty ridiculous.