Say it ain't Sosa
Sammy, Cubs slumping at the wrong time
Posted: Monday September 21, 1998 04:26 PM
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Sammy Sosa is in the middle of an 0-17 slump AP |
CHICAGO (AP) -- Sammy Sosa's
locker overflows. There are hats, boxes of congratulatory letters, a
replica of a Chicago expressway billboard that features him swinging, even
a cereal box with Roberto Clemente on the front.
A bodyguard follows him everywhere, a public relations man guides him from
interview to photo session to ball signing. People shout his name with
every step he takes. Flashbulbs snap every time he swings.
Sosa is still smiling through all the distractions, even if they are
hurting his concentration.
Sosa is in an 0-for-17 slump. Not only have his homers dried up since he
hit No. 63 in a grand slam last Wednesday in San Diego, he can't get any
hits, either, and he's struck out six times during the skid.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have fallen one game behind the Mets for the NL
wild-card berth. At a time when the Cubs need Sosa the most, he hopes to
regroup against his favorite pitching staff -- the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Cubs play two games in Milwaukee before finishing with three in
Houston. Sosa has hit 10 of his homers against the Brewers this season, his
most against any team.
Earlier this month, he connected for Nos. 59-62 against Milwaukee during a
three-game series.
"I will go out there to Milwaukee and Houston and forget about everything
here and try to play a lot better. I think we will have our chances," Sosa
says.
After winning three of four games in San Diego, the Cubs came home and
were swept in three games by the Cincinnati Reds.
The poor play spoiled a weekend of celebration for Sosa's season, capped
by a Sunday ceremony featuring his family and dignitaries from Major League
Baseball and his native Dominican Republic.
Sosa admitted after going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts Sunday that he might
have been trying to impress.
"I am a human being," he said. "I have to take what happened like a man."
Sosa enters Tuesday's game at County Stadium two homers behind McGwire,
who hit his 65th against the Brewers on Sunday.
"I am going to go over there and relax and make something happen," Sosa
said.
Chicago manager Jim Riggleman maintains the Cubs are not struggling
because of the Sosa hype. But he acknowledges the hoopla is wearing on his
best player.
"One person has gotten so much of this and handled it so well and at some
point it has to be a distraction for Sammy," Riggleman said.
"I feel for him. I know it would be tough for anybody to handle. He's been
outstanding. But as a team I don't think it a distraction. As I said to the
team, we need to take all this attention and turn it into a positive."
Sosa's four-game skid is certainly not the reason the Cubs played so badly
in their final regular-season homestand.
Chicago's pitching has been poor, especially middle and setup relief, and
getting to closer Rod Beck, who is
one save from 50, has been a chore. And the loss the of rookie Kerry Wood,
out with a sprained elbow ligament, has hurt the starting staff.
"We just have to go out like the last three days didn't happen," Sosa
said. "We have to play much better. To me it will be another day."
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