Rumor I heard-no it's not a trade

[gosox41]

I try not to buy into everything I hear. But I guess I am hoping this is true. Though it's not firsthand information, the person I heard it from claims it's reliable.

The rumor is that our buddy, Sammy, did not have an injured back. He supposedly was suspend 30 says from baseball for steroid use. Both sides felt it was in their best interest to keep it quiet.

It wouldn't surprise me for a couple of reasons:

1. I have no doubt Sammy uses steroids. His physique and power numbers would indicate something was up.

2. Sammy is dumb enough to keep cheating and can claim ignorance...see the cork bat incident.

3. Selig absolutely loves Sosa.

4. Sosa gave a press conference when he first came back about how hard he was working out while he was out. Is a cure all for a bad back pumping iron??

Take it for what you will. Personally, I hope it's true. But I'm willing to bet we don't hear anything about his mysterious back injury the rest of the year and that he's 100% recovered. Also, it may explain why Sosa was never at any of the Cub home games while he was injured. Can't sit in the dugout if you're suspended. Of course Sammy is selfish enough not to show up anyway. If you believe the corked bat rumors (where after Sosa was ejected he was in the clubhouse with the bat boy dumping about 75 bats and that he had 4 innings to do so even though the head of baseball security was in the ball park when the incident took place and it took him that long to get the corked bat) then this may have some plausibility.

Any chance someone in the media is sitting on the story?


Bob

[SoxFan78]

Just playing devil's advocate here, but if it was all a cover up, I don't think the Cubs would of sent Sammy to minor league re-hab. Just my opnion.

[Frater Perdurabo]

The conspiracy theorist in me wants to believe it.

OTOH, I haven't seen a post or a media thread from Hangar in a while. Hangar, where are you?

[gosox41]

Originally Posted by SoxFan78

Just playing devil's advocate here, but if it was all a cover up, I don't think the Cubs would of sent Sammy to minor league re-hab. Just my opnion.

It's possible. But he would need to get his timing back. He did miss 30 days which is a long time anyway you look at it.


Bob

[Gammons Peter]

Everyone should bombard the local talk shows with this question

[Blob]

I want to believe this as well but have no reasons too.

[bennyw41]

Aren't part of suspensions to publicly display to the league that something won't be tolerated? I would love to believe it, but I think its a little far fetched, I mean, they could of found a better excuse than sneezing.

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by SoxFan78

Just playing devil's advocate here, but if it was all a cover up, I don't think the Cubs would of sent Sammy to minor league re-hab. Just my opnion.

Remember last year, after the cork bat/toenail surgery, he didn't take rehab assignment. I think Sosa taking a rehab assignment is an excellent job by the Cubs of adding to the coverup and making sure everything goes smoothly. Besides, it gave the media another chance to lick Dusty Baker's Butt about "how Dusty convinced Sammy to take a minor leauge assignment for the good of the team."

[mendozaln]

This is not plausible. Under the current agreement, you'd have to get caught 3 or 4 times (at least) to get that long a suspension. There's no way that's happened all in one season. Also, just to be clear, you are suggesting that this is a conspiracy all the way up, that even MLB doesn't acknowledge this internally as a suspension, right? Because players are allowed injury rehab assignments to the minors, but I don't think they're allowed suspension rehabs. So Selig would have to be conspiring in allowing the Cubs to blatantly flout the rules regarding rehab. That's a little too Eyes Wide Shut for me.

[gosox41]

Originally Posted by bennyw41

Aren't part of suspensions to publicly display to the league that something won't be tolerated? I would love to believe it, but I think its a little far fetched, I mean, they could of found a better excuse than sneezing.

Maybe the dumber or more vague the excuse the less questions will be asked. If he hurt it washing his motorcylces ala Jeff Kent it would cause a lot more media attention to think of the real story. The Trib. Is a great marketing machine.

I have my doubts. I heard this rumor. It wound't surprise me in the slightest. I hope it's true. But this can also go along the lines of Michael Jordan being suspended from b-ball for one year due to gambling. There may be no way to find out the truth.


Bob

[SSN721]

I dont know, I would really want to beleive it. But I just dont see it, this is as juicy as the refs fixing games in the NBA conspiracy theories. I want to beleive them but I am just a little to skeptical about this. There just doesnt seem enough to back it up. I dont know, I hope I am proven wrong, I just dont see it though. We would never find out anyway, at least not from our local press. ANd even if it was true, lots of Cub fans are stupid enough that they wouldnt care, I swear he could get away with murdering children and Cub fans would justify it somehow, he is untouchable.

[iftypofixit]

If it were true, wouldn't you think MLB/Cubs would come up with a better excuse for an injury... Sneezing and throwing out your back isn't something to just make up out of nowhere, they would try and make some better excuse.

[gosox41]

Originally Posted by mendozaln

This is not plausible. Under the current agreement, you'd have to get caught 3 or 4 times (at least) to get that long a suspension. There's no way that's happened all in one season. Also, just to be clear, you are suggesting that this is a conspiracy all the way up, that even MLB doesn't acknowledge this internally as a suspension, right? Because players are allowed injury rehab assignments to the minors, but I don't think they're allowed suspension rehabs. So Selig would have to be conspiring in allowing the Cubs to blatantly flout the rules regarding rehab. That's a little too Eyes Wide Shut for me.

Not really. It's a 30 days suspenion. The Trib. wrote an article last week about how the Cubs were 16-14 without Sosa. I'm betting they had a few off says in there..maybe even the 3 Sosa took to go down to the minors and rehab.

Also, I think the rules call for 2-3 tests before being suspended for 30 days. He took it before 2003. He took it again before the 2004 season. And if he failed it back in March, why wouldnt the test players 45-60 days later? I heard all it takes is 30 days to wash out of your system.

Would it really surprise anyone that MLB is going to suspend Sammy and hide it? Or let's put it another way. When Albert Belle got caught using a corked bat there was a period where all teams were checking bats of the other teams power hitters. It was a mind game in most cases, but MLB had to enforce the rule that only one bat can be checked a game by each team.

How come no one checked Sammy's bat after he was caught with cork? Is it that hard to psyche Sammy out? Was that really his first and only time he's done that? You don't think a shrewed, whiny manager like LaRussa would use this to his advantage if he were allowed. I find it funny how after the whole corked bat incident no one seemed to think Sammy was cheating after he got caught. Why not? Was it his consisntency in his power numbers or that innocent looking oversized face?

Bob

[Irishsox1]

Total garbage story. According to the player association, a player can't sit out any games until the 3rd time they test positive. I believe the sneezing story, because someone who's on steroids would blow out there back sneezing.

[gosox41]

Originally Posted by Irishsox1

Total garbage story. According to the player association, a player can't sit out any games until the 3rd time they test positive. I believe the sneezing story, because someone who's on steroids would blow out there back sneezing.

Sosa could have easily had 3 steroid tests.
I doubt it's true, but hope it is.


Bob