Mirror Mirror On The Wall Who’s The Fairest of Them All ? Is That Really You Sammy Sosa ?

There’s nothing wrong with being a metro sexual guy in this day and age. I mean it’s expected that a man should keep himself in good shape, eat well and to an extent be of peak physical fitness. Hitting the gym once or twice a week helps. But not to overstate the fact , hitting a nail salon for a manicure and pedicure is taking it way too far. Well at least I thought so , until I saw a recent picture of former Texas Rangers and Cubs‘ player Sammy Sosa attending the Latin Grammy Awards.

Sammy Sosa before and Sammy Sosa after ? And now we might know why Sammy's said to be interested in pursuing a solo singing career . I guess he wants to be seen as the Hispanic answer to the late Michael Jackson ?

Sammy Sosa before and Sammy Sosa after ? And now we might know why Sammy’s said to be interested in pursuing a solo music career. I guess he wants to be viewed as the Hispanic answer to the late Michael Jackson ? picture appears courtesy of Zabulowski/AP – Djansezian/Getty ……………

We all know that Sosa has come a long way from the rough streets of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. And that he honed his skills to become one the dominant players of his era. Alright, we know that from those halcyon days when he and Mark McGwire were laying waste to the single season home run record was one big unadulterated fraud perpetrated upon the public, with the MLB hierarchy acting like the three monkeys …..as in see no evil , speak to no evil and hear no evil ! And now it appears that the game’s commissioner,Bud Selig is of the opinion that the return of McGwire to the game as the hitting coach of the St Louis Cardinals is a good thing for the game ? Never-mind the fact that he’ll embraced with open arms by his former Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa. Whose own ideas on steroid abuse scandal in baseball lies somewhere in between don’t ask , don’t tell and who gives a f_ck policy ! And we’re to believe that there’s still some integrity in the game ? Not when the game’s highest ranking official is making such asinine statements !

The Summer of 1998 when it was thought all was right in the world of baseball and the fans were watching with a great deal of astonishment and surprise as McGwire and Sosa laid an onslaught in the single season home run record held at time by New York Yankees‘ great, Roger Maris. The record was broken by McGwire , only for it to be broken several years later by another steroid abuse suspect in that of San Francisco Giants’ slugger Barry Bonds. He would hit a record breaking 73 home runs that year ,with the last coming on October 7th 2001. A record which still stands to this day. And one, which should it once again be broken,would come under immediate suspicion by the fans and laymen alike. Bonds , whose own fate still lies in the hands of the US Justice System (Dept. of Justice) at this very moment. It’s hard to believe that he could still return to the game and be off some effect to it. Not with having been away from the game for close on three years.

Effective communication as taught to Mark McGwire .Here he addresses House Members with his testimony concerning steroid use. As you can see McGwire was less than forthright with the House members. His fellow playing colleague Rafael Palmeiro would have his own mea culpa , as it came to be known.

Baseball may well be in a tide of euphoria, with the New York Yankees having won their 27th World Series title in defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games (4-2) in The Fall Classic. But with the impending return of Mark McGwire to the game and the thought that his crimes proven or not, are still thought of as nothing more than a misnomer by the game’s hierarchy. It sends something of an indirect message to the game’s youngest fans, that you too can be good at this game, just as long as you don’t get caught cheating.

This brief 6 second sound byte has all but placed the death knell , as to Rafael Palmeiro’s ambition for getting into baseball’s Hall of Fame. ” Let me start by telling you this I have never used steroids period “! If his finger waving to the House Members didn’t warrant a rebuke ,then certainly those words uttered by Palmeiro came back to haunt him in the most expected of ways. Less than four months later it was revealed that he tested positive for banned substance prohibited by law and the league. Karma is a bitch isn’t it ?

The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse . From left to right, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire , Rafael Palmeiro and former Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies’ pitching ace Curt Schilling sit and listen attentively prior to giving testimony to members of the House in an open session. The former Phillies ace’s testimony was very much like an audition for one of the House Members’ positions.As he skirted around the questions asked of him at the time. Sosa for his part, became indecipherable as if almost overnight his command of the English language had completely vanished. And it was left to an interpreter to pose the questions to the former player and also reply on his behalf once he was made cognitive of what was being asked of him at the time. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Scott McIntosh ………..

And for Sosa while there’s no impending return for him to the game. One may well well have to ask what the future may well have in store for the one time legendary slugger ? A singing career perhaps ? Or as a performer in the adult movie industry ? These are the questions one could boldly ask of Sammy Sosa, if only his command of the English language was all that intelligible. But being that his interactions inside the clubhouse had never posed a problem for Sosa when he was interacting with his teammates, coaches and ancillary staff alike. I now have to ask myself this question who’s in fact looking like the biggest fool of them all ? And who’s said to be looking like the fairest of them all ? Have you an answer to the question being posed ?