Sosa Rejects Nationals’ Offer…

Not Surprisingly, Sammy Sosa rejected the $500,000 non-guaranteed offer from the Nationals recently.  And while his skills have eroded at an alarming rate, it makes you wonder just why Sammy appears eager to hang it up instead of proving he is the "warrior" or "gladiator" he once said he is.  Or might he be simply unable to perform his once superhuman feats without chemical assistance?  Speculation of course, but line of thinking all too many are also following, judging at least in part from a national sports radio broadcast.

Why is he not in the WBC?  Could it be because of the Olympic-style tough drug testing of the players?  Why has Sammy, McGuire, and Palmeiro "stolen away" into the night?  They have all conveniently disappeared as Mr. Bonds did last year, apparantly with injuries.  Injuries to his knee or his fragile ego remains in question.  Likely both. 

While exact "proof" may not be available except for in Palmeiro’s case, the overwhelming corroborating evidence from inflated bodies and power numbers to immediate shrinking of those same bodies and power numbers in one year is just some of the many reasons fans have cooled to Sammy and these other so-called "greats."  We’ll see just how "great" the first of these guys is judged by the voters for the Hall of Fame, when Mark McGuire gets voted either in or out of the Hall in the next class of eligible players.