Sammy Sosa makes long-awaited return at Cubs Convention

It was a yearly occurrence at the Cubs Convention that a chant would break out whenever Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts took the stage: “Sammy! Sammy! Sammy!”

That, of course, refers to former slugger Sammy Sosa, who gave fans some of the best moments of the last 30 years of Cubs baseball but who had also been away from the organization, in any capacity, for two decades.

But last month, Sosa released a statement apologizing (vaguely) for what happened all those years ago, saying in part, “There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games. I never broke any laws, but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.”

Ricketts has been asked about Sosa at essentially every Cubs Convention for years, and he always made his stance clear. In 2018, for example, he said he believed players from Sosa’s era (i.e. the Steroid Era) “owe us a little bit of honesty, too, and I kind of feel like the only way to turn the page is to just put everything on the table.”

Sosa has been linked to alleged performance-enhancing drug use but has long denied his involvement. That, combined with a tumultuous end to his Cubs career (i.e. leaving the ballpark before the last game of the 2004 season had ended), contributed to his absence from Wrigley Field and the fans that adored him.

But Sosa’s apology proved to be enough for Ricketts. He quickly acknowledged it with his own statement, said “We are all ready to move forward together” and invited him to the Cubs Convention.

Welcoming Back Sammy Sosa

That led us to the convention’s opening ceremony Friday night at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. The last few years, Ricketts has taken this time to announce the newest members of the Cubs Hall of Fame. This one was no different.

Ricketts named former first baseman, 2005 batting-title winner and two-time All-Star with the Cubs, Derrek Lee, as the first inductee. Before he announced the second, those same “Sammy! Sammy! Sammy!” chants emerged from the crowd.

He didn’t say a name, instead letting a video package play.

But when “SAMMY” floated across the screen, and when Sosa emerged following the video from behind a curtain with an American flag in hand, the crowd erupted.

“Everybody was happy,” Sosa said following the ceremony. “I see how they smiled, the faces that I could see. I think that today was a perfect day. They’re happy for me to be back here as well.”

There’s a reason so many fans were excited for Sosa’s return.

In 13 seasons on the North Side (1992-2004), he hit 545 home runs as a Cub. That’s still the franchise record. He’s the only player to hit at least 60 homers in three separate seasons. He made seven All-Star teams and earned six Silver Sluggers.

He also won the National League MVP in 1998 after leading the Cubs to a wild-card bid and helping bring many baseball fans back to the game during that summer’s home run chase with Mark McGwire.

Again, Sosa’s time with the Cubs didn’t come without controversy. There was the corked bat incident in 2003. There was the bitter finish to his Cubs tenure at the end of 2004. And his aforementioned alleged PED use was a big reason why he was away from the team for so long.

His apology last month seemed to heal the wounds. At least it was enough to make Ricketts comfortable enough to invite Sosa back to the Cubs Convention. However, when asked Friday to clarify if he had been referring to PEDs as his “mistakes,” he pointed toward his extended absence from the Cubs and the fans and the need to apologize for that instead.

“No, I’m referring, for example — look, 21 years out,” Sosa said. “I have the fans that love me very much. I have to apologize to them, because normally, they see me play so many years.”

Whether that clarified apology is good enough doesn’t really matter anymore. Sosa is at the Cubs Convention, and he wants to be around a lot more. There are certainly fans who won’t forgive him for things that happened 20-plus years ago. But at 56 years old, he wanted to make amends and move forward with the Cubs.

Clearly, many fans in attendance have forgiven him (if they even expected or wanted an apology in the first place). Plenty in the Cubs organization were happy to have him back in the fold, too.

“I think everybody kind of around that era and watching guys in that era would mimic the Sammy hop, you know?” Dansby Swanson said.

“It was pretty remarkable what he was able to do. You don’t have that kind of career and post the way he did and hit the homers and produce the way he did without being such a great player and having a great mind for the game.

“Just glad that he’s back, glad to have the opportunity to be able to talk hitting with him at some point and be able to sit down and just chat through things. Because, obviously, a lot of experience and advice in there, and being able to pick that brain is going to be pretty awesome for us.”

“Sammy was a part of some magical summers here, some important summers here,” manager Craig Counsell said. “He entertained people like one of very few that ever did in a Chicago Cubs uniform, so it’s good that he’s back. It’s great that he’s here, and I look forward to seeing him.”

“He captivated this market for a long time,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “There hasn’t been a star like him since then with the Cubs, and really, maybe even in Chicago since then. Pretty special, and I’m glad he’s back.”

Fans have long been calling for the Cubs and Sosa to reunite. He felt it was time to take a step toward reconciliation. And with that, the long-standing separation is over.

“Look, it’s 21 years,” Sosa said. “People, let’s say, you grow up, and that’s what happened to me. I believe that me making the first step, to give that statement now, I think it was the right time for me.”