Say It Ain't So Sammy...

[Ronn_Bman]

Baseball's Slammin' Sammy Sosa, who has 505 career home runs, was ejected from the game between his Chicago Cubs and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last night. While hitting he broke a bat. Nothing unusual... except for the fact that this bat was corked. He was ejected from the game.

Sammy says it was a mistake. He says he accidentally grabbed a practice bat, but it looks bad. :shake:

[ 06-04-2003, 11:58 AM: Message edited by: Cloudbringer ]

[Ziroc]

Oh man, I heard. I can just see this becoming another Pete Rose. I wonder if they'll take away his homerun scores from the last few years for this.

This could ruin his career folks. I HOPE he is telling the truth, and it WAS a practice bat. (doubt it though).

What does it do to a bat with cork inside it? Make it absorb the hit better or something?

[Madman-Rogovich]

Originally posted by Ziroc: Oh man, I heard. I can just see this becoming another Pete Rose. I wonder if they'll take away his homerun scores from the last few years for this. This could ruin his career folks. I HOPE he is telling the truth, and it WAS a practice bat. (doubt it though). What does it do to a bat with cork inside it? Make it absorb the hit better or something?

I woulda thought it'd make hitting the ball any distance alot harder cos cork's a pretty lightweight substance no?

I was always kind of suspicious when Mac started getting all those home runs it was something..then seemingly out of nowhere Sosa showed up and this just puts a big question mark on all his accomplishments...

[Bungleau]

Based on what has happened to past offenders, he's probably looking at a fine and a 7 to 10 game suspension.

And what cork does is apparently allow you to hit the ball farther. Don't know the physics of it exactly, but that's the spin.

'Tis sad. I really like Sammy, I really do. Can't say that about many players today, in any sport.

[Grojlach]

Originally posted by Bungleau: And what cork does is apparently allow you to hit the ball farther. Don't know the physics of it exactly, but that's the spin.

I think you're able to swing much faster, because the cork makes the bat lighter in weight - and a faster swing makes it easier to focus more of your strength on the ball when hitting it. Or something along those lines. In other words, cheating.

[Ronn_Bman]

Here's a link to a story about Sammy you don't have to sign up to read...lol. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Timber Loftis]

Corking makes it lighter in weight, but more importantly springy. NOte that a corked bat is also hollow. Hollow means stronger -- like our bones, hollow and filled with marrow.

7 game suspension is likely. And, I have tickets to Friday and Saturday's games against the Yankees. Saturday's game is currently selling on eBay and other legal scalping sites for $500+ a ticket. Boy, does this put a damper on my weekend plans.

From what I can tell by the attitude in Chicago, Sammy is seen as a bit of an ass.

[Ronn_Bman]

They've X-rayed 60+ bats from Sammy's stable, and they were all cork free. Only the one he broke, which he says was a practice bat that he used by accident, had cork in it from the batch taken to last night's game.

I'm sure this will go on and on and on....

[Ramon de Ramon y Ramon]

I know very little about baseball, but one question immediately struck me when I learnt about his explanation: why would anyone want to practice batting with a bat that is not only illegal, but whose characteristics make it unlike any bat he can use in the actual games he is practicing for? Is that a common ..erm ... practice practice?