Chicago Cubs: Should the team welcome Sammy Sosa back?

Chicago Cubs: Our writers weigh in

Brian Johnston: As mentioned above, there’s a big part of me that is still upset about how the Sammy Sosa situation ended. His antics were charming back when he was hitting over 60 home runs in a season, but they got to be annoying towards the end of his time with the team.

That being said, I think it’s time for the two sides to get together and work this out. It seems absurd that the Cubs would just act like a huge part of their history didn’t exist. All controversy aside, the modern Cubs would not be what they are without Sammy Sosa. He was a key part of 1998, 2003, and so many other important moments in Cubs history. Fifteen years later, I’m willing to move past everything that happened and recognize Sosa’s achievements with the team. Just don’t expect me to start collecting his cards again.

Alex Patt: Sammy Sosa is such a controversial subject not only because of the steroid allegations, but the way his tenure ended with the Chicago Cubs. The situation has produced so many mixed feelings among fans and division between the base on whether or not the Cubs should extend the olive branch.

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Me? I think the relationship needs to be mended. This means both sides need to reach peace. What gets me, however, is how that the Ricketts family had nothing to do with the Cubs during the Sosa era, Sam Zell and the Chicago Tribune-owned the Cubs at the time, so it’s a little odd to me why the Ricketts seems to take it so personally. Regardless, Sosa making things right with genuine acts of remorse would feel like a big step. Even with the ugly ending, Sosa brought so much joy and excitement to fans in the late 90s, early 2000s, when the franchise was in a pit of irrelevancy, and the sport of baseball had turned away so many people after the infamous strike of 1994.

It’s time for both sides to get together, mend the relationship, and bring him back to Wrigley Field.