Five Cubs players I’m thankful I got to see play in my lifetime

Chicago Cubs: Slammin’ Sammy was one of a kind

Come on. Seriously. Get over it. You don’t have to forget or excuse what Sammy Sosa did at the end of his tenure with the Cubs. But, just for a second, think about how exciting he was and how he carried the ballclub on his back for the better part of a decade.

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The dude should be a Hall of Famer at some point, and he’ll go into Cooperstown as a Chicago Cub. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sosa was as electric a player as there was in all of sports, let alone baseball. Following in the wake of Michael Jordan’s last championship run in Chicago, Sosa (and McGwire) took the world by storm in 1998, bashing home runs like it was 1961.

Sammy didn’t just hit home runs either; he ran hard, he swung hard, and smiled more than any player the Cubs have ever had. He was a star on so many levels and was embraced by the city like no other.

While many fans may have muddled thoughts and memories because of the unsavory ending to his career, no one will be able to take away all of the epic seasons Sosa put up as a Cub. He hit at least 49 home runs in five straight seasons, including 63, 64, and 66 (the only guy to hit 60 three times).

He was an unstoppable force disguised as a fun-loving baseball player who just happened to flame out like many juggernauts at the end. As an optimist, I tend to remember and am thankful for the good times and great seasons slammin’ Sammy was a part of in Chicago.