The Legitimate HR King

So I'm back in Bermuda after a long day of traveling.
But after spending 7 hours on Jet Blue Thursday/Friday with a TV in my seat I got a fat helping of 'The Mitchell Report'.
And I've gotta admit...There was 1 name that I was surprised and happy that Mitchell didn't name.

Sammy Sosa

After basically only having WGN and TBS to watch baseball games for the majority of my childhood, it was either watch the Cubs or watch the Braves. So although I'm an Expos (and now Nationals) fan officially, I developed a bit of a love for Chicago's team from the North Side.

When McGwire and Sosa came out of nowhere and started chasing down Roger Maris's Single Season HR Record I was pulling for Sammy all the way. The little hop out of the batter's box. The two finger salute, blowing kisses to his mother. What's not to love?

But Sammy lost. McGwire, Big Mac, the prototypical all-American with his red beard and his wide grin, smacked more dingers. 70 HR's. 9 more than Roger Maris. 4 more than Sosa's 66. Big Mac, even hit his 62nd against the Cubs. And Sammy was there to give his two finger salute to McGwire. The ultimate gentleman. Sammy may not have hit more homers but I still loved him.
Then came all the talk of steroid and juicing, and everyone said there was no way that the greatest HR chase in baseball history was done without performance enhancing drugs. But after Senator Mitchell's 20-month investigation into steroids, out comes the report, and there's Clemens, Pettite, Tejada, Bonds, yet where is Sammy Sosa's name?
In the entire 409 page report, Sosa's name is mentioned once, simply to say that Mitchell sent a survey to his lawyers which Sosa never returned. That's it. No former teammates claiming Sosa juiced. No strength coaches claiming they injected Sosa. Nothing.
Now I'm not saying Sammy definitively didn't take steroids. In an era were testing was poor, and steroid use was rampant, there is still no way to know for sure. But with no proof to be found on Sosa anywhere....Innocent until proven guilty.

Barry Bonds. 73 HR's. You did steroids.

Mark McGwire. 70 HR's. You did steroids.

Sammy Sosa 66 HR's. Your legitimate HR King.

Later,

Andrew