Wed. May 27, 1998 — After taking nearly two months to hit his 10th and 11th homers of the season Sammy Sosa has been asked by his manager to dramatically adjust his approach at the plate.
“Jim is right — It’s time to shorten up my swing,” said Sosa. “From now on, Sammy just wants to get on base. If I never hit another homer, that is just fine with me.”
Sosa added that he now feels like the home run is an overrated statistic in baseball.
“The owners and Commissioner Selig like to see the home runs because they think it will bring back fans after the strike season,” said Sosa. “That is all just fine but I think home runs don’t really tell you how good a baseball player is. Now I have decided I just want to draw walks, hit line drives up the middle, cut down on my strikeouts, play good outfield, maybe even get back to stealing bases like I used to.”
Many observers have noted that Sosa appears to be bulking up significantly in recent years, which he attributes to eating his “Flintstone Vitamins.”
“Yes, it is true that I have added quite a bit of muscle,” said Sosa. “When I look in the mirror, I know longer like what I see. It is time for me to get back to the 165 pounds I was at my rookie year. I liked skinny Sammy. He’s the one who got recruited from the Dominican to come to America and play the great game of baseball in front of these wonderful fans.”
Some feel Sosa is primed for a big home run total in June, but he isn’t quite as confident.
“What, you think I can hit 20 home runs in one month and 24 between today and the end of June?” asked Sosa. “Who do they think I am, Superman?”
