Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Sammy Sosa tested positive for Steroids

This is a little belated, but I'm sure you've all heard the news by now.  

This comes as a shock to no one, as it was long rumored that Sosa did steroids in the 90s.  Perhaps the most damning evidence of this was the fact that he fell off drastically in 2004 (when steroid testing began) and didn't reclaim the glory that he once had in the late 90s.  In 2004, his OPS fell below .900 for the first time since 1997, the season before he fought with McGwire to break Roger Maris' seemingly untouchable record of 61 home runs in one season.

In his final seasons (2004, 2005, 2007), Sosa hit just 70 home runs, a huge drop off from earlier in his career (remember, he did hit 60+ home runs 3 times in his career, and is currently the only player to do so).

The biggest impact, since Sosa is now retired, is that he probably will not make the hall of fame as a result of this "revelation".  However, before I make any definitive judgements on this, I am waiting until Palmeiro goes up for the vote, as he should be the perfect litmus test for the steroid era.  

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