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Chicago Fans Have Mixed Reaction to Sammy's Corked Bat

Aired June 04, 2003 - 13:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: Well, it was a shot heard round the leagues. It's still ricocheting this afternoon. Sammy Sosa's bat broke in half last night when the Cubs slugger hit a ground ball in the first inning against Tampa Bay at Wrigley.
And there you see it, almost looks like a little arrowhead there. That was cork inside his bat. Supposedly makes the ball fly farther. We'll talk a little bit about that later. It may not be true. It's definitely a violation of baseball rules.

Sosa apologized, saying the cork bat was only for practice and he grabbed it last night by mistake.

For more on this story, we're going to go live now to Anne Kavanagh of our CNN affiliate, WFLD, and she's where else? In front of Wrigley Field.

Anne, say it ain't so. I told my kids about this this morning, 10 and 9, and they're just so depressed. They love Sammy Sosa and they look up to him so much that it's really a disappointment, isn't it?

ANNE KAVANAGH, WFLD CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is the most popular player in baseball, not just here in Chicago, but across the country. And you know, there's a phrase that goes, "It takes years to build good will and just minutes to destroy it." And Sammy Sosa can probably relate to that today.

While this isn't Shoeless Joe Jackson and the Black Sox scandal, it certainly is a black mark for Sosa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN BERNSTEIN, "THE SCORE," RADIO: Well, the story's still in flux. This is still happening, and the fans' reaction is a part of the story. So I think it's going to be a test case here to find out just how deep the roots of that Sammy love go and whether or not that can overcome natural skepticism of Chicago sports fans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is "Say it Ain't So" Sammy...

KAVANAGH: From the radio talk shows to the brutal newspaper headlines this morning, Chicago's most popular athlete is taking a beating. Still, many fans aren't ready to convict their favorite home run hitter just yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Innocent until proven guilty. Hopefully it's not true.

KAVANAGH (on camera): You want to believe him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why would he cork his bat? He's one of the best players in major league baseball.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it is, I'd be really disappointed in Sammy. But let's wait until they determine what it is.

KAVANAGH: But many others say they can't buy Sosa's claim that he accidentally grabbed the cork bat.

LESTER MUNSON, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED" WRITER: Of course it sounds like baloney. Why does he have any corked bat? What is he going to do with a cork bat? He already hits them 410 feet out of the ballpark. Does he need another 10 feet on his home runs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he should be suspended, I mean, he's -- he's not above the rules.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's pretty bad. And my opinion is if he's not taking the juice any more, that's probably why he did it.

KAVANAGH: There has always been talk about Sosa and possible steroid use. "Sports Illustrated" did an investigation and found nothing. Many major league baseball players defended Sosa, and he always claimed innocence. But now the questions he'll face will be even tougher.

BERNSTEIN: It's the larger credibility issue: can we trust what he says? For years, it was just ha, ha, smile, Flintstone's vitamins. Now we have to wonder about everything, right or wrong.

KAVANAGH: The charismatic, handsome and talented Sosa has been one of major league baseball's best ambassadors. But even if tests on his other bats prove they are not corked, many say last night's incident will always shadow him.

MUNSON: Instead of a metaphor for the joy of baseball and how much fun it is to go to a game, now he's a Sammy suspect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAVANAGH: Sammy has not been suspended from baseball yet, and he is expected to play for the Cubs here at Wrigley Field tonight. We'll have to see what type of reception he gets, Miles. But one thing is for sure, Cub fans certainly are known for their loyalty.

O'BRIEN: And there we lost her. Anne Kavanagh with WFLD in Chicago. We're sorry to tell you -- we just had enough satellite time -- turns out we didn't have quite enough.

Nevertheless, I want to tell you one thing -- this is a baseball bat obviously. In about an hour's time, we're going to talk to a baseball physicist -- yes, there is one -- and he'll tell you how this corking is done. Generally, what they do is drill about a six-inch hole in the top, put the cork in. In this case, it was in the middle. We're going to ask some questions about that.

But the interesting thing about him is he says, none of this does really any good. If anything, it would shorten the distance which Sammy Sosa, or any hitter, could hit a ball. Interesting stuff. Of course, baseball is filled with superstition and it doesn't necessarily have to be true to be something that is tried.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired June 4, 2003 - 13:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: Well, it was a shot heard round the leagues. It's still ricocheting this afternoon. Sammy Sosa's bat broke in half last night when the Cubs slugger hit a ground ball in the first inning against Tampa Bay at Wrigley.
And there you see it, almost looks like a little arrowhead there. That was cork inside his bat. Supposedly makes the ball fly farther. We'll talk a little bit about that later. It may not be true. It's definitely a violation of baseball rules.

Sosa apologized, saying the cork bat was only for practice and he grabbed it last night by mistake.

For more on this story, we're going to go live now to Anne Kavanagh of our CNN affiliate, WFLD, and she's where else? In front of Wrigley Field.

Anne, say it ain't so. I told my kids about this this morning, 10 and 9, and they're just so depressed. They love Sammy Sosa and they look up to him so much that it's really a disappointment, isn't it?

ANNE KAVANAGH, WFLD CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is the most popular player in baseball, not just here in Chicago, but across the country. And you know, there's a phrase that goes, "It takes years to build good will and just minutes to destroy it." And Sammy Sosa can probably relate to that today.

While this isn't Shoeless Joe Jackson and the Black Sox scandal, it certainly is a black mark for Sosa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN BERNSTEIN, "THE SCORE," RADIO: Well, the story's still in flux. This is still happening, and the fans' reaction is a part of the story. So I think it's going to be a test case here to find out just how deep the roots of that Sammy love go and whether or not that can overcome natural skepticism of Chicago sports fans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is "Say it Ain't So" Sammy...

KAVANAGH: From the radio talk shows to the brutal newspaper headlines this morning, Chicago's most popular athlete is taking a beating. Still, many fans aren't ready to convict their favorite home run hitter just yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Innocent until proven guilty. Hopefully it's not true.

KAVANAGH (on camera): You want to believe him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why would he cork his bat? He's one of the best players in major league baseball.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it is, I'd be really disappointed in Sammy. But let's wait until they determine what it is.

KAVANAGH: But many others say they can't buy Sosa's claim that he accidentally grabbed the cork bat.

LESTER MUNSON, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED" WRITER: Of course it sounds like baloney. Why does he have any corked bat? What is he going to do with a cork bat? He already hits them 410 feet out of the ballpark. Does he need another 10 feet on his home runs?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he should be suspended, I mean, he's -- he's not above the rules.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's pretty bad. And my opinion is if he's not taking the juice any more, that's probably why he did it.

KAVANAGH: There has always been talk about Sosa and possible steroid use. "Sports Illustrated" did an investigation and found nothing. Many major league baseball players defended Sosa, and he always claimed innocence. But now the questions he'll face will be even tougher.

BERNSTEIN: It's the larger credibility issue: can we trust what he says? For years, it was just ha, ha, smile, Flintstone's vitamins. Now we have to wonder about everything, right or wrong.

KAVANAGH: The charismatic, handsome and talented Sosa has been one of major league baseball's best ambassadors. But even if tests on his other bats prove they are not corked, many say last night's incident will always shadow him.

MUNSON: Instead of a metaphor for the joy of baseball and how much fun it is to go to a game, now he's a Sammy suspect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAVANAGH: Sammy has not been suspended from baseball yet, and he is expected to play for the Cubs here at Wrigley Field tonight. We'll have to see what type of reception he gets, Miles. But one thing is for sure, Cub fans certainly are known for their loyalty.

O'BRIEN: And there we lost her. Anne Kavanagh with WFLD in Chicago. We're sorry to tell you -- we just had enough satellite time -- turns out we didn't have quite enough.

Nevertheless, I want to tell you one thing -- this is a baseball bat obviously. In about an hour's time, we're going to talk to a baseball physicist -- yes, there is one -- and he'll tell you how this corking is done. Generally, what they do is drill about a six-inch hole in the top, put the cork in. In this case, it was in the middle. We're going to ask some questions about that.

But the interesting thing about him is he says, none of this does really any good. If anything, it would shorten the distance which Sammy Sosa, or any hitter, could hit a ball. Interesting stuff. Of course, baseball is filled with superstition and it doesn't necessarily have to be true to be something that is tried.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com