COMMENTARY

Say It Ain't So, Sammy!

By Chris Carpenter
CBN.com Producer

CBN.com - Say it aint so, Sammy! Please tell me that it wasnt you swinging that bat containing cork that was splintered for the world to see last week. How could it be you, everybody loves you. I know you werent having a very good season but did you have to resort to the cork? Just like sandpaper, cork is for cheaters. Oh Sammy!

Sad but true.

A clearly visible piece of cork was found in Sammy Sosas bat last Tuesday when the Chicago Cubs outfielder grounded out in the first inning of a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Sammy insists that it was a mistake, that he grabbed his corked batting practice bat before venturing up to the plate. Claiming that it was the only bat he owned containing a substance most frequently associated with wine bottles, subsequent x-rays on his 76 other bats revealed no cork.

Sammy was saved, or was he? Even though 76 of the 77 x-rayed showed only the finely honed grain of maple and ash, a fan cannot dismiss the one piece of lumber that contained a banned substance. Because of this rather glaring faux pas, Sosa joins a notorious vanguard of altered bat engineers that includes Albert Belle, Wilton Guerrero, Billy Hatcher, Graig Nettles, and Chris Sabo.

It has long been thought that by drilling out the head of a baseball bat and replacing the dense wood with cork, foam, rubber, or even super balls would allow a batter to hit the ball for a longer distance due to the increased elasticity of the hitting surface. Not so. Many physicists came "out of the woodwork" last week to say that the main advantage of corking a bat may be more psychological than physical. They point out that an altered bat will actually reduce the distance of a balls flight by three feet per every 400 feet traveled. However, the true advantage of swinging a "corker" is the reduction in its weight. A decrease in one to two ounces can be a critical advantage for a batter by providing additional bat speed and reaction time when facing a 95mph fastball. In other words, faster reaction time equals an increased probability of contact.

But why would someone as strong as Sammy Sosa feel the need to do this? Skeptics point to his lack of offensive production dating back to last season. They say Sammy might have been feeling the pressure to produce to the levels that garnered him three unprecedented 60 home run seasons over a four year span. Sosa, who topped the 500 home run plateau earlier this season, hasnt cranked a homer since May 1^st, and has hit only 12 in his last 256 at bats. For those of you scoring at home this is one every 21 at bats, a far cry from the one in 10 at bats he averaged from 1998 through the middle of last summer.

In response to why he committed the crime, Sammy simply says he grabbed the wrong bat on his way to the on deck circle. For this scribe, Sosas explanation is simply unacceptable. I have sat in dozens of Major League dugouts during batting practice observing the meticulous, sometimes fanatical nature of players and their equipment, particularly bats. They know exactly how much their bat weighs, the diameter of its barrel, the width of its handle, and how the weight is distributed. Simply said, a players bat is an extension of himself. Former New York Mets Manager Bobby Valentine likens it to a carpenter who has been using the same hammer for many years. When this craftsman picks up the wrong tool of his trade he knows immediately it is not his due to the weight and feel of it. The same can be said for Major League hitters. If they pick up the wrong bat they know immediately if it is the right one. For the record, Sammy Sosa did not make a beeline back to the dugout to switch out his lumber.

However, in Sammys defense, how could he possibly think he could get away with it? In this, the video age, a players every move is videotaped for posterity, even more so for a player of Sosas stature. In a recent interview with CBS Sportslines Scott Miller, Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux made a statement that carries a great amount of validity in this corked bat caper:

"There are so many television cameras on the games that you cant cheat. You used to be able to. You used to not be able to on the Game of the Week, but you could during the other six games that week. Now, theres five cameras on you every pitch."

Unfortunately, whether he is guilty or not, this highly visible incident (it has been shown thousands of times on television in recent days) will travel a great distance in tarnishing Sammys legendary career. It will only be a matter of time before new "exclusive never before seen footage" will be released showing Zapruder-esque camera techniques of Sosa in the dugout selecting his bat of infamy. It will be a grainy, slowed down, frame by frame depiction of the Cubs slugger in the final moments before heading out to the on deck circle. Implications will be made that there was, indeed, a second corker who railroaded Americas most popular baseball player.

On Friday, Sammy was handed an eight game suspension for using the corked bat. He immediately appealed in hopes of getting his sentence reduced. Whether he is guilty or not, Sosa is in for some very tough times ahead. The remainder of the lovable sluggers season is sure to come under a great amount scrutiny as he will have to endure more than his fair share of ridicule, jeering, even humiliation. Thus far, his Chicago fan base has been very forgiving and accepting as a Friday night standing ovation will attest. But what about fans in the other 29 Major League cities? Will they be as forgiving as Cubs Nation?

Perhaps you have traveled down the same road that Sammy Sosa now travels. Maybe you have been accused of something you did not do. Or, you were involved in an unfortunate situation where, yes, you sinned, but now are desperate to be forgiven for it. Like so many, maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am writing this today to tell you that God is a forgiving God. Even though it seems like times are tough and the world is collapsing on you, God is always there to help you through these tough times. Remember, in our weakness, Jesus Christ is strong.

In I Peter 1:6-7 Peter writes, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Often times people believe that because they are Christians, their lives are to be trouble free and filled with nothing but happiness. I will be the first to say that this is definitely not the case. However, it is important to remember that God promises that when we go through trials and tribulations in our lives, He will be there with us. These trials teach us patience and through them help us grow into the people that God wants us to be.

Romans 5:3-4 outlines this principle very clearly. It says, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."

I understand that no one wants to suffer through difficulties especially when they are induced by situations that seem unfair. But have you ever considered that God might be preparing you for something very significant and important to the Kingdom of God later in life. Like so many others, I found this out the hard way. But when I remember these conflicts in my life, I am now able to share these problems and subsequent outcomes with others so that they might see the blessings that God has in store for us.

Consider this, if noted Christian author and speaker Chuck Colson had never served time in prison for his role in the Watergate scandal, there would be no Prison Fellowship Ministry today. This ministry has seen thousands of troubled criminals accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. These people are now living productive Christ-centered lives behind bars or in the public sector.

It is important to remember that it is through the difficulties in our lives that we learn to trust in Jesus Christ more and more.

Tell me what you think

Material from The Transformer, study Bible used in this article.

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