Comcast Sports Net anchor Chuck Garfein tweeted this photo of Sammy Sosa in his ghost mode. more ›

It's the bat that at once exposed Sammy Sosa as a cheater and was the first crack in his relationship with both Cubs brass and fans. We're referring, of course, to Sosa's corked bat. The former Cubs slugger was caught using the batJune 3, 2003 against the Tampa Bay Rays when it shattered in the first inning. Sosa was eventually suspended eight games for the incident and, while the handle of the bat was confiscated, the barrel of the bat was never found. more ›

Cubs great Ernie Banks is turning 79 but he's focusing on helping out a younger Cubs legend: Sammy Sosa. In the wake of admissions by former slugger Mark McGwire that he used steroids, Banks wants Sosa to similarly come clean. "Come clean with it. Explain it to them. ... Just say: 'This is what happened.' It is hard to do, to admit this. Just admit it and live with it and understand it. I am sure a lot of people will forgive him," Banks said. He also expressed a desire to see Sosa come back to Chicago and be embraced by new management: "I would like to see Sammy come back. Throw out the first pitch, sing 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame,' you know, meet some of the players and all of that." more ›

This weekend, the web was abuzz when pictures of former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa from a recent Vegas event surfaced that showed him looking a bit paler than usual, raising speculation as to its cause, including it being a result of alleged steroid use. A former Cubs employee defended Sosa, saying he'd recently undergone some skin treatment. Appearing on Univisions's "Primer Impacto" program, Sosa himself has addressed the uproar by explaining, "It's a cream that I have, that I use to soften [my skin], but has bleached me some." He then inexplicably said, "I'm not a racist, I live my life happily." So to recap, Sosa's just trying to keep his skin soft and that's why he looks white, not because he wants to be white. more ›

There was plenty going on this weekend in the news but we understand if you missed it and were, instead, outside enjoying the amazing warm weather. Here's your chance to catch up. more ›

Take a look at the photo on the left -- a recent photo of former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa we first came across on Deadspin the other day. It was shot at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas when the slugger attended the Latin Grammys 2009 Person Of The Year Event Honoring singer Juan Gabriel. In addition to the ghostly skin, it also looks like Sosa's had some eye work done, too. The nose still looks to be stock, but we guess each starts their rebuilding process differently. Nobody can deny he looks very, very different from how he did even a couple years ago, as seen in photo on the right, taken when he testified to Congress about performance enhancing drugs. Some speculate that Sosa may be suffering from vitiligo like Michael Jackson but, in this case, caused by years of alleged steroid use. more ›

The New York Times is reporting this afternoon that, "according to lawyers with knowledge of the drug-testing results from that year," Sammy Sosa tested positive for steroids during the 2003 season in which he was playing for the Cubs. According to the story, it seems Sosa's positive test came from the same round that snared Yankees slugger/slapper Alex Rodriguez. more ›

Former Cub, dangerous sneezer, and corker - not to mention prolific home run hitter - Sammy Sosa claims he will soon announce his formal retirement from baseball. Sosa hasn't played a game since 2007 when he was with the Texas Rangers. As to the question on everyone's minds - did he use performance-enhancing drugs - Sosa side-stepped the issue, saying: more ›

Cubs fans are nothing if not loyal. They have 99 years of practice keeping a stiff upper lip, insisting “you gotta believe” this year will be the one in which the lovable losers finally break all the curses and become the center of a World Series victory ticker tape parade. more ›

After months of investigating, former Senator George Mitchell released the results of his investigation into the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs by major league ballplayers. With a number of players testing positive for substances banned in recent years, and others exposed as customers via criminal investigations, commissioner Bud Selig tasked Mitchell with determining the extent of the problem, so that baseball can move forward. more ›

Now that the Cubs are in the playoffs, want to convert? Or maybe you've been a Cubs fan but need to brush up on your trivia skills? Tonight, authors Glenn Stout, of the Best American Sports series, and Richard A. Johnson, the curator of the New England Sports Museum, present their latest collaboration, The Cubs: The Complete Story of Chicago Cubs Baseball, at Harold Washington Library. The Cubs details Cubs history covering such items as... more ›

For the most part, it has not been a good season for Chicagoist's beloved South Side baseball team. Other than Mark Buehrle's no-hitter back in April, it's mostly been a season of disappointment. At least this past Sunday, we got to experience another bright moment for this team, as Jim Thome became just the 23rd major leaguer to hit 500 home runs. His ninth-inning shot also turned a 7-7 tie into a 9-7 White Sox... more ›

Former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa on Wednesday night became only the fifth major leaguer to reach the 600 home run plateau. Maybe it wasn't quite rain on his wedding day, but Sosa's historic home run came not just against his old team, but even against his old jersey — Sosa's 600th came off the Cubs' Jason Marquis, who now wears the "21" that Sosa wore during his tenure with the Northsiders. Chicagoist noted to a... more ›

Two weeks into the season, the White Sox had looked mediocre at best. Wednesday night was an entirely different story. On any other night, two Jim Thome homers and a Jermaine Dye grand slam would be the big news. But not Wednesday. more ›

In his first start after coming off the minor league disabled list, Mark Prior left the extended spring training game after only two innings on Thursday after supposedly experiencing shoulder discomfort. His shoulder will be examined by orthopedic specialist Lewis Yocum in the next few days. But will Yocum find anything wrong with Prior's shoulder? All spring, Prior and the Cubs have maintained he was healthy in spite of has reduced velocity following stints on... more ›

People are hurting now that those electricity rate increases are hitting home, and not just from head injuries suffered from passing out after they opened January's bill. ComEd bills have jumped an average of 24%, but just be glad you don't live downstate, where some Ameren customers' bills have doubled or tripled. On Friday, a group of Democratic state representatives renewed the push to roll back the rate increases and reinstate a freeze for another... more ›

Chicagoist can't get that damn story out of our head now, but "Circle of Life" was the first thing that we thought when we heard that former Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa is about to sign a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers in hopes of returning to "the show." more ›

What Happened to the Murals? more ›

Last year's Super Bowl champs had a running game lead by The Bus. One of this year's Super Bowl hopefuls, our own Chicago Bears, begin the season by throwing their supposed starting running back under the metaphorical bus. Prior to the opening of training camp, coach Lovie Smith announced that Thomas Jones, who ran for over 1,300 yards last year, had been supplanted in the starting lineup by last year's first round draft pick, Cedric... more ›

For those who've been living in a cave for the past three years, this week's Sports Illustrated cover story may come as a surprise to you -- Barry Bonds used steroids! Excerpted from the upcoming book Game of Shadows, by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, the article details the extensive regiment of steroids, supplements, growth hormones and other chemicals the slugger used to bulk up on his way to breaking the single-season home run record.... more ›

Throughout Florida and Arizona, players begin reporting to Spring Training to begin preparation for the 2006 season. However, it's looking like one play who won't be reporting to any camp is former Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa, who turned down an offer from the Washington Nationals. The only Major League offer Sosa received, the Nats deal only offered a non-guaranteed 1-year, $500,000 deal. Having already turned down offers from teams in Japan and overtures from the Dominican team to play in the upcoming World Baseball Championships, Sosa's agent said, "... I can say, with reasonable certainty, that we've seen Sammy in a baseball uniform for the last time." more ›

Quite a few formerly high profile Chicago sports figures have sudeenly found themselves in new locations, or rumors abound that they might soon land elsewhere. Wednesday saw Frank Thomas offically sign with the Oakland A's, agreeing to a 1-year, $500,000 deal that could earn him up to $2.6 million with performance bonuses. Chicagoist hopes to see Thomas put up some productive numbers for the A's, athough it'll be wierd to see him in gold and... more ›

Chicagoist remembers this kid at day camp who'd gladly give up his Jell-o pudding cup in return for some grapes. We think he might be working in the front office for the Baltimore Orioles these days. That's the only explaination we can come up with to explain how, for the second year in a row, the Cubs have been able to jettison a disgruntled disappointment of an outfielder to the O's. more ›

Chicagoist still remembers hearing of a hot prospect getting called up to the White Sox in 1990 and rememebrs being in the right field stands at the old Comiskey Park about 20 feet away from a ball that was THIS CLOSE to going out for his first major league homer. He'd end up hitting 7 during that late-season call-upon his way to 448 in a Sox uniform. So it's really hard to believe that following a 16 year run on with the White Sox, Frank Thomas is gone. The team cut ties with the future Hall of Famer on Wednesday by not offering him salary arbitration, making him a free agent. Thomas had spent his entire career on the South Side -- one of the rare players who had remained with their original team for more than 10 years. more ›

The Cubs and White Sox both said goodbye (and good riddance) to former All-Star right fielders during the previous off-season. more ›

Like the tulips beginning to poke from the dirt and construction cones sprouting along the roads, the annual optimism of opening day symbolize the coming of spring in Chicago. The Cubs and White Sox both open their seasons today, fans hoping the substantial changes each team made during the off-season will pay off with a World Series title come October. Will they? Chicagoist will give a quick summary of the changes, some points of interest... more ›

Congress called six former and current baseball players to testify in a hearing about steroids in baseball. The issue has received a lot of press recently in light of the BALCO scandal and Jose Canseco's tell-all book. The two have brought to light the possibility that much of the increased offense in baseball over the past decade was fueled by chemicals means, affecting the integrity of the game. In addition to former slugger Jose Canseco,... more ›

While pitchers and catchers reported last week, today is the day for the rest of the players to arrive for spring training. Both the Sox and Cubs camps will have plenty of new faces, but perhaps the biggest change will be the silence in the Cubs clubhouse that'll be without Sammy Sosa, and his infamous boombox. Sosa might want to throw that in with the condo however, because his new manager has laid down the law in the Orioles locker room. Lee Mazzilli requires all music to be listened to via headphones only. And that even means Sosa. more ›

Apparently, Sosa was a different kind of guy at home than at work. while his selfish attitude irked teammates, his building staff thought fondly of him. "He was very polite, courteous. He would speak to you," said security director Lucius White. "He's a nice guy." No word from his next door neighbord on whether he insisted on blasting his music loud at home, too. more ›

The Sammy Sosa trade hasn't even been completed yet, and the Cubs have already found his replacement in right field. As soon as the ink is dry on the deal sending Sosa to Baltimore (which could be this afternoon), the Cubs plan to sign Jeremy Burnitz. The deal would be for one guaranteed year at $4 million with a mutual option for 2006. more ›