Carol Slezak on acid, part 2!!

[whitesoxfan101]

Figured they deserved it's own thread.

 

http://www.suntimes.com/output/slezak/cst-spt-carol21.html

 

statue for Sosa? Don't rule it out

 

February 21, 2006

 

BY CAROL SLEZAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

 

Now that Sammy Sosa is leaning toward retirement, I am wondering about his future. Specifically, how long will it take for the Cubs to erect a Sosa statue outside Wrigley Field?

 

Sure, he left the Cubs on lousy terms. His transgressions -- the corked bat, the steroids speculation, the much talked about but seldom seen video that supposedly shows him ditching out on the 2004 regular-season finale -- have made him persona non grata in Cubs land for now. But the bad memories will fade in time. They always do.

 

Ultimately, Sosa will be remembered for the sprints out to right field, for the hops and the kisses and for the summer of 1998. He'll be remembered for his 588 career home runs, most of which came in a Cubs uniform. He'll be remembered for being the major attraction at Wrigley Field for many, many seasons. And the statue talk will begin.

 

How long will it take? That depends on a number of factors, including whether Tribune Co. sells the Cubs sooner or later and when Sosa gets voted into the Hall of Fame. But it will happen. It's only a matter of time.

 

****

 

So no one is watching the Olympics? Tell me about it. Last Thursday night, about 20 million people, including yours truly, opted to watch "Dancing with the Stars'' instead. I had an excuse: I was doing some research. I wanted to see what Jerry Rice was up to.

 

You remember Rice, the brilliant wide receiver who retired last year. He's dancing on the ABC show. And I'm sorry to say he's also acting like a big baby. At least, he was on Thursday.

 

I could hardly believe what I witnessed: After a judge complimented Rice but added that he clearly was the worst of the four remaining dancers, RIce chewed the judge out. He went into "poor me'' mode, saying he deserved respect because he came from a sports background and he was working really, really hard at the dancing. He seemed so childish. He sounded pathetic. I called my mom, who also watched the show, and she agreed.

 

But what do you know? Apparently most viewers were not as astute as my mom and me. They actually bought into Rice's pity party and voted him into the finals over the far superior Lisa Rinna. Lisa, you were robbed! And I've learned my lesson. This Thursday evening, I'm tuning into the Olympics to watch women's figure skating, secure in the knowledge that no matter how bad the judges are, they can't possibly be worse than the "Dancing'' voters.

 

****

 

Good for Mike Davis, who is leaving a job he never was comfortable in. He's a nice person and a good coach, and if he wants another college head-coaching job, I believe he'll get one. I'm not worried about Davis at all.

 

Indiana fans are another story though. I am worried about them -- or at least those who are clamoring for Steve Alford to become their coach. Have they lost their minds?

 

Just what has Alford accomplished at Iowa? Here's my list: He has an average record. He created the Pierre Pierce mess. He has rankled a lot of people with his often surly manner. Far as I can tell, that's about it. Yet, judging from the noise coming out of Bloomington, a heck of a lot of Indiana fans think Alford will solve all their problems. As if by returning to Indiana, where he played college ball, he suddenly will become a great coach and a good recruiter.

 

I suspect Indiana fans want to turn back the clock two decades, to that 1987 national title Alford helped win under coach you-know-who.

 

Too bad, the college basketball world has moved on. The game and the players have changed. You can't recapture the past. Although, as long as Indiana fans are intent on trying, why settle for Alford? What about Bob Knight?

 

****

 

I still don't know what to make of Shani Davis. After initially thinking he was selfish for opting out of the team pursuit event, I changed my mind. Davis was not wrong for focusing on his individual event. Practically speaking, the Olympics are a business, and skating is his job. And no one -- not even the great Chad Hedrick -- has the right to tell Davis how to do his job.

 

That said, I was baffled by Davis' behavior during his NBC interview. He had just won gold. You'd think he would have felt elated, not angry. I wonder how many millions of endorsement dollars his terse answers cost him? That didn't seem too smart.

 

Like I said, I'm not sure what to make of him. I know what history will make of him, though: Davis will be remembered as the first African American to win an individual gold in the Winter Olympics. And love him or hate him, you can't take that away from him.

[iWiN4PreP]

Oh god no. Please not a statue of sosa. lmao.