Sammy Sosa’s feelings were hurt after reading the public’s reaction to his decision not to attend the Cubs Convention.
“He reads things just like everybody else,” said Sosa’s agent, Adam Katz. “He said, `Man!’ It became increasingly evident that this was a very big thing.”
So Sosa changed his mind–again–and decided he will fly in from the Dominican Republic to attend the annual Cubs’ fan fest, which starts Friday at the Chicago Hilton and Towers.
Katz said the decision in no way reflects a new sense of optimism that Sosa and the Cubs can agree to a contract extension. The two sides have been negotiating for about seven months.
“They’re as unrelated as you and me,” Katz said. “Sammy just decided to do whatever it took. He adjusted his schedule.”
The decision befuddled Cubs officials, who appear to be growing tired of Sosa’s antics. Last week the superstar slugger backed out of a previous commitment when he announced he would not attend the convention.
“The idea of losing five days to this, it was too onerous,” Katz said at the time. “He just decided that it didn’t make sense.”
But it made more sense to Sosa when he realized he was taking a public relations hit.
Sosa is scheduled to attend Friday’s opening ceremonies and at least one autograph session on Saturday.
When Sosa backed out last week, the Cubs offered refunds for the sold-out event. They say they didn’t receive one request.
