Sammy Sosa arrived fashionably late Wednesday after the final aspects of a physical examination and a meeting with club owner Peter Angelos.
“This is my house now. How do I look?” Sosa said as more than 100 media members and team employees looked on.
General manager Mike Flanagan presented him his cap and No. 21 jersey during an evening news conference at Camden Yards that officially announced his trade from the Cubs to the Baltimore Orioles. The Cubs, Orioles, Sosa, Major League Baseball and the players’ union all had to agree to bring the deal to fruition.
Repeating it was simply “time to leave Chicago,” Sosa deftly deflected all tough questions regarding his strained relationship with Cubs manager Dusty Baker, his decision to skip out on his former teammates on the final day of last season and public criticism from Cubs players and fans who became disenchanted with the future Hall of Famer.
“Really, I don’t want to talk about the past,” Sosa said. “I am in the future now in a new house. All of the problems that I had in Chicago will stay behind. I want to talk about the Baltimore Orioles, my new manager, my new franchise. Whatever happened for me, I don’t regret it.”
Sosa, 36, comes to the Orioles from the Cubs in exchange for utilityman Jerry Hairston Jr. and two minor-leaguers. The Cubs are picking up $16.15 million of the $25 million Sosa was guaranteed to receive this year.
Sosa, who said he originally had hoped to end his career with the Cubs, agreed to waive his no-trade clause and another clause that guaranteed his contract for $18 million in 2006 if he was traded.
Asked if he plans to ask for a contract extension beyond 2005, Sosa smiled and said: “I just got here, my friend.”
Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli was impressed with Sosa’s energy.
“I have not seen a person who had been so excited in a long time,” Mazzilli said. “He’s just overwhelmed. He’s really excited to be here, and I know I am, having him in the middle of the lineup.
“To see Sammy come in, it seems like he’s 20 years old right now. It’s kind of a thrill for us all. Sammy’s a guy who can take us over the top.”
For his part, Sosa said he plans to abide by Mazzilli’s wishes.
“I am the employee. Whatever he says, I am going to do,” Sosa said with a smile.
Sosa likely will bat fourth in a lineup that includes Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro, Javy Lopez, Larry Bigbie and Jay Gibbons.
Sosa and Palmeiro will make baseball history as the first teammates playing together with at least 500 home runs each.
Sosa has 574 home runs and should become the fifth player to hit at least 600 with a healthy season. Palmeiro has 551.
“Six hundred is going to come,” said Sosa, who is the only player in major-league history to hit 60 or more homers in three seasons. “What matters now is having a good relationship with my manager.”
Asked to elaborate on what it takes to have a good relationship with his manager and what went wrong with him and Baker, Sosa responded with vague answers.
“I don’t want to go into detail about what happened because that is not my style,” he said.
Miguel Tejada is considered the Orioles’ team leader and Sosa doesn’t expect any problems adapting to the Baltimore clubhouse.
“I don’t have a problem with that,” Sosa said. “This is Miguel Tejada’s house.”
Said Bigbie: “It’s definitely Miguel Tejada’s clubhouse. He’s the captain of our team in my eyes. But Sammy Sosa is a great addition.”
Sosa praised the fans of Chicago, saying: “Those were the most beautiful 13 years of my life. That was a beautiful experience for my wife and my family. And I had a great time in Chicago. Chicago is always in my heart. I love you, but we have to move on to Baltimore. And this is my new house, and I love it. The Chicago Cubs fans accept me. I support them, they support me. Chicago knows that I love them.”
Regarding his former teammates, several of whom criticized his approach to the game, Sosa said: “I just say that hopefully they have a good year. They have to move on. . . . I still love them. I don’t have any hard feelings in my heart.”
Intrigued by the cozy dimensions of Oriole Park, Sosa envisions a big year after he slumped, by his standards, with 35 homers in an injury-filled 2004 with the Cubs.
“I was out (36) games and I hit 35 home runs,” he said “I mean, come on. It is going to be a beautiful year because I am happy and I am hungry.”
