Will Royals fans get to see Sammy Sosa?…Probably, but maybe not in July

Season Pass by Dennis Cox

If you’re a Chicago Cubs fan, you’ll have the opportunity to see the Cubbies in Kansas City July 16-18. If you’re a Sammy Sosa fan, you might have to wait a bit longer to see him hit one of his low-ball home runs over the left field wall at “The K”.

Trade rumors continue to swirl around Sosa and he could be gone from the Windy City by the All-Star break on July 11. Sosa, who has feuded with Cubs manager Don Baylor, wants a trade as soon as possible because he wants to get in on some team’s drive to the post season. Too, he wants more money. The Yankees, Red Sox and Mets are teams most often mentioned in Sosa trade rumors. ESPN reported late last week that Sosa would most like to play in Boston. The Red Sox would probably be willing to dangle more current major leaguers as trade bait but the Yankees have the more enticing farm system.

Though they stand to lose their most popular player since Ernie Banks, it’s hard to feel sorry for the Cubs. The hot rivalry between New York and Boston, coupled with the fact that the two clubs are in what should prove to be a season-long duel for a division title, gives the Cubs a lot of room to play one against the other. Sosa has enough seniority that he can veto any trade deal and virtually chose the city he wants to play in. The Cubs are reportedly busy right now assessing talent on potential trade teams.

Regardless of what happens to Sosa, if you want those Royals-Cubs tickets, you better act soon. A visit to Ticketmaster’s web site on Tuesday yielded the info that the best remaining available seats for the Sunday game (7/16) are upper deck, near the top, behind home plate. Best tickets left for Monday night’s game were eight rows back in the upper deck behind the third base dugout. Tuesday night’s game was still offering lower deck, Plaza Reserved tickets down the left field line near the foul pole.

If Sosa goes to the Yankees before the upcoming Royals-Cubs series, all you Sosa fans should get your tickets now for the Sept. 4-7 Yankees series at Kauffman Stadium. Should Sosa choose Boston, get your tickets for the Aug. 24-27 series at Kauffman Stadium.

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I see that the U. S. Olympic baseball steering committee is thinking about giving retired professional baseball players the chance to play on the national team that will compete in the Sydney Olympics. What a dumb idea.

This attitude that “winning is everything” has gotten out of hand. The use of pro basketball players in the Olympics the first time around was interesting but it was a one-time thrill. Please, let’s not pull the same crap with our Olympic baseball program. If winning meant everything to me, would I want to see a 42-year-old Wade Boggs at the plate trying to catch up with a 95 mph fastball thrown by a 22-year-old Cuban? No way.

Unfortunately, other countries have set the tone for this year’s Olympics. South Korea is expected to shut down its pro league in order to field a strong team. Japan has reportedly released several professionals to play on its national team.

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It happens every year. The Royals have come to a crossroads without any signposts to guide the way after last weekend’s disaster against Oakland. KC pitchers gave up 39 runs and 11 homers in 3 games against the A’s, who entered the series dead last in team batting in the American League. The Royals, who stood just 3.5 games out of 1st place in the Central Division on June 7, dropped to 10.5 games back of Chicago as they resumed play Tuesday.

Without a single dependable starter, the Royals give every indication of being in big trouble. Arm surgery for Jose Rosado means he’ll be out for the season. Attempts to move Jeff D’Amico, Miguel Batista, Jay Witasick, Chris Fussell and Brett Laxton into the starting rotation have bombed. Dan Murray has been horrible in relief and Jose Santiago had another shaky relief stint on Sunday. The club is banking much of its future stability on the soon-to-be- expected return of Blake Stein, a pitcher with only 6 major league victories in 2 major league stints. Heck, I don’t have any answers either.

Last season’s starting rotation produced a pair of 10-game winners in Rosado and Jeff Suppan. With 3 victories in 10 starts, Mac Suzuki is on a pace to win 9 games. Suzuki is the only Royals pitcher whose ERA has been under 6.00 in the last week of play. It’s nothing short of bizarre that Kansas City’s most maligned pitcher, Ricky Bottalico, is the team leader in both wins (6) and blown saves (5).