Ricketts opens the door for Cubs to belatedly retire Sosa’s No. 21

One of the silliest arguments in sports is finally coming to an end.

Nearly 20 years after trading him away, the Chicago Cubs have finally mended ties with one of the faces of baseball’s PED era, Sammy Sosa.

While Sosa hit 545 of his 609 career home runs during his time at Wrigley Field, he held persona non grata status with chairman Tom Ricketts and the franchise he represented from 1992 to 2005.

That ended Thursday with statements from Sosa and Ricketts. Now we will see what mutual opportunities may arise for both parties beyond the Cub Convention this winter. Ricketts said in his statement that he hoped Sosa would join the team for the popular fan event in downtown Chicago.

Like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens, Sosa was denied induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame because he was believed to have violated the steroid policies of the Baseball Hall of Fame in the years before the MLB and the players’ union adopted a policy requiring testing Major League Baseball had violated. But while the others maintained close relationships with their former teams, Sosa was treated as a pariah.

Ricketts had been an avid fan of the team during his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Chicago and had strongly supported Sosa in his thrilling home run duel with McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998. Still, he declined to extend an olive branch to Sosa after he bought the team in 2009.

Ricketts often said he would not prohibit Sosa’s inclusion in alumni events until Sosa admitted that he had broken an agreement with the team and its fans. Through his public relations firm on Thursday, Sosa quietly admitted to using PEDs.

“I left everything on the field to the Cubs and the Cubs fans because I wanted to win and make the fans happy,” Sosa said. “I loved seeing the Wrigley fans in the stands on the right side of every home game. I understand why.” Some players in my era don’t always get the recognition our stats deserve. There were times when I did everything I could to recover from injuries and maintain my strength to play more than 162 games, but I never broke any rules, I made mistakes and I apologize.”

Sosa continued, “We have accomplished great things as a team and I have worked extremely hard in the batting cage to become a great hitter.” The Cubs fans are the best in the world and I hope that the fans, the Cubs and I everyone can get back together and move on. We can’t change the past, but the future is bright. I have always been a Cub at heart and I can’t wait to see the Cubs fans again.”

Ricketts issued his own statement shortly after Sosa made the first move.

“We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and coming forward,” Ricketts said. “Nobody played harder or wanted to win more.” Nobody is perfect, but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs. To say Sammy is a fan favorite is an understatement. We plan to invite him to the 2025 Cubs Convention and hope he can attend, even if it is on short notice. We are all ready to move forward together.”

Sosa hit more than 60 home runs in 1998, 1999 and 2001. However, he often seemed to distance himself from his teammates and did not receive much public support from them while estranged from ownership. Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was an outspoken critic of PED users, and pitcher Kerry Wood is known for smashing Sosa’s boombox in the clubhouse.

It will be interesting to see how Ricketts incorporates Sosa into the team’s marketing and Wrigley Field activities. The team has not yet retired its number 21 jersey, but that could happen next summer. It’s safe to say the team will be watching to see how things unfold at the Cubs Convention on January 17-19.