I see that Sammy Sosa has announced that he might retire at the end of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. That's right, folks. All those home runs he'll hit this year will be the last home runs he ever hits. If anybody picks him up. The first two paragraphs of the story:
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Sports Network) - Sammy Sosa will reportedly retire from baseball after the World Baseball Classic in March of 2009, according to the Dominican Republic newspaper Hoy.
Sosa, currently a free agent, is planning to play for his native Dominican Republic next March before hanging up the cleats for good.
This has got to be the first time I've ever heard of someone announcing his retirement at some future date when he's not even playing in the present. And there are 30 major league teams. Sosa will turn 40 between now and then. If he can't make one of those 30 teams at age 39, why is he so sure he'll make the Dominican team at the World Baseball Classic? I'm not going to go through and count all the Dominicans in the majors right now, but it seems like every team has at least one or two. The Indians currently have three (Rafael Perez, Fausto Carmona and Jhonny Peralta).
So let's say there are 50 major-leaguers born in the Dominican Republic (and that's a conservative estimate). And Sammy's not one of them. There are 25 guys on a team. I know I don't have to do the math for you. Sure, he might steal one of those outfield spots, but to announce your retirement at the end of playing for a team you're not all that likely to make seems a bit presumptuous.
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