Sosa: An Autobiography - Sammy Sosa with Marcos Breton

The so-called “autobiography” of Sammy Sosa was put together prior to the 2000 season, when Sosa was on top of the baseball world following 2 straight seasons of 60-plus home runs.  The book itself was given away by the Cubs sometime between 2002 and 2004, which is how I managed to get a hold of it and, 8-10 years later, finally gave it a quick read.

Sosa starts with his upbringing as a poor child in the Dominican Republic, where he saw baseball as a way to provide for his family.  After many false starts, he finally signs with the Texas Rangers and begins his journey to major league superstar, one that took him to Chicago, first the White Sox and eventually the Cubs, where everything eventually fell in to place.  What the book does not cover is the fall from grace that came later, amid accusations of performance enhancing drugs and the overriding theme of selfishness.

Along the way, Sosa admits to having problems, on-the-field issues caused by overbearing coaches and off-the-field clashes caused by petty jealousy, that are always the fault of others who just don’t understand him.  One instance is when he learns that Padre players were upset that fireworks had been set off in San Diego following a Sosa home run.  Of course the home town players would be upset at their team honoring an opposing player, but Sosa saw it as them being jealous of his stature in the game.  This lack of self-awareness continued until his behavior forced his way out of town and, eventually, the league.