Let's hope Sosa was truthful

Sammy, say it isn't so.
Sosa's faux pas Tuesday night popped the cork (pardon the pun) on an ugliness in sports.
It's not easy to form an opinion on whether Sosa is telling the truth about the bat he used in the game.
You'd like to believe the guy. After all, he's as close to an ambassador for the game as there is today. He has an engaging personality, he's fan (and camera) friendly, and he's pretty accessible to the media -- unless, of course, you ask him about drug testing.
On the other hand, so many rogues have permeated professional sports -- remember last spring, when the Yankees released a player who actually stole Derek Jeter's glove? -- that we fans have become pretty cynical.
I'm sure more than a few of us sat in front of our televisions this week, watching the footage of Sosa's explanation and apology, and thought, "Yeah, right."
Another Bat-gate?
On one hand, Major League Baseball looked at more than 70 of Sosa's bats on Wednesday and found them all to be legal. And the Hall of Fame studied the five Sosa bats they had on display and they were all OK.
But, what if someone -- a teammate or a clubhouse attendant, perhaps -- ran back to Sosa's stash of bats and took out the ones that weren't legitimate? Not an easy task, to be sure, but who's to say the corked ones weren't marked in some way?
Remember when Albert Belle, as a member of the Indians, was caught using an illegal bat. One of his teammates, a pitcher, crawled through the confines of Comiskey Park, took the bat out of the umpires' room and replaced it with a legal bat.
Who's to say something like that couldn't have happened now?
Major League Baseball suspended Sosa for eight games, which leads me to believe they think Sosa is telling the truth. In past instances, the normal suspension has been around 10 games.
Let's hope this was just a mistake, a one-time occurrence.
The game can't afford too many more punches to the face.
Mindless
Speaking of which, the decision earlier this year to award the winning league of the All-Star Game with home-field advantage for the World Series had to be one of the dumbest ones to come down the pike in a long time.
It's just one more example of Bud Selig and his television revenue-driving cronies driving a stake into the history of the game.
Home-field advantage in the Fall Classic has always alternated, regardless of which team had the best record. And, until a few years ago, that format held true for the league playoffs, as well.
The World Series, of course, determines the champion of the major leagues.
The All-Star Game is a mid-season exhibition. Let that last word sink in for a moment -- exhibition.
It's meant to reward the players who have had the best first half of the season, a chance for the fans in some city to celebrate the game.
If you disagree with that assessment -- and we're going to tie all this together -- ask the players who take part in the home run contest how many of them used corked bats. In Sosa's own words: "To give the fans a show."
Take a chance
The All-Star/World Series decision is so full of holes. If the Yankees are having a bad season (which means, they're on track to win only 90 games) and may not make the playoffs, and the Red Sox are running away with the division, wouldn't you expect George Steinbrenner to instruct his All-Stars not to do anything that might help the A.L. win and possibly give Boston home-field advantage?
Or what if it was the Mets dominating the N.L. and Mike Piazza was the starting catcher in the All-Star Game. George might have one of his All-Stars do a Pete Rose coming into home.
Again, maybe far-fetched, but if there's one thing Major League Baseball fans should understand -- crazier things have happened.
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.