All Sammy Sosa wants is to be welcomed back at Wrigley Field

Cubs icon Sammy Sosa hasn’t stepped foot in Chicago since 2007, and he’s really hoping that changes sometime soon.

Sammy Sosa is a Chicago Cubs something. Depending on who you talk to he’s anything between a fraud, a legend, or a forgotten star. One thing he certainly is: Not welcome at Wrigley Field — or so it seems.

For most of the mid-to-late 90s, Sammy Sosa was the face of the Chicago Cubs franchise. In the 1998 season, specifically, his home run chase with Mark McGwire captured the nation’s attention in a way that baseball had been unable to achieve in decades. The steroid scandal that rocked the sport in the early 2000s has since tainted that magical summer, but enough time has passed that nostalgia is making those scars cool again.

Still, there are no ‘Sammy Nights’, no Sosa bobbleheads, no panel seats at Cubs Fan Fest. Sosa’s legacy in Chicago is a shadow, and he’s hoping that will someday change.

Sosa spoke with NBC Chicago’s David Kaplan in a one-on-one interview and admitted to wanting to be welcomed back to the city of Chicago.

"“If one day I come back to Chicago, I’d come back for the fans,” Sosa said. “I owe those people something.”"

Most fans of the Cubs love Sammy Sosa, his 1998 season put the Cubs back on the map. Previously to 1998, the Cubs didn’t make the playoffs since their trip to the NLCS in 1989 nine years prior. The Cubs were fairly mediocre through most of the 1990’s and then that 1998 season changed everything.

That year Sosa became must-watch talent, attendance rose, ratings went and up and like the Steroid Era or not, that was the most important year for baseball in the modern era. He hit .308 with 66 home runs and 158 rbi’s that year, taking home the MVP trophy.

Some fans though remember the corked bat incident from 2003, him leaving the team early in 2004, and all the controversy with the steroids. He certainly was a player with his flaws but the Cubs and a select number of fans ignoring his importance to the team and the game is just flat out wrong.

Sammy said it himself in the interview:

"“To have that great year that I have in ’98, changed everything,” Sosa told me.  “I mean Mark (McGwire) and I shocked the world.”"

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts wants an apology from Sosa before they welcome him back with open arms. It’s unclear if Sosa will apologize for his actions as a member of the Cubs, but he’s certainly interested in an appearance in Chicago.

Sosa represents a different time in baseball, yes, some see the Steroid Era as a terrible time in baseball history, but facts are facts attendance and ratings went up due to the summer of 1998. Sosa was a big part of what changed the game forever.

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Since it’s the 20 year anniversary of his historic season, the Cubs should welcome him back to celebrate it this year. Give the fans what they want, a Sosa appearance will be a nice peace offering between the front office and Sosa.