# Hey ESPN, it was a corked bat. That's it. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 5, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868 "2003-06-05T17:04:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![More\_Cowbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@More\_Cowbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/More_Cowbell)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/21 "2003-06-05T21:17:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Weirddave \* > **BTW, I’m not a Sosa apologist, or even much of a baseball fan anymore- the whole sport is dying, poisoned by greedy owners and players** Not to sound to conspiratorial, but given this, why would baseball and it’s owners indict one of the players who helped breathe new life into it with the Maris chase? I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch on the imagination for baseball to cover it up. We aren’t talking Albert “I’m universally hated, don’t call me Joey” Bell here. Sammy is on a pedestal. Baseball is not going to crucify one of it’s perceived messiahs. In fact, I would quite expect them to protect him, so not finding any more corked bats isn’t much of a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![zebraplooker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@zebraplooker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zebraplooker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/22 "2003-06-05T21:22:06Z")
The idea that corked bats will increase the distance that a ball travels, resulting in more home runs, has been debunked for decades. Here is an example: [http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6015959.htm](http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6015959.htm) You may increase your bat speed slightly, but you are now holding a less potent piece of wood. A wash, basically. So ban Sosa for life? Take away his records? Don’t make me laugh. The 10 day suspension is appropriate, as it was for Graig Nettles and Albert Belle. BTW, I saw “accused” of beating his wife in that article, not convicted. If he did that, I hope he rots in hell. But it’s not cool to taint someone’s reputation that way just because you can’t stand non-white players. See what I mean? Conjecture and rumor can be terrible things. ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/23 "2003-06-05T21:31:29Z")
[smartass mode] **Because, truly, what are the odds that he just randomly picked the one out of 77 bats that was corked?** That would be 1 in 77 😉 [/smartass] ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/24 "2003-06-05T21:38:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lissener \* > **I’m not even a baseball fan (not ANY kind of sports fan) but I see this as pretty big news. Sosa dominated the news in Chicago the summer he was breaking home run records, and then of course he did break all those records, which set the bar higher game-wide, and now we find out that maybe he didn’t break those records. Not really.** Let me say in advance I’m not trying to be a Sosa apologist. Even if his explanation is 100% true, it was still a fantastically dumbass thing to do to even have an illegal bat in his possession. He should certainly be punished for what he did, especially because of his prominence in the game. But the advantage a corked bat might have given him is being _vastly_ exaggerated. _Even if Sammy had used a corked bat in every game he ever played, without it he still would have hit 60+ homers in 1998, and be nearing 500 career home runs._ The advantage given by a corked bat (if any) is _highly_ debatable. According to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=188393) in GQ it might be the order of 2% in additional distance, or 8 ft on a 400 ft home run. [Here](http://baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats12.shtml) are the distances of Sosa’s 66 home runs in 1998. [Here](http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/comparisons.htm) are the dimensions of major league ball parks. While the list of Sosa’s home runs doesn’t give the stadium or what part of the field they were hit out of, it looks like all but one of them would have been out at Wrigley, and most of them out at other stadiums, even if they had gone 8 ft less. Did Sosa cheat? Maybe, maybe not. My guess is yes. Did it affect his numbers in a big way? He’s undoubtedly broken hundreds of bats over his career, and nothing has been found before. If he’s used a corked bat, it can’t have been that often. Since even if he had used one every day it wouldn’t have affected his numbers that much, the overall effect must have been very small. Suspend him for 10 days? Yes, for being a dumbass if nothing else. Ban him from baseball? Ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![More\_Cowbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@More\_Cowbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/More_Cowbell)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/25 "2003-06-05T21:43:15Z")
Sorry **zebraplooker** , I don’t have access to the wonderful justice system in the country with such a sparkling human rights record as the Domenican Republic, Sammy’s home and where he spent his winters. Maybe I’ll try and look. In the meantime, why don’t you commence on fucking yourself for suggesting, even in example, racial motivation. Tell me, have YOU stopped beating your wife? Regardless of the effects of corking a bat, it is STILL cheating. ---
**Author:** ![deb2world](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@deb2world](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deb2world)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/26 "2003-06-05T21:44:14Z")
Sosa had to know that he picked up the wrong bat. Any good hitter can immediately tell the weight of the bat. So yes he cheated and should suffer the consequences which should be harsh. I agree with **Balduran** , any bats that are corked which were confiscated might have conveniently disappeared. I do not trust MLB to be honest, they are only looking to protect the “integrity of the game” which translates into how to get the fans thru the turnstiles. ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/27 "2003-06-05T22:38:44Z")
Hamlet’s response to my post is a classic. A cheater? Has he been busted for this shit before? Oh yeah, he’s gained 40 pounds over the last 8 years, BFD, you think Barry Bonds got to 237 lbs on milk shakes? And like **Colibri** said, if he was corkin’ his sticks, wouldn’t he have gotten busted before? I must say I had never heard of the alleged wife-beating and that does temper my enthusiasm for Mr. Sosa, however, I think his contributions to the game (ie, increasing fan attendance, et al) more than make up for this “mistake”. Get a grip. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/28 "2003-06-05T23:17:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ThunderBug \* > \*\*Sorry **zebraplooker** , I don’t have access to the wonderful justice system in the country with such a sparkling human rights record as the Domenican Republic, Sammy’s home and where he spent his winters. Maybe I’ll try and look. In the meantime, why don’t you commence on fucking yourself for suggesting, even in example, racial motivation. > > Tell me, have YOU stopped beating your wife? > > Regardless of the effects of corking a bat, it is STILL cheating. \*\* Hey, no one asked for Domincan public records. Find a newspaper article or something. It’s not hard to provide a fucking cite for shit you are throwing out. Here [I just did it for you](http://www.geocities.com/scrubbycity/sam-meA.html) and it only took me about five seconds. Scroll to the bottom. Basically, back in 1991, his ex-wife accused him domestic abuse. Nothing ever came of it, and it was all probably a bunch of crap. But who knows…maybe it wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/29 "2003-06-05T23:27:05Z")
Green Bean: What would you do with George “Pine Tar” Brett, or Gaylord “Vaseline” Perry? ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/30 "2003-06-05T23:29:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BF \* > **Hamlet’s response to my post is a classic.** Glad you liked it. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BF \* > **A cheater?** Yeah, a cheater. As in, using an illegal bat. It’s called cheating. Is it really so hard for you to grasp? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BF \* > **Has he been busted for this shit before?** Great defense. He only cheated once, so he’s not a cheater. Pure genius. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/31 "2003-06-05T23:36:10Z")
Please. This is baseball’s equivalent of running a red light, not a DUI. Give him his (deserved) suspension and be done with it, especially in light of his other bats being cleared. If he’d been corking for all those years, we would have known about it by now. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/32 "2003-06-06T00:00:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > \*\*At first, I thought the same thing when I heard that report. Oh, well, he must be innocent because none of his other bats were corked. > > But then I thought about it some more. And now I’m not so sure. Because, truly, what are the odds that he just _randomly_ picked the one out of 77 bats that was corked? \*\* He had one corked bat and 77 clean ones. And why did he have 78 bats? Because big-leaguers break bats all the time. Even mediocre batters break bats all the time. It is inevitable. If he was truly looking for an edge by using a corked bat, having just one may not get it done. I am prepared to see it as a just a mistake, but I will reserve judgment. He has given his oppenents an edge now. He will be suspended. The media scrutiny is already frazzling his good humor. And now any time he hits a homer, the opposing manager may likely have the umps confiscate the bat and test it for cork, if only to get under Sosa’s skin. As for cheating in general in baseball? Well, baseball has a long and distinguished record of cheaters. Many of our heroes of the past had the attitude of “do whatever it takes to win, legal or otherwise”. Baseball is not, historically, a gentleman’s game. As Ty Cobb said, it is “something like a war”. Baseball’s only _unforgivable_ sin is throwing a game. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to the individual. ---
**Author:** ![zebraplooker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/d6d6ee/32.png) [@zebraplooker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zebraplooker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/33 "2003-06-06T00:00:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ThunderBug \* > \*\*Sorry **zebraplooker** , I don’t have access to the wonderful justice system in the country with such a sparkling human rights record as the Domenican Republic, Sammy’s home and where he spent his winters. Maybe I’ll try and look. In the meantime, why don’t you commence on fucking yourself for suggesting, even in example, racial motivation. > > Tell me, have YOU stopped beating your wife? > > Regardless of the effects of corking a bat, it is STILL cheating. \*\* I just finished fucking myself and I have to say I enjoyed it. Sir, you are peddling innuendo and gossip and suspicion. You’ve got Sosa on wife-beating, illegal substance use (steroids) and cheating. The only **proven** instance is that Sosa cheated. **Once** I was attempting to point out the dangers of character assasination. But I guess that is pointless; your character was obviously shot to death years ago. :rolleyes: P.S. I’m not married, you racist assclown. ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/34 "2003-06-06T00:02:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Sosa cheated in such a way that we have no way of knowing that he didn’t cheat in a similar way in the past. We only have his denials. Big fucking deal. He cheated in an ineffective way, and all the evidence says that this was the first time, or at least one of the first. Even if it was intentional, and by god I’d hate to see the look on some people’s faces if there was a way to prove it wasn’t. > [@](#): > > Right. He shouldn’t be suspended for 30 games. He should be banned for life. Bull-fucking-shit. He should be banned for life for point-shaving or taking the bat to a catcher’s head. People are caught with corked bats; it happens. They get 10 game suspensions, and that’s the end of it. > [@](#): > > And as long as baseball is not forgotten, this incident will not be forgotten. We still remember Shoeless Joe Jackson and his cronies, and their alleged cheating happened over 80 years ago. Yes, but they threw a fucking World Series. Surely you can see the difference? Other things I am sick of: 1. _“Any hitter can immediately tell the weight of a bat just by holding it”_ Riiiight. Maybe some can. Maybe most. But I use the same foil every time I fence, and I can tell you that when I’m a little tired, it feels about twice as heavy. After I use an epee for a while, the foil feels incredibly light. Why the fuck do you think they swing the weighted bats in the on-deck circle? The whole point is that it makes the bat feel lighter than it really is. 2. _“Somehow it was ok in the past to just suspend people for a couple games and then get on with life, but **Sosa must suffer!** ”_ Not an exact quote, but basically what every half-wit online and on TV implies when they talk about crucifying Sosa. Christ, I never even thought about the guy before this. Representing baseball my ass. Fans for half the teams in baseball only have to think of him every few years, cause he sure as hell ain’t going to the Series. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/35 "2003-06-06T00:21:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ThunderBug \* > \*\*Sorry **zebraplooker** , I don’t have access to the wonderful justice system in the country with such a sparkling human rights record as the Domenican Republic, Sammy’s home and where he spent his winters. Maybe I’ll try and look. In the meantime, why don’t you commence on fucking yourself for suggesting, even in example, racial motivation. > > Tell me, have YOU stopped beating your wife? > > Regardless of the effects of corking a bat, it is STILL cheating. \*\* How dare you? First of all, your cite merely says that Sosa was accused of beatring his wife. I knew that already – you accused him, for one. The question is: how credible were the accusations? What were the results? You cannot dodge the requirements of a cite by slamming the DR’s justice system. Besides, what “sparkling human rights” record are you talking about? My wife is Dominican, and was a lawyer in the DR, so I am especially interested in what you have to say to defend this point, you fucking disease-riddled liar. By the way, now that I have accused you of being a disease riddled liar, anyone can say, truthfully, that you have been accused of being a disease-riddled liar. It’s a nice system, eh? I wonder what I may decide to accuse you of tomorrow? ---
**Author:** ![More\_Cowbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@More\_Cowbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/More_Cowbell)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/36 "2003-06-06T03:41:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bricker \* > \*\*First of all, your cite merely says that Sosa was accused of beatring his wife. I knew that already – you accused him, for one. The question is: how credible were the accusations? What were the results? You cannot dodge the requirements of a cite by slamming the DR’s justice system. Besides, what “sparkling human rights” record are you talking about? My wife is Dominican, and was a lawyer in the DR, so I am especially interested in what you have to say to defend this point, you fucking disease-riddled liar. > \*\* Liar? Maybe you should talk to your wife more. She may be a terrific lawyer, but the Secretary of State doesn’t have good things to say about the system she works in. And I [quote:] ([http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/wha/761.htm](http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/wha/761.htm)) > [@](#): > > The Government’s human rights record was poor, and serious problems remain. Police committed extrajudicial killings. The police, and to a lesser degree the military, tortured, beat, and otherwise abused detainees and prisoners. Police on several occasions used force to disperse demonstrators. There was a significant increase in allegations of physical abuse and torture of minors in police and military detention. Prison conditions ranged from poor to extremely harsh. Police arbitrarily arrested and detained suspects and suspects’ relatives. The ability of prosecutors to limit police detentions and practices has eroded, as compared with 1999. While there have been some improvements in the efficiency of the judiciary, lengthy pretrial detention and long delays in trials remained problems. Police committed break-ins of private homes without judicial orders. The authorities rarely prosecute abusers, and at times members of the security forces commit abuses with the tacit acquiescence of the civil authorities, leading to a climate of impunity. Numerous allegations of corruption by government officials were raised following the change of administrationThe authorities infringe on citizens’ privacy rights. Members of the police harassed journalists. Now how exactly am I lying? My wife to be is Mexican, doesn’t mean there isn’t corruption in Mexico, dumbass. Either retract your slur or provide suitable evidence to counter it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/37 "2003-06-06T03:50:08Z")
Hmm. Maybe this is just the heat of the moment or something, or maybe I’m somehow not as qualified to speak about this because I’m not a sports fan, but as for the question of whether I’d kick out all these other players who’ve cheated, I say, hell yes. I’d boot out every single one of them. No exceptions whatsoever. People don’t pay these guys to watch them cheat. Cheating has absolutely no place whatsoever in any game or sport (unless you’re talking about Illuminati: New World Order or something). It should not be tolerated. And the fact that people are is mind-boggling to me. Note that I’m not speaking particularly about the Sosa case. Like I said, I’m no sports fan, so I’m not keeping up. But my view is, if you cheat, you’ve demonstrated yourself to be inherently untrustworthy, and called all of your accomplishments into question. No doubt about it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/38 "2003-06-06T03:52:58Z")
Oops, it occurred to me I should clarify. I was trying to directly address **Colibri’s** question about players of yore who are in the Hall of Fame, but are no longer playing. I was not talking about current players, and a ban from the game for life. That part I’m still thinking about. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/39 "2003-06-06T06:08:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Leaper \* > \*\*People don’t pay these guys to watch them cheat. Cheating has absolutely no place whatsoever in any game or sport (unless you’re talking about Illuminati: New World Order or something). It should not be tolerated. And the fact that people are is mind-boggling to me. \*\* So Brett Farve, Ray Borque, Michael Jordan, and pretty much everyone else who has ever played football, basketball, and hockey should be thrown out of the league? I beg to differ: when they cheat, they get 5 yard penalties, 2 minutes in the penalty box, or 2 shots from the line. There are degrees of cheating. Using a corked bat, likely accidentally, is fairly well established to be a 8-10 game suspension. That’s what it’s been. That’s what it always should be, at least the first time around. I’m sure you’ve broken the speed limit. Should your license be revoked for life? Or what about the time in high school that you stole the traffic cone from the empty lot? Ever tossed an apple core on the side of the road? You’re advocating some awfully harsh sentences for what are minor infractions. Anyway, NONE of Sosa’s other bats have been found to be corked. He’s admitted that he did it. He’s given a (very, IMHO) plausible explanation. And he’ll willingly serve the same sentence that everyone else has served throughout the history of the sport. Those of you calling for his banning for life are SEVERELY overreacting. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/40 "2003-06-06T08:02:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Flymaster \* > \*\*So Brett Farve, Ray Borque, Michael Jordan, and pretty much everyone else who has ever played football, basketball, and hockey should be thrown out of the league? I beg to differ: when they cheat, they get 5 yard penalties, 2 minutes in the penalty box, or 2 shots from the line. \*\* Breaking the rules doesn’t necessarily constitute cheating. When someone calls false start on the Chicago Bears offense they aren’t accusing them of cheating. Breaking the rules can be done quite accidentally and the rules penalize teams accordingly. Someone who cheats is making a willful choice to flout the rules of the game. If Sammy accidentally had a corked bat then he’s not a cheater. > [@](#): > > \*\* > There are degrees of cheating. Using a corked bat, likely accidentally, is fairly well established to be a 8-10 game suspension. That’s what it’s been. That’s what it always should be, at least the first time around. \*\* If that is in fact the typical punishment then by all means let it stand. Marc [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868.md?page=3)