Sosa not interested in begging for Cubs' forgiveness

The Chicago Cubs may be the hottest ticket in baseball in 2017 after ending a historic 108-year World Series curse this past season, but there still remains one person who doesn't intend on reaching out to the organization about a reunion during their recent success.

Sammy Sosa recently sat down with former Cubs employee Chuck Wasserstrom to discuss a number of subjects including a potential return to Wrigley Field to lead the seventh-inning stretch or partake in a Cubs convention.

Sosa wouldn't mind a return to the Windy City, but he isn't interested in begging for forgiveness in order to do so.

"I never say ‘No’ to that. I owe something to the people – to the crowd in Chicago. For that, I would come back," Sosa told Wasserstrom in an interview which appeared on his blog. "But I’m not going to go up there and say, ‘I’m here. Please bring me back and give me a chance.’ No way. I’m not hungry. I have too much pride. They know where they can find me. They’re in their way; I am in my way. If they want to have a meeting – of course … I’m a gentleman. I’d never say ‘No’ to that. If one day it happens, I’d be happy. And if it doesn’t, we can talk again on Skype."

Sosa's career in Chicago ended in turmoil after he left the final game of the 2004 season - which eventually became his last with the Cubs - early, lied about when he actually left, and had his boombox destroyed in the clubhouse by a teammate before his eventual trade to the Baltimore Orioles.

Sosa, the owner of 609 career home runs and a 1998 MVP award, discussed his final day with the organization and admitted his wrongdoing, and expressed his regret with how everything ended in Chicago.

"My relationship with the organization was great. The last day of the season, the last game, I asked (assistant trainer) Sandy Krum to talk to Mr. Dusty Baker and ask him if I could leave early. He said yes, that I could go. That was a mistake by me. I should have stayed there. It was the last game. My intention was to finish my career in Chicago. That was my intention all the way. I never wanted to leave Chicago.

"I should have handled that situation differently, yes indeed. I recognize my mistake. But look, I have my pride, and I know I had a tremendous career in Chicago. When nobody knew who Chicago was, I put Chicago on the map. Like you said, if I could have done it again, I would have done it differently. The only thing we cannot do is turn back time. We can’t do that. But hey, we have to move forward. I understand I made a mistake. I regret it, definitely, but I have to move on."

The slugger retired from baseball after the 2007 season, finishing with a career slash line of .273/.344/.534 during 18 seasons. A 2009 New York Times report later claimed he was among a list of players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, although Sosa denied the allegations.