Throwback Tuesday

On Tuesday I take the time to look back at sports moments that stand out to me in a series called "Throwback Tuesday". Today I am going to look back at the summer of 1999 and relive the home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Obviously this moment is tainted by the admission of steroid use by McGwire and the allegations of steroid use against Sosa but that summer can still be looked at as one off the biggest sports moments in American history.

The 1994 Major League Baseball post-season was cancelled due to a strike by the players and in 1999 the sport was still reeling from the effects of the lockout. Fans were still not supporting baseball in the same way they had before the lockout. Baseball was struggling and the sport needed to bring back fans to the sport and that's what baseball got with McGwire and Sosa.

We learned that summer that not only do "Chicks dig the long ball" but the rest of America does as well. McGwire would finish with 65 home runs and Sosa with 63 and as they continued to hit home runs it was big news across the country. The country was fascinated as these larger than life athletes crushed the ball deep into the stands. We love to see home runs and these two players were fulfilling our desire on an almost nightly basis. They were pushing each other to a different level and the home run chase enthralled us.

I remember this being the first time I actively turned on SportsCenter to find out what happened the night before with McGwire and Sosa. I have memories of eating breakfast and watching SportsCenter which has since become a morning tradition. At 11 you see these huge men smashing home runs and your imagination runs wild. I thought I could become Mark McGwire and hit home runs like he could, just like I thought I could be Michael Jordan and win NBA Championships. That summer was one of those moments that help build your love of sports and get a young kid dreaming of what he can grow up to be.

So looking back this moment is not as pure as it seemed to be in time. McGwire and Sosa were aided by steroids to reach the lofty home runs totals they achieved but what it meant to my development as a sports fan cannot be taken away. It helped bring fans back to baseball in droves. We fell in love with both men, and though they would let us down over the next few years, we were drawn in that summer and enjoyed the home run chase.

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