What a world we live in. Sammy Sosa didn't garner many headlines on Wednesday for only winning 12.5 percent of the vote in his first time on the Hall of Fame ballot — a staggeringly-low total that almost guarantees he'll never see induction over the next 15 years.
The former Chicago Cubs slugger, however, is attracting plenty of Internet interest on Thursday for his new Pinterest page. No, he hasn't yet started posting tips for DIY kiddie parties or his recipe for cranapple muffins. But the fact the exiled Sosa has a presence on the female-dominated social media network has a lot of people excited.
Because, hey, you never know when he'll start posting his special skincare tips.
The whole thing looks like part of a marketing-driven movement to get Sosa a larger presence on social media network by playing off the "The Real Mr. 609" moniker. The number is a reference to his career home run total and it's mentioned in both his Flickr account and Twitter handle @TheReal609. (Twitter has yet to verify the account, but Sosa told the Chicago Tribune that it's the real deal.)
The Flickr page is pretty fascinating because it appears to be a photoset that was taken inside a fake house that was constructed inside a warehouse. Very Dharma Initiative-like. There's also that shot of Sosa meeting President Obama at what looks like a fundraiser in Florida. (An Internet search reveals no other details about such a momentous occasion.)
The Twitter feed, however, gives us not only a chance to look at Sosa's family hitting the slopes in Aspen, but his feelings on getting snubbed on the Hall of Fame vote:
It has been a moment of great honor for me to have my name on the ballot for the first time along with some of the game’s greats.
— Sammy Sosa (@TheRealMr609) January 10, 2013
Even if we weren’t inducted on our first time, we are still winners and there is always a next time. — Sammy Sosa (@TheRealMr609) January 10, 2013
God has blessed me with a beautiful family, great career, and I know He will determine my future in the years to come.
— Sammy Sosa (@TheRealMr609) January 10, 2013
Baseball has been very, very good to me!Kiss to the heavens! — Sammy Sosa (@TheRealMr609) January 10, 2013
It shouldn't be surprising Sosa is trying to rehab his image while making some friends in the cybersphere. He's only 44 and he's looking at a long retirement that won't include annual stops each summer in Cooperstown. He's also persona non grata at Wrigley Field, a unfortunate fact that Sosa decried a few years back. He's still popular in the Dominican Republic, but that adulation probably doesn't pay well as being a star who can command big prices for autographs at shows in the United States.
So, hey, maybe this is his way of getting back in our good graces. And if the road to reconciliation includes sharing knitting tips on Pinterest? Well, then so be it.
Are you ready for hot stove season?
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