Can They Still Do This?

I was surfing around the MLB.com shop today, as I do from time to time, when I stumbled upon this. I stared at the screen with a puzzled look on my face for a few minutes, trying to figure out why the Cubs would still sell this on their website. Why Sammy Sosa? Why now? He hasn't been good useful since 2003, he hasn't been a Cub since 2004, he hasn't had a big league at-bat since 2005, and even though he's attempting a comeback, it's not with the Cubs!

It's not like the Cubs are desperate for a franchise player whose name and number they can sew on a uniform and hock on the web and in ballpark shops. They have Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez, Mark Prior, and Kerry Wood. I know Sosa is one of the best players the Cubs have ever had, but it just seems weird that they'd be selling a jersey of his in March of 2007, when he's trying to make another team as a DH. You don't see the Red Sox selling old Roger Clemens jerseys do you? The answer is no.

But they are selling Keith Foulke. The same Keith Foulke who signed with the Indians, only to retire a few weeks later. I guess recording the last out of the 2004 World Series and ending "The Curse" earns you a few entitlements. I didn't see a Bill Buckner jersey on their page.

As I continued my jersey search, I noticed a few other odd things. You can get a Nolan Ryan jersey from his days in Texas, California, Houston, or New York, and the Mets also sell Mike Piazza, Lastings Millege, and Dwight Gooden.

You can show your friends how much you wish the Braves had kept Marcus Giles.

He's been with two teams since then, but Carlos Lee's Brewers jersey is half price (Derek Turnbow's, however is not).

If you have $256, you can re-live the St. Louis Cardinals' glory days, when Jeff Suppan was toeing the slab (before he sold out to join Turnbow and the Lee-less Brew Crew).

The Diamondbacks have plenty of authentic Randy Johnson jerseys, but not one of 2006 Cy Young winner Brandon Webb.

Jason Schmidt has a Turn Back The Clock Giants jersey for sale (ironic, no?), but not a Dodgers jersey.

The poor, poor Nationals aren't selling any Ryan Zimmerman jerseys, or Soriano jerseys, but they are selling Livan Hernandez and Jose Guillen.

This one's my favorite. The Baltimore Orioles are selling a SAMMY SOSA JERSEY! Sorry fans, no Rafael Palmeiro, though. I also noticed a subsection on some teams' pages called "Fashion Jerseys." This is the biggest misnomer of all time, judging by this.

Continuing my hunt, I made a Craig Wilson sighting on the Pittsburgh page. I couldn't remember so I had to look it up...turns out he's on the Braves now. I couldn't find a Jason Bay jersey though.

The Cincinnati Reds aren't selling jerseys for either of their "aces" Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang.

You know your franchise is in a bad way, when the only promotable player you've had since 1989, is Bo Jackson. Apparently, the Royals and Raiders have more in common than just the letter "R." Bo knows this...he's also on the White Sox site too.

And it looks like the Yankees aren't ready to part with Bernie Williams just yet.

The truly frightening part of all this is that they wouldn't be selling them if nobody was buying them.