Smilin' Sosa Arrives At Camp

A jovial Sammy Sosa arrived at the Chicago Cubs' spring training camp Monday, greeting his teammates and coaching staff with smiles.

"Hey, you miss me, baby?" a playful Sosa said, shaking hands with second baseman Mickey Morandini and shortstop Jeff Blauser.

He hugged longtime equipment manager Yosh Kawano.

"Every time I turned on the TV, you were there," Hall of Famer Billy Williams, a Cubs coach, said to Sosa. "You ready to do this again?"

Sosa spent a whirlwind off-season traveling the world, picking up awards, working for Dominican Republic hurricane relief and making public appearances.

He arrived three days after the team's first full-squad workout but still a day ahead of the mandatory reporting date.

"He's not late," Cubs president Andy MacPhail said Sunday. "It's always a story in February and March, but by May we don't remember who came in when."

Sosa came three days later than the rest of the team last year and it certainly didn't affect him -- he had a .308 average, 66 homers and 158 RBI to lead the Cubs to the playoffs. He also was voted the NL's Most Valuable Player.

Sosa was to have his first workout with the team today and then hold his first news conference of the spring.

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