Sosa Organizes Dominican Relief

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 25, 1998 / 11:28 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

Though his mind remained on his team's wild-card race and his personal battle for the home-run record, Sammy Sosa said Friday his heart was back home in the hurricane-ravaged Dominican Republic.

Prior to a game against the Houston Astros, Sosa said his charitable foundation was organizing a relief effort for victims of Hurricane Georges, which caused billions of dollars in damage and killed at least 300 in the Caribbean this week.

At least 210 of the fatalities occurred in his native Dominican Republic.

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"All the information I get from my country is bad," said Sosa, adding he has friends affected by the storm. "They're finding a lot of bodies. A lot of people died and a lot of people have no homes."

Asked if it was difficult to concentrate on baseball while his country struggles, Sosa said Dominican president Leonel Fernandez told him to keep making his country proud on the diamond.

Earlier this season, Sosa had offered to host Mark McGwire on a golfing vacation to a club in his native country.

"I have to tell you, Mark, Casa de Campo is not there anymore," Sosa said, managing a smile. "It was lost in the hurricane."

Contributions can be sent to The Sammy Sosa Charitable Foundation, c/o The Chicago Cubs, 1060 West Addison Street, Chicago, IL 60613.