Sosa is going about this thing all wrong.(Sammy Sosa seeks more money)(Brief Article)

What does Sammy Sosa want?

If it's top dollar, he should shut up, play out the final year of his contract and become a free agent. If it's Cubs immortality, he should use the team's offer of a four-year extension in the $70 million range as a starting point.

And if it's a World Series ring, he should allow the Cubs to trade him, lead some contender to the postseason and rebuild his image while raising his market value, all in one fell swoop.

The latter option is clearly the most attractive, and it's the one Sosa likely will choose as the July 31 deadline nears for completing trades without waivers.

Then again, Sosa frequently confuses his priorities, and he already has tarnished his once-spotless image by engaging in a prolonged contract dispute with the Cubs.

In 1998, Sosa was the toast of baseball. On February 2 of this year, however, he was booed by a vocal minority of Cubs die-hards at the team's annual fan convention.

Sosa attributed the mixed reaction to a misunderstanding over whether he would attend the convention, but his ongoing contract saga could not have helped.