Liftoff, Sosa style: a 471-foot rocket.(Chicago Tribune)

ATLANTA _ When the ball rocketed from Sammy Sosa's bat, about 45,000 sets of eyes watched it soar majestically into the screen beyond center field.

But none of those eyes belonged to Sammy Sosa, who followed his custom of circling the bases with his head down. Even after hitting the 36th homer in his last 71 games, Sosa eschewed the temptation to gloat or self-promote to the media.

"I don't allow myself to do that," he said. "We have [too much] respect for the other pitcher and the other team to talk about that. Really, this is not me. If you guys want to do that, feel free."

Sosa's teammate and close friend, Julian Tavarez, was happy to gush over the two-run homer, which set the tone for the Cubs' 5-3 victory over the Braves.

"I've never seen a home run hit so far," Tavarez said. "That had to be at least 600 feet. I was like, `We're going to win this game against Greg Maddux.'"

The first-inning blast traveled an estimated 471 feet, ranking as the longest homer in the five-year history of Turner Field.

One day Sosa might take pride in supplying lasting memories. But for now he views his 53rd home run the way a National League Most Valuable Player candidate should.