Sammy Sosa to headline autograph show in Chicago

Sammy Sosa to headline autograph show in Chicago originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Chicago Cubs legend Sammy Sosa is returning the Windy City for what's being described as his "first-ever public autograph show appearance."

Sosa, 55, is scheduled to appear at the Chicago Sports Spectacular on March 16 and 17 at the the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

Sosa's career left a permanent mark on the city. In 13 seasons with Chicago, he smashed 545 home runs and drove in 1,414 runs on a .928 OPS.

In the summer of 1998, he changed the sport forever with when he went head-to-head with Mark McGuire in an attempt to break the single-season home run record. He finished with 66 that year, and to this day remains the only player in MLB history with three 60 HR seasons.

He also earned seven All-Star nods and six Silver Slugger Awards, and finished top-10 in National League MVP voting seven times, taking home the award in 1998.

Sosa was linked to performance enhancing drugs in 2009 when the New York Times reported he was among the 100+ players who tested positive during a 2003 anonymous survey testing. He denied taking PEDs during his playing career in a 2005 congressional hearing.

As a result of the steroid era, Sosa was never inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame. He missed the cut in his final year of eligibility in 2022.

The North Side Slugger has not returned to Wrigley Field since he left the team in 2004, nor has he received an invitation from the Ricketts family.

Sosa will appear alongside some big names at the convention, including Hulk Hogan, Mike Tyson, Ric Flair and Toni Kukoč. More names will be announced in the coming weeks. The website also states "a special VIP dinner with Sammy [Sosa] will be held, but did not provide additional details.

Presale tickets go on sale Feb. 5. For more information on tickets, click here.

Click here to follow the Cubs Talk Podcast.