CHICAGO – The 38th Chicago Cubs Convention fittingly ended around the same time as the brief TikTok outage, giving Cubs fans and TikTok users a chance to reboot their attention spans. It’s going to be a long ride in 2025, so hop on board at your own risk. It was, as advertised, the most interesting, buzz-creating and media-fueled Cubs Convention in years, mostly due to the return of Sammy Sosa, the prodigal Cub. Or maybe it was Jed Hoyer’s socks. Who knows? No matter, it’s safe to say the decisions last month by Sosa to semi-apologize for his non-PED-related “mistakes,” and for Chairman Tom Ricketts to just let Sammy be Sammy despite his flaws, were game-changers for both the former slugger and the Cubs marketing department.

It was obvious to all nonpartisan observers that Sosa 2.0 is here to stay, and there’s no going back. From now on, anything Sammy goes. The moment Sosa truly arrived was not during the choreographed, flag-waving introduction on Friday or during Saturday’s podcast interview with future Marquee Network analyst-in-training Ian Happ. It came immediately after the podcast ended, when dozens of kids rushed the stage for Sosa’s autograph, looking like the opening of a mosh pit at the Aragon Ballroom.

These were not fans who watched Sosa play, but Generation Alphas who only knew of the Sosa legend from YouTube, Google or stories told by their parents and grandparents who lived through it. Some kids had already been introduced to the Sosa sagas: The hop, the kiss, the big sneeze, the Great Home Run Race of 1998, the corked bat episode, the Flintstones conspiracy, the post-9/11 flag-waving, the Japanese bow, the busted boom box, the testimony before Congress, the beanball, the final game walkout, the parking lot video, the snit with Dusty Baker, the Mack Newton motivational speeches and other tales too numerous to mention.

Others just knew Sosa’s autograph might be worth some money. These kids are no dummies. Either way, Sosa was back to rock star status, like Styx going back to play the Illinois State Fair in their 50s. Everyone loves the greatest hits.

During a brief, backstage bump-in with Sosa that was not sanctioned by Cubs officials or Sosa’s people, he could not tell me if he would make his long-awaited return to Wrigley Field for the home opener, April 4 against San Diego. But he said he planned to return to Chicago often, schedule permitting. If Sosa doesn’t spend a day game in the bleachers while being mic’d up by Marquee, I’d be surprised.

His highlight package might even move into the rotation of the popular between-innings “Cubs Legends” videos at Wrigley, joining those of Kerry Wood, Billy Williams, Carlos Zambrano, Ron Santo and others. And after the video ends, cameras pan to business operations president Crane Kenney’s suite, where Sosa will acknowledge the cheers and perform his traditional heart tap/air kiss salute.

Sure, there might be some boos at Wrigley. Some won’t forgive Sosa or others from that era for their alleged “mistakes,” which skewed the major-league record books forever. But few discouraging words were heard about Sosa at the Cubs Convention, which is made up of a kinder, gentler group of fans, and a higher percentage of children who think of Sosa and Clark the Cub as similar mythical characters.

Sosa’s problematic choices in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the ones that kept him out of the Baseball Hall of Fame, were only brought up when Sosa was asked about his vague apology by local media members. That part of Sosa’s legacy certainly was not part of the Marquee wall-to-wall broadcast, and the Rickettses naturally control the lemon-scented Sosa narrative on their own TV network.

“Everybody supported it 90%,” Sosa said of the statement that led to his reunion. That’s a mandate, if the numbers are correct. Ricketts gave Cubs fans what they wanted, and now it’s time to see where this beautiful, new friendship leads. Kenney, one of the few executives who experienced the messy divorce between Sosa and the Jim Hendry/Dusty Baker regime in 2004, can now monetize Sosa’s return. Perhaps he will dump another wheelbarrow full of cash at Hoyer’s doorstep, courtesy of Sosa “merch” sales at Wrigley.

Sosa said the “timing” was finally right for his apology that led to the reunion, though it should be remembered that fellow Steroids Era outcast Mark McGwire reunited with the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2010, becoming a hitting coach when he finally admitted to PED use. That reunion, featuring Sosa’s home run rival from ’98, prompted Cubs fans to wonder whether Sosa would ever be forgiven and reunited with the Cubs, who were under new ownership.

“We have not discussed anything regarding Sammy,” Kenney said that day. The standoff lasted 15 more years before Sosa and the Cubs got the timing right. Better late than never. There was no statue talk at the convention, at least not in my presence. It would seem unlikely since he’s not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But, as Sosa said: “I’m 56, buddy, but I look 25, right?” Maybe time is on his side. Seeing Sosa for the first time since he ended his career brought back a flood of memories, good and bad, from covering him and the Cubs during that era. I also thought of all the executives, trainers, teammates, clubbies, coaches, marketing gurus, media relations handlers, entourage members and fellow reporters who were along for the ride.

On the advice of an attorney, I’ll refrain from discussing those memories. Suffice it to say it was one wild ride and a time when players weren’t afraid to express themselves.

Back in spring training of 2001, the Cubs brought in Newton, a fitness coach and motivational speaker, to work with players. Tribune beat writer Teddy Greenstein reported that Newton’s advice was helping Sosa’s self-esteem. “I love myself,” Sosa repeatedly said, smiling as he spoke to the reporter. Twenty-four years later, on a cold winter weekend in Chicago, nothing had really changed.