Reserved.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 195) congratulating Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs for hitting 500 major league home runs.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 195.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 195, introduced by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), celebrates and congratulates Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs for hitting 500 major league home runs. It is a unique honor to bring up this legislation to recognize the accomplishments of Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs, who certainly is one of the greatest ball players of our generation, and likely of all time.

While the resolution before us this afternoon congratulates him for hitting his 500th home run earlier this season, I believe it is also appropriate to recognize his many accomplishments, on and off the field, as a superlative hitter, goodwill ambassador for his native Dominican Republic and, most importantly, as the exemplification of the best qualities the game of baseball holds for every American.

Let me start with Sammy's formidable accomplishments and sustained excellence on the field. I am told that the record today literally will not hold a listing of each of his 500 career home runs. He is just the 18th player in the history of baseball to reach this milestone. He is the only player ever to get 60 or more home runs in three seasons. Sammy Sosa, Babe Ruth, and Mark McGwire are the only players ever to have had more than two seasons hitting 50 home runs. Sammy holds or shares 24 major league records and an additional 10 National League records.

Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a listing of those records as well as a summary of his accomplishments and listing by year of each of his career home runs.

In recent years, there have been other players who have arguably performed as well in one season, but no one has matched or sustained the overall level of excellence set by Sammy Sosa. But what is so extraordinary about these achievements is not their difficulty as an athletic accomplishment or place in the history of baseball. Sammy Sosa's success as a ball player and a citizen is a living testament to the possibilities that America can offer to anyone from any place or circumstance in the world.

Born in the Dominican Republic, he lost his father at an early age, and the family struggled. Sammy demonstrated the American values of perseverance, hard work, and honesty by working as a shoe-shine boy, washing cars and selling oranges to bring food to his mother and the rest of his family. The same circumstances led him to baseball.

While he played early in his career for the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox, he did not truly find his home until the White Sox traded him to the Cubs for George Bell. Bell played 2 years for the White Sox and hit 38 home runs before retiring. Since the trade, Sammy has hit 476 home runs for the Cubs. While we are proud of President Bush in so many different areas, the President of the United States has openly acknowledged that he believes one of the biggest mistakes he ever made was trading Sammy from the Texas Rangers, when he was owner of that team.

Sammy Sosa became a national figure during the home run race of the 1998 season, which broadcaster Tim McCarver called ``the perfect season.'' Both Sosa and Mark McGwire assaulted the home run record of Roger Maris, which at that time had stood for 37 years and was widely believed to be unbreakable. McCarver astutely noted that not only Sosa and McGwire had pushed each other toward those accomplishments, but also that Sosa had understood that the race for the record was about far more than statistics.

McCarver wrote the following: ``I think it was Sosa who made McGwire realize they could be ambassadors for the game.'' Sosa said, ``I like the fact that baseball is touching the fans in their hearts.'' As America watched, a genuine bond of respect and affection formed between the white, privileged, former USC student and the black Spanish- speaking Sosa, who was so poor growing up in the Dominican Republic that he learned baseball while using rolled up socks for a ball, a milk carton for a glove, and a tree limb for a bat.

McGwire and Sosa, McCarver continued, would not dignify questions about their home run race having racial overtones and the notion that some fans were favoring one over the other, based solely on skin color or heritage. They became each other's greatest champions. America had rarely seen such sportsmanship, brotherhood, humility and class wrapped in a competitive cocoon. McGwire and Sosa transcended sports and entered the national consciousness.

Mr. Speaker, those are the values and contributions to America that we honor today in this resolution, which were also honored when Sammy Sosa stood in the gallery of this Chamber in 1999 to receive bipartisan praise and applause at the State of the Union address. He said in his autobiography, ``Here I was, once a humble kid from the Dominican Republic, and now the lawmakers of the United States were standing and applauding me in the halls of Congress. It was a great moment.''

In addition to his civic leadership, Sammy is also widely recognized for his never-ending goodwill and good humor, such as when he sprints to his position at the beginning of every game at Wrigley Field and taps his heart for the fans in the right field bleachers.

His is also a symbol for his native country, so much so that former Ambassador Bernardo Vega was quoted as saying, ``As far as I am concerned, he is the real Dominican ambassador. I just shuffle papers.'' But nothing speaks so eloquently to Sammy Sosa's contributions to both our culture and our sport as what he did during the Cubs' first game after the September 11 attacks when the Nation returned to baseball in a very small part of the national healing. Sammy Sosa hit a home run, and he carried a small American flag around the bases at Wrigley Field. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to again thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez) for introducing this important legislation. I have to admit it has not been the easiest bill for me to handle. I have a Heartland statue of longtime Mr. Cub Ernie Banks in my office; my father was a Cubs fan; my former boss, House Member and Senator Dan Coats was such a Cubs fan that on the second day of his honeymoon he went to a Cubs game; and my subcommittee staff director, Chris Donesa, is not only a Cubs fan and fanatic, he is a Sammy Sosa fanatic. But I am a White Sox fan like my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis); and it is not without a little heartburn that we are paying such tribute, because if he were in the White Sox outfield today, we might be national champions. I hope the Cubs can do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution we are considering today, H. Res. 195, congratulates the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa for reaching a major milestone in his remarkable and outstanding career.

On Friday, April 4, against the Cincinnati Reds, Sammy Sosa made baseball history during the top of the seventh inning when he drove a fastball over the right field fence. As he stepped on home plate, index fingers pointed at the sky, he also was stepping into some very select and special company.

With that historic home run, Sammy became the 18th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs and the first Latino to break the magical mark. His name will be etched alongside baseball legends Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Mel Ott, and Ernie Banks.

Mr. Speaker, sports writer Ralph Wiley wrote that ``The home run remains the American sporting accomplishment and expression, combining nearly everything we admire: lightning-quick strike, power and, above all, great spectacle, a sustained visual effect in one beautiful arc of life.'' It brings us to our feet, howling and high-fiving total strangers. We admire and are in awe of the individuals with the power and precision to hit home runs. And the notion of hitting 500 home runs remains one of the most impressive and most difficult accomplishments in sports.

It immediately conjures up images of baseball legends and of history, and for the select few who achieve this amazing and astounding feat, it truly exemplifies and embodies their enduring excellence.

With his 500th home run, Sammy will forever be associated with baseball greats and has permanently secured his place in the record books, but he is so

much more than just one remarkable and incredible accomplishment. Time and time again, Sammy has proven on and off the field to be a source of pride, joy and jubilation for all the residents of the Dominican Republic, as well as all Latin Americans and all immigrants to the United States from around the globe.

His story is so familiar so hopeful for so many immigrants in this country, men and women who, like Sammy, come to the United States to work hard, to provide for their families and loved ones, so that they, too, can live a better and safer life.

And that, in addition to his 500 home runs, is why this resolution is so important, deserving and justified. Throughout history people have associated baseball with the strengths of American culture and equated the game with the best of our country's character and resolve.

At no time was this more evident than after the tragedy of September 11. Across the United States, ball parks hosted moving and emotional attributes to the fallen heroes of that dreadful and heart-wrenching day. And perhaps no image was more poignant or more touching than Sammy Sosa running the bases waving an American flag after hitting a home run.

Sometimes I believe it takes someone born elsewhere to sum up the most patriotic and powerful sentiments of our great Nation. No one loves and respects and admires America, their community or their profession more than Sammy Sosa.

Roberto Clemente once said, ``When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on Earth.'' Sammy has approached the game with that same passion and purpose, with that same excitement and enthusiasm. And in doing so, he has shown us just how potent the combination of discipline and dedication and desire can be. I think the comparison between Sammy and Roberto Clemente is fitting and appropriate. Roberto Clemente was such a model, such an example and such an inspiration to so many people; and Sammy instills and encourages that same desire and dedication, that same commitment to be better, to reach higher, to succeed despite the odds.

From his first home run off Roger Clemens in 1989 to today, Sammy has awed us with his ability and athletic prowess on the field and his dignity and selflessness off the field. He has embodied the team spirit, talent, exuberance, and determination that we associate with the very best qualities of sports. He has been able to do so under the most intense media scrutiny and public attention.

Throughout his record-breaking career, Sammy has consistently conducted himself with a level of modesty and humility that has been a source of motivation to people around the world. After his historic 500th home run, the standing ovations and the praise and accolades, Sammy stated, ``I'm very happy, very blessed. I've been working hard all my life to be where I am.''

Mr. Speaker, it is all of us that I believe are blessed. We are blessed to have men and women like Mr. Sosa to inspire our imaginations and to encourage us to make the most of our ambitions and our aspirations. From the child finding safety and sanctuary in a game of stickball in the heart of the inner city, to the dusty little league field in our most desolate and isolated countryside, countless young men and women can look at Sammy's accomplishments, at his fervor, and at his fortitude and say, I too can achieve, I too can dream, and I too can overcome obstacles. I too can break down barriers on the playing field, in the classroom, and indeed in life.

So today, Mr. Speaker, it is with great reverence and great respect that I say thank you, Sammy. Thank you for tearing down barriers for Latinos around the world. Thank you for being a role model and an inspiration; and thank you for letting us dream as big as our hearts will allow. And congratulations on this magnificent and memorable achievement. We look forward to another 500 home runs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) in consideration of H. Res. 195, a bill congratulating Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs for hitting 500 major league home runs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), the author of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As we have just heard, Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs entered the 1998 baseball season as a relatively unknown player. That is, until his riveting race with Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals for the Major League single-season home run record. In 1998, Sosa finished second to McGwire with 66 home runs, five more than the previous record.

Sammy Sosa was born in the Dominican Republic in 1968. His mother raised him, his four brothers and two sisters after her husband died. Sosa recalls, ``We were poor. We definitely were poor.'' Sosa sold oranges for 10 cents, shined shoes for 25 cents, and worked as a janitor in a shoe factory to help with the family's finances.

In the spring of 1986, Sosa, who did not know how to speak English, came to the United States for the first time. Within 3 years, he was playing in the major leagues, appearing in 25 games for the Rangers in 1989, batting .238. Later that year, Texas traded Sosa to the Chicago White Sox. In 1992, the White Sox traded Sosa to the Cubs. I do not know why they did that. The White Sox are in my district and the Cubs are not; and perhaps had the White Sox not traded Sosa, their fortunes would have been even greater. But the rest is history in the making. On April 4, Sosa hit the 500th home run of his career, making him only the 18th player in Major League history to reach the mark and the first Latino to accomplish this outstanding feat.

He is indeed in the select company of great home run hitters, which includes Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Mel Ott, and fellow Cub Ernie Banks. Sammy Sosa is indeed a source of pride for his native country and is an inspiration to all Americans that with hard work and commitment, anything is possible. He demonstrates that it is not always so important where you come from in life, but what is really important is where you are going. He has gone to the top and is still climbing.

I join with my colleagues in commending and congratulating him.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 195, a resolution to congratulate Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs for hitting 500 major league home runs.

I am proud to honor Sammy because he embodies the Latino values of family, hard work, and perseverance, and for being a great role model for all children, Latino and non-Latino alike.

Sammy has overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve greatness. He was born the fifth of seven children in a poor family. When his father died, Sammy was only seven and he had to support his family by selling orange juice and shining shoes to help his family keep food on the table.

He learned baseball like most kids in his poverty stricken neighborhood, fielding with gloves made out of milk cartons, batting with a tree branch, and hitting a tightly rolled and taped sock. Who knew that he would grow up to be the baseball star that he his today?

Sammy demonstrates what we can do when we try hard enough. Despite being sent back to the minors several times, he worked hard to improve himself. In 1989, he batted .238 an only hit 2 home run in 84 turns at bat. But just four years later, he showed us that hard work pays off when he hit 33 homeruns, 93 RBI's and made the All-Star Team.

Today we congratulate Sammy Sosa not only for being a great ball player or for his great story of personal triumph, but we also give tribute to him as a humanitarian. In 1998, he worked with Red Cross to send those suffering from Hurricane Georges 60,000 pounds of rice and beans and barrels of potable

water. He helped rebuild countless homes with his financial assistance. Moved by the suffering in his homeland, he created a charitable foundation to further the education and health of poor children in his native land of the Dominican Republic and in his new home, the United States.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons I stand in strong support of this resolution. We must congratulate Sammy for what he is--a model of hard work and perseverance first, a distinguished humanitarian second and a stellar baseball player third.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 195, Commemorating the 500th Major League Home run, by the great Sammy Sosa of our Chicago Cubs.

With his blast on April 4, 2003 against the Cincinnati Reds at the Great American Ball Park, Sammy joined one of the most exclusive in baseball history, becoming only the 18th player to join the 500 home run club. This club includes such legends as Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Chicago's own Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks.

While proudly representing his beloved native Dominican Republic, Sammy Sosa has become as much a part of Chicago as the stuffed pizza and Navy Pier. His pride in his native roots is but one example of the cultural diversity that makes Chicago the great city it is.

The bat that Sammy used to hit his 500th home run is now on display at Chicago's Field Museum as part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's roving exhibit, Baseball As America exhibit. I urge all Chicagoans to visit this celebration of how baseball has been woven into the fabric of our nation's history.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Gutierrez and my other colleagues for introducing this resolution and bringing it to the floor today. I applaud the first place Cubs and wish them luck this weekend against the New York Yankees, in the Yankees first visit to Wrigley Field since the 1938 World Series. And I wish Sammy luck against Roger Clemens on Saturday, whom Sammy hit his home run off of in 1989. For these reasons, I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote for H. Res. 195.