Sammy Sosa

He wouldn't. I think he had those adenoids removed as a child.

 

Reading and speaking are way different. That was the whole point.

I actually do this regularly, so I kind of know what I am talking about. How often do you read aloud in a foreign language?

But, since you posted that there are lots of people, maybe you can give me some links on this. Thanks.

 

How often did Skip have Sammy read stuff to him?

 

...and not that much longer afterwards discovered cleats.

 

Not really. Reading is by far the harder of the two. Once you can comprehend the words in written form, pronouncing them is not difficult for someone who already possesses conversant fluency. You can consult any source you want to and it will confirm that, although you should have been able to reach that conclusion just from common sense.

Lately? Not at all. But I had courses where I had to do so in Spanish and French. I like how you pretend that you have some sort of unique experience that lets you and only you realize how supposedly hard it is to read in other languages, though. I like how your anger over knowing that you're wrong leads you into protesting this instead of just letting this trivial issue go like a normal person would.

Come on, dude, no need to be an ass about this. I know that's somewhat like the pot calling the kettle black, but I don't demand that everyone I argue with produce links. You know why? Because it's not about finding actual evidence, it's about annoying the other person to death by having them search for stuff that you know is irrelevant since you realize that you're already wrong and just want to pretend otherwise for a little while longer. That's what the whole "find links" crap that you and S_Nut do is about. You're making it a chore to discuss issues with you precisely because you want other people to give up, or at least be so annoyed that you feel like you got something out of it.

And while we're at it, let's remember that Sosa didn't just fail to read his statement. Afterwards he pretended he didn't understand English well enough to answer questions from the panel, despite the fact that he had been used to answering questions in English at press conferences or in the locker room for over a decade.


But because I always find those links when you challenge me to do so (only for you to regularly ignore them anyway):

"Sosa claims every time he is asked that he never has used performance-enhancing drugs. ''I don't have to convince nobody. I know who I am,'' he said in his new Texas Rangers uniform. ''I have been good to this game, I will continue to be great to this game, I will continue to perform. I don't want to talk about whatever happened in Congress. This is not my problem.'' But until he explains why he suddenly didn't understand English in the era-defining congressional hearings, it is Sosa's problem."


"This rote quote, by the way, has been reiterated by Sosa in so many words. All the words are spoken in near-impeccable English. Apparently, the second language comes and goes with Sosa, who never seemed to have a problem understanding questions until he set foot inside the District of Columbia."


"Sosa issued an extremely well-crafted written denial of steroid usage (obviously written by his lawyers or agent). Then when Sosa was called upon to speak, he struggled to find English words. I know Sosa's English is better than it seemed that day."


"Sammy Sosa, who contrived a b.s. story when his bat was corked, still comes off as a smiling sneak with nothing to say" because he's hiding behind a language barrier that doesn't exist."


"I'm offended. I'm disappointed. I'm sick of it. I'm just sick of the excuses that are made. And I bet there will be no repercussions with lying to Congress. Sammy Sosa forgot the English language? He didn't forget it when he was doing the Pepsi commercial!"


"But Sosa was actually free of it all. He had pulled the miracle escape from the steroid mess. Sure, he was called in to testify to Congress, then mysteriously forgot how to speak English."


"And who can forget Sosa's comical performance in front of Congress in 2005, when, after years of speaking English well enough to communicate effectively with reporters, he suddenly became Chico Escuela."


Is that good enough for you? Most of those are from reporters who knew Sammy personally for years. Do you? Honestly, vp, you don't have to be a dick about this. Everyone knows Sosa can speak English, so for you to pitch a hissy fit about that is ridiculous.

 

That's pretty much all I was saying. And it's not just pronouncing them, it's keeping your place, not getting lost or flustered, and not coming off sounding like a total idiot.

Hell, there were times on the radion when that happened to me in English, and that's my first language. And the whole point is that you can come off as fluent in a spoken language and not read it aloud very well.

I never said it was unique, and I'm not angry about anything. Look, I think Sosa is a proven fake and did roids, and you can rip him all day long for that.

I'm really not trying to be an ass, I just wanted some proof, and while you have certainly come across some quotes where people question Sammy, none of them show he can read aloud well.

And again, I am not talking about Sosa getting up there and saying things off the cuff or giving a short interview, I am talking about him reading it. That's my opinion on it.

 

Many of those same reporters have said that Sammy can read English as well. But regardless, I already pointed out that the issue wasn't just Sammy having an interpreter reading a statement, but him refusing to answer the panel's direct questions because he claimed he couldn't speak English. That was an obvious lie and everyone knows it, so just stop trying to defend him.

 

I didn't know he did that when they asked him questions. Yeah, that's totally BS and definitely rip worthy.

 

You also thought that nothing would happen to a lieutenant who came forward to blow the whistle on questionable acts in the military in a post earlier this week.

Get your bullshit meter checked. I've been telling you for months that it's a bit off.