You’d have to be a cynic of the highest order to suspect that the Cubs welcomed Sammy Sosa back for selfish, calculated reasons.

Both Sosa and former first baseman Derrek Lee will be 2025 inductees, the team announced during its Cubs Convention on Friday

When Sosa was introduced on stage as the newest member of the Cubs’ Hall of Fame, the fans rose from their seats, screaming his name. He ran across the stage, and danced to the song, “Let Me Clear My Throat,’’ waving a small American flag, throwing his arms up in the air, and cupping his ears.

Sammy Sosa was back and in fine spirits at the Cubs Convention. So what’s next for the former Cubs slugger and his old team?

Former Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa is being elected to the team’s Hall of Fame ... After that statement, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said the team is "ready to move forward together" and ...

Sammy Sosa's 13-year stint with ... and reaching out," Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said in response. "No one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody's perfect but we never doubted his passion ...

The clamoring for his return by Cubs’ fans became greater and greater over the years but Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts made it clear: Sosa would never be invited back until he apologized for using steroids. Yes, even if it means committing perjury since he denied use in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

While the temperature outdoors in Chicago this weekend was cold, the 38th Annual Cubs Convention evoked memories of summer days at Wrigley Field in fans’ minds. For one primary reason, the yearly January meet-up of fans,

A “very special” edition of the Cubs Convention kicked off Friday with the return of Sammy Sosa from Cubbie exile after 20 years, the introduction of new star Kyle Tucker and powder blue alternate jerseys and the same old hopes and dreams of the last 39 years.

* Over the weekend, the Chicago Cubs finally made up with Sammy Sosa and welcomed him back to their annual fan festival. There, Sosa was greeted as a hero, the prodigal slugger returning home to the franchise with which he was most closely associated. It’s time for the Red Sox to do the same with two of their former stars.

When Sammy Sosa apologized in a statement last month for making “mistakes” over the course of his baseball career, the question of exactly what those mistakes were was left hanging. After reuniting with the Chicago Cubs on Friday night at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk and being named to their Hall of Fame,