Sammy Sosa news: Joe Torre, Jason Giambi, Don Mattingly react

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The news that former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa allegedly tested positive for

performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 triggered plenty of reaction in the clubhouses of the Dodgers and Angels, as well as the A’s, who play the Dodgers tonight.

While a full story will be on latimes.com/sports later tonight, the A’s Jason Giambi this afternoon talked with Los Angeles Times columnist Kurt Streeter. Asked whether releasing the entire list of 104 players who tested positive could help baseball move forward, he acknowledged, “It could. I don’t know. It could. I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about it.... I’ve moved on.’

Former Yankees great Don Mattingly, now the Dodgers hitting coach, told Times baseball columnist Bill Shaikin:

‘I don’t think it surprises anybody any more. I think it’s good that we’ve got a policy in

place. It protects everybody. It protects the fans. It protects the teams. It protects the

players from each other. The more that fans can trust that what they’re seeing is what

they’re getting, the better.

‘Obviously, there’s a lot of guys. I’d just go ahead -- if there’s 103 guys, let’s get ‘em

all out. We’ll know who’s who and go from there. We’ll get it over with.’

Dodgers Manager Joe Torre told Times baseball writer Kevin Baxter:

“As far as surprising, I was surprised’ with Manny Ramirez, he said. ‘After that, how can you be surprised any more?”

And the Angels’ Darren Oliver, who was in the Rangers minor league system with Sosa, told Times baseball writer Mike DiGiovanna his reaction to the news was this:

‘Better him than me. He’s the one who has to deal with it. It seems like if you are caught

with this, you can kiss the Hall of Fame goodbye.’

-- Debbie Goffa