Sosa backs himself, McGwire for the Hall

CHICAGO - Sammy Sosa thinks he and fellow steroid-tainted star Mark McGwire belong in the Hall of Fame.

Slammin’ Sammy also said the Chicago Cubs should retire his number, and he left open the possibility of running for president of the Dominican Republic during an interview Wednesday on the website Ustream.com.

Asked if he thinks he or McGwire belong in the Hall, Sosa said: “I think so.”

“I’m not going to come here and say anything that is going to jeopardize my future,” he added. “But definitely time will determine everything. Right now whatever it is, it is. I am not (somebody who) is going to go out there and say anything I don’t want to say. I’m waiting for my time. ... Definitely time will determine everything.”

Sosa, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were denied entry to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility amid suspicions their accomplishments were boosted by performance-enhancing drugs.

McGwire, 10th on the career home run list, received 16.9 percent of the vote on his seventh try, far short of the 75 percent needed for election. AP