"For far more than baseball, Sammy Sosa, you are a hero of two countries," said US President Bill Clinton, during his State of the Union speech last week, the President’s annual address to a joint session of Congress. In his talk, he paid tribute to the Dominican Chicago Cubs outfielder who hit 66 home runs last year. Sosa, one of the most popular persons in the US today, was a special guest of the Clinton’s at the event. The commentary brought a standing ovation to Sosa. Sosa acknowledged the applause from his seat next to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in the gallery of the House of Representatives with his trademark two-finger salute from the heart. Sosa hosted Mrs. Clinton in his hometown San Pedro de Macor?s, which was one of the most affected by Hurricane Georges, late last year when Mrs. Clinton visited. “Sports records are made, and sooner or later, they are broken,” Clinton said. “But making other people’s lives better — and showing our children the true meaning of brotherhood — that’s something that lasts forever,” said the US President in reference to Sosa’s "very important" role in relief efforts after Hurricane Georges affected the Dominican Republic.
