"Swung onnnn ... BELTED!"
Chip Caray's calls will take you there, back to that magical summer of 1998 when those three words spilled from his mouth with stunning regularity. That call will transport you back to Sammy Sosa's remarkable emergence, back to a historic chase of one of baseball's most hallowed records.
Sosa versus Mark McGwire.
Lumber versus cowhide.
Baseballs rocketing toward Jupiter just about every day.
Roger Maris' single-season home run record had stood for 37 years when the 1998 season began. McGwire, coming off a 58-home run campaign the previous season, was an obvious favorite to challenge Maris' mark. So, too, was Mariners star Ken Griffey Jr. But then Sosa made a surprise entrance into the show. With his massive swing, his magnetic charisma and his enjoyment of the spotlight, Sosa added to the theatrics of a landmark season.
Director A.J. Schnack always had been fascinated with that season's energy, its fun and its historical significance. And in his latest film, "Long Gone Summer," Schnack has taken out the microscope to more closely examine it all.
His documentary will air for the first time at 8 p.m. Sunday, the latest installment of ESPN's acclaimed "30 for 30" film series.
Schnack recently took time out to visit with the Tribune's Dan Wiederer for a deeper discussion about his approach to the film and what he took away from his thorough recounting of the summer of 1998 in Chicago and St. Louis.
(Some questions and answers are edited for clarity and brevity.)
