Sammy Sosa appeared to acknowledge using performance enhancing drugs during a career in which he hit more than 600 home runs, and the Chicago Cubs said they were ready to welcome back their former star.

In a statement released Thursday through Aurora Global Consulting, Sosa said he is sorry for mistakes.

“There were times I did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games,” he said. “I never broke any laws. But in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize.”

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said the team is “ready to move forward together” with Sosa and plans to invite Sosa to the annual fan convention Jan. 17-19 in Chicago.

“We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out,” Ricketts said. “No one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody’s perfect but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs. It is an understatement to say that Sammy is a fan favorite.”

Sosa, the franchise’s record-holder with 545 home runs, was traded to Baltimore after he showed up late for the 2004 finale at Wrigley Field and left early.

Sosa, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, all tainted by allegations of performance-enhancing drugs use, fell well short of Hall of Fame election in 2022 on their 10th and final appearance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot.

Sosa received a high of 18.5% support in his final appearance, less than a quarter of the 75% needed. His next chance for consideration would be if he is placed on the ballot for the contemporary player committee, which meets next December.

Now 56, Sosa was a seven-time All-Star and the 1998 NL MVP for the Cubs. He hit .273 with 609 home runs — currently ninth on the career list — with 1,667 RBIs and 234 stolen bases in 18 major league seasons from 1989 to 2007 with Texas (1989, 2007), the Chicago White Sox (1989-91), the Cubs (1992-04) and Baltimore (2005).

During congressional testimony in 2005, Sosa denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

“We accomplished great things as a team, and I worked extremely hard in the batting cage to become a great hitter,” Sosa said in his statement. “Cubs’ fans are the best in the world, and I hope that fans, the Cubs and I can all come together again and move forward. We can’t change the past, but the future is bright. In my heart, I have always been a Cub, and I can’t wait to see Cubs fans again.”

BASKETBALL

Carmelo Anthony may go into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice next year.

The Hall of Fame released its list of candidates for the Class of 2025 on Thursday, with the list of first-time nominees including Anthony and fellow retired NBA stars Dwight Howard and Marc Gasol.

WNBA greats Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles and Chamique Holdsclaw are all first-time candidates as well, along with NBA coaches Doc Rivers and Billy Donovan, Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison, Gonzaga men’s coach Mark Few and former Iowa women’s coach Lisa Bluder.

Among the repeat nominees: the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, which included Anthony.

The Hall also unveiled an update to its eligibility requirements, reducing the waiting period for player candidates from three full seasons out of the game to two seasons. The change was unanimously approved by the Hall of Fame’s Board of Governors.

“To better recognize the distinguished careers of potential first-ballot nominees in a more timely manner, the board has appropriately shortened the waiting period,” Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “We are excited about this change and believe that honoring individuals while their contributions are still fresh in people’s minds is both meaningful and impactful.”

Thursday’s announcement is the first step of the process. Finalists will be selected on Feb. 14 in San Francisco at NBA All-Star weekend, and the enshrinement class will be revealed on April 5 in San Antonio at the men’s NCAA Final Four.

TENNIS

The identities of 15 “highly abusive account authors” were reported to national law enforcement and about 12,000 posts or comments were pointed out to social media platforms this year as part of a new attempt to protect tennis players and officials from cyberbullying.

The results of the first 10 months of the program were announced Thursday by the groups that launched it: the WTA women’s professional tour, the International Tennis Federation and the organizations that run Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

The most common types of abuse were sexist remarks or sexually inappropriate content, and nearly half of the online abuse came from what were described as “angry gamblers.”

Content on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X is being tracked in 39 languages for harassment, abuse or threats. From January to October, nearly 2.5 million postitored by a combination of artificial intelligence and people.

The French tennis federation began a similar effort during the French Open in 2023.

college basketball

Bent Leuchten scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half when UC Irvine scored 67 points and the Anteaters defeated host Belmont 92-84 on Thursday night.

Leuchten added 15 rebounds for the Anteaters (10-1). Justin Hohn scored 19 points, going 6 of 12 from the floor, including 4 for 6 from 3-point range, and 3 for 4 from the line. Myles Che shot 7 of 13 from the field, including 0 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 18 points.

Carter Whitt led the Bruins (9-3) in scoring, finishing with 25 points and nine assists.

The Anteaters are ranked No. 3 in the country in the collegeinsider.com mid-major poll.

TJ Wainwright led visiting Long Beach State past Pepperdine on Thursday night with 26 points off of the bench in a 79-76 victory.

Wainwright had eight rebounds for the Beach (5-8). Devin Askew scored 18 points, shooting 6 for 14 (0 for 4 from 3-point range) and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line. Varick Lewis shot 3 for 7, including 1 for 5 from beyond the arc to finish with nine points.

Stefan Todorovic finished with 32 points and three steals for the Waves (5-7). Moe Odum added 14 points.