The ghost of Sammy Sosa is upon us.
The former Cubs slugger, recently photographed during an appearance at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vega, is drawing attention for his severely lightened complexion.
In addition, he appears to be wearing green contact lenses -- a change from his natural brown.
The above photo shows Sosa on the left at People Magazine event in May 2009. The right is Sosa earlier this week in Las Vegas for the Latin Grammys.
The cause of Sammy's skin condition is unknown, but guesses from around the web include vitiligo (a skin-whitening genetic condition that Michael Jackson claimed to suffer from), repercussions from steroid use, and "really bad makeup."
But a former Cubs rep told the Tribune he's going through some sort of skin rejuvenation process.
"He's not trying to be Michael Jackson," Rebecca Polihronis told the paper. "He was surprised he came out looking so white."
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Polihronis, who says she talks frequently with Sosa, thought it was a body double when she saw the picture. She said part of why it looks so white is "just the lighting."
"The picture is deceiving," she said.
