Sammy Sosa turns pale

At least that's what it looks like. The former Chicago Cubs slugger appeared publically recently, with his skin tone noticably lighter.

A backlash from years of steroid abuse perhaps?

"He's not trying to be Michael Jackson," former Cubs employee Rebecca Polihronis, one of Sosa's friends, told the Chicago Tribune.

Polihronis said Sosa is in the process of a skin rejuvenation treatment that has a side effect of temporarily brighter skin tone. She said Sosa is going through the skin rejuvenation because of years of playing baseball in the sun.

"He is in the middle of doing a cleansing process to his skin," Polihronis told the Tribune. "The picture is deceiving. He said, 'If you saw me in person, you would be surprised. When you see me in person, it is not going to seem like the picture.'"

What do you think of the, ahem, new and improved Sammy?