Chicago ? Dusty Baker refuses to call Sammy Sosa’s decision to stop talking to reporters for the next two to three weeks a media boycott.

“That’s too strong,” said Baker, who prefers saying that Sosa is “in exile” from the media.

If there’s anyone who knows something about shunning the media, it’s White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas, who went into his own self-imposed “exile” last July and didn’t speak to reporters until the final weekend of the season.

Thomas is talking again, and said he agrees with Sosa’s decision to clam up.

“Good for him,” Thomas said. “Maybe Sammy just needs to chill out for a while and get away from all these questions.”

Thomas said his decision to ignore the media last summer helped him relax and was responsible for his late-season surge.