Gary Sheffield is an idiot!

[Elbren]

I think he misses NY. Even though the Tigers are winning I don't think it is anything more than him being a guy who is hurt and resentful that the Yankees discarded him and is lashing out.

I agree ... no matter how much money he's getting paid or how much attention you pay him it's never enough. You have to sit there and tell him how great he is, how he should be a HOFer and about how great it is that he's accomplished so much because he's a minority. If not, you get what you normally see from Shef. This wounded mentality where he thinks the world is out to get him. God forbid he ever actually admit that things like .. oh, I don't know. He took steroids, NY never won anything while he was there and he's had zero MVP's. He's a very good player, but he's not great ... but he just doesn't understand why people don't acknowledge him as one of the greatest players in history. Somehow he's resentful over over this.

I'm sure the fact he's having an MVP-type season now, but Magglio Ordonez is having a better season and getting more attention isn't helping anything.

As for Torre: As much as I dislike him, I just don't see it. There have been too many minorities to come through that team for no one else to notice or say something about it.

[ChaosLex]

I agree ... no matter how much money he's getting paid or how much attention you pay him it's never enough. You have to sit there and tell him how great he is, how he should be a HOFer and about how great it is that he's accomplished so much because he's a minority. If not, you get what you normally see from Shef. This wounded mentality where he thinks the world is out to get him. God forbid he ever actually admit that things like .. oh, I don't know. He took steroids, NY never won anything while he was there and he's had zero MVP's. He's a very good player, but he's not great ... but he just doesn't understand why people don't acknowledge him as one of the greatest players in history. Somehow he's resentful over over this.

I'm sure the fact he's having an MVP-type season now, but Magglio Ordonez is having a better season and getting more attention isn't helping anything.

As for Torre: As much as I dislike him, I just don't see it. There have been too many minorities to come through that team for no one else to notice or say something about it.

Agreed 110%.

Sheffield will always be the red-headed stepchild. At least, in his own mind.

[TyCobb]

Ty Cobb was one of the most racist people to have ever lived, does it take away from his accomplishments?

I think it has a little. Ty Cobb was viewed as the greatest player ever back in the day. I don't hear Ty Cobb being in talks as one of the greatest ever now and I think it is because he was a known racist.

Personally I find it ironic everyone brings up that he was a racist before his greatness as a ball player. When back in Cobb's day America was racist and Baseball itself won't allow Blacks to play.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Here's the thing.

If a black player accuses a manager, teammate, coach, owner, whoever of being racist it has to be accepted with a certain degree of insight based on who says it. Gary Sheffield accusing Joe Torre of being racist has a much different effect on me than if Bernie Williams or Mo Rivera or any other non-white Yankee had said it. The simple reason? Gary Sheffield, whether he is black, white, red, green, etc is a big mouth who often times intentionally causes controversy many times just for the sake of hearing himself talk. This is my opinion, of course, which I am entitled to.

Here is a good example. Say John Rocker was signed by the Texas Rangers. He subsequently accuses Ron Washington of favoring black players or other minority players over white players. Now, compare that to if someone like Michael Young or Gerald Laird said it. You can't possibly tell me that you'd receive both of those statements with the same reaction.

It's a sensitive subject, I know. And maybe Sheffield is right. But based on his past attitudes and statements, you can't blame people for being a little wary of anything he says, whether it's related to race or steroids or his favorite type of cookie.

[Elbren]

I also find these comments a bit ironic considering they're coming from someone who not too long ago said there so many latino's in MLB because they were "easily controlled". (or something to that effect)

[Moose Milligan]

Interesting...Kenny Lofton's come out and supported Sheffields comments, yet not giving much detail as to why he actually feels that way.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-sbynotes155294608jul15,0,7236688.story?coll=ny-baseball-headlines

Sour grapes? Who knows. I know Sheffields a bit of a malcontent but I never figured Lofton to be one.

[drarray]

Interesting...Kenny Lofton's come out and supported Sheffields comments, yet not giving much detail as to why he actually feels that way.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-sbynotes155294608jul15,0,7236688.story?coll=ny-baseball-headlines

Sour grapes? Who knows. I know Sheffields a bit of a malcontent but I never figured Lofton to be one.

Lofton has also been a malcontent but not as vocal of one as Sheff.

[rolliefingers]

Lofton has also been a malcontent but not as vocal of one as Sheff.

How so? Because he's black?

[Pedro Cerrano]

How so? Because he's black?

No. Because he has complained in the past about playing time and his role, etc.

[Migrant Redbird]

What color you are has a difference in how you perceive the world around you. An action which Torre didn't regard as discriminatory might well be regarded as such by Lofton and Sheffield. Whether it would be regarded that way by a neutral observer (presuming that you could find one) is something I couldn't say.

I realized that for myself once when discussing the Rodney King incident with a friend who was black. I made an observation which I regarded as obviously true, but my friend saw it differently. Just because he was well educated (an electrical engineer) from a privileged family (he told me once it was assumed that he and his many sisters would all get college degrees), I assumed that he'd view this issue "sensibly".

The O.J. Simpson case is another example. I find it difficult to understand how anyone would believe that O.J. was innocent, but I'd wager that there are still many in the black community who are convinced he was being framed by the LA police.

[rolliefingers]

No. Because he has complained in the past about playing time and his role, etc.

When? I've never heard of Lofton doing that.

And even if he has, so has Kevin Millar and thousands of other players. It seems like black players often get vilified for doing the same things as white players do.

[Leitch]

I almost know I shouldn't be jumping into this, but I'm not really sure what Sheffield has said in this article/interview that makes him an idiot

[geschinger]

I almost know I shouldn't be jumping into this, but I'm not really sure what Sheffield has said in this article/interview that makes him an idiot

Idiot may be too strong for this one incident. Like I said before, he is a player who was hurt that the Yankees discarded him. He's bitter and is lashing out. Now his comments a month ago - those were idiotic.

[rolliefingers]

I almost know I shouldn't be jumping into this, but I'm not really sure what Sheffield has said in this article/interview that makes him an idiot

I know better, too. But I'm drawn to these kinds of threads like black people to collard greens.

OMG DID I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD

[rolliefingers]

Idiot may be too strong for this one incident. Like I said before, he is a player who was hurt that the Yankees discarded him. He's bitter and is lashing out. Now his comments a month ago - those were idiotic.

Possibly. Or maybe he's completely right, and nobody's ever taken Torre to task for his actions before. We don't know. My question is, why does everyone assume that Sheffield is wrong?