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SHEF YAPS BUT WHO LISTENS?
When Tigers outfielder, Gary Sheffield recently answered a question from the media by saying, “There’s going to be a lot of things talked about and said, and when it comes to this type of stuff, I’m not going to even talk about it anymore,†I have to admit, I fell over in the chair I was sitting in. I never thought I’d see the day. Sheffield also basically stated that the Tiger ball club is MOST important to him at this point in time and doesn’t want to take away their chance of winning a championship. Of course, all of this was stated long after the damage had already been done, comments had been made and the team had been slightly distracted. Sheffield’s comments reportedly don’t really bother the Tigers but there’s no doubt in my mind that the Tigers as an organization are definitely affected. The thing is…if you’re that talented (and he is THAT talented) sometimes you get away with what normal, everyday Joes wouldn’t but why say it anyway? Why is it Sheffield’s place to constantly make these problem causing statements? Rumor is, the Tigers told Shef to tone down his comments as they push for a 2nd straight playoff berth but will he hold true to his words? Perhaps. We’ll see for how long anyway.
As already mentioned, the damage has been done. In stating that the Yankees (and particularly, Joe Torre) treat African American players differently then whites last month, Sheffield opened the door to be ridiculed, questioned by the media and also to the be the center of attention. Although he might hide the fact, an attention grabber is probably what he wants to be deep down. HOW CAN THAT NOT AFFECT THE CLUBHOUSE? And recently, Shef told USA Today that, “Bud Selig is making himself the face of the steroid era. Why doesn’t Bud Selig tell the truth? Why does he keep lying and saying he doesn’t know nothing about nothing? It’s a bunch of hogwash. It’s a cop-out. He knew everything (about steroids) we knew. Bud Selig wants to talk about the integrity of the game? To him, the integrity of the game is how much money they make.” My first thought here is that Shef certainly has a point and I more then agree with him. Selig to me seems like a weasel and certainly doesn’t look very honest when it comes to the topic of steroids in baseball. That being said though, does this really need to be said to USA Today by a ballplayer in the first place? As stated, anyone who makes statements like this craves attention and knows that the direct result will bring it to them. Sheffield is no exception. That’s not to say I don’t disagree with what he has said by any means…and it’s not like there is any proof one way or the other regarding his statements about the Yankee clubhouse.
The whole Yankee-black and white issue or the Bud Selig acquisition issues are one thing. The Steroid talk which has again come to the forefront thanks to Sheffield, HBO and Bob Costas are completely another. As we know by now, Patrick Arnold (chemist who developed the performance-enhancing drug known as “the clear”) said he thinks that both Barry Bonds and Sheffield took steroids. True or not…why say it other then to stir the pot? It’s definitely not needed at this point in time but even still, Arnold was very direct on the HBO Sports Program – “Costas Now” recently where he stated his beliefs that both players did indeed use the drug. Arnold himself pleaded guilty last year to distributing steroids and was sentenced to 3 months in prison and 3 months of home confinement as part of the BALCO investigation. As we’re aware, Bonds and Sheffield have both openly denied KNOWINGLY using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. The obvious key word there is KNOWINGLY but no one will ever really know whether these guys did know what “the clear†truly was or if they didn’t. It’s been reported that Bonds was so jealous of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa’s homerun chase in the late 90’s in knowing or at least assuming that they both did some form of performance enhancer, Bonds simply couldn’t take it any longer. It all makes sense if you think about it. And it all just won’t go away either. The HBO show aired hours after Selig made a public statement claiming, “All citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty” in announcing that he plans to be there to watch Bonds in his HR chase to both tie and break the sport’s home run record. The more these HBO and other interviewing programs air, the more innocence will continue to be questioned. Shef is a noted supporter of Bonds, recently calling him the greatest ever but he obviously doesn’t realize that the more things that are said, the worse it gets for both Barry and himself.
Arnold testified to the making of steroids between June 2000 and September 2003 and gave them to BALCO’S Victor Conte to distribute to players in the NFL, MLB and even track and field. The steroids were intended to boost athletes’ performance while evading drug tests. If this is all Bonds, Sheffield and others took, it’s pretty obvious that’s indeed what the drugs did. Conte served a term of 4-months in prison for distribution of these drugs but has denied issuing these drugs to Bonds on many occasions. Conte described what he gave Bonds as “a comprehensive nutritional supplementation regimen that had nothing to do with ‘the clear’ or other illegal drugs.†Again, there is too little evidence yet to judge any of these players and Bonds certainly shouldn’t be judged yet. One still has to consider the size of Barry’s head at this stage though (and I don’t mean that from a conceited standpoint although that is also very much the case). It’s abnormally bigger from what it used to be and that certainly has had people suspicious for awhile now. The investigation for perjury still continues for Bonds. Sheffield had very little to say in response to Arnold’s claims but did state that he’s never even heard of the man. So, who’s lying? The world may never know. All I care about is what Sheff does on the field for our Tigers. Throw all the other junk away…come on Sheff…focus on what truly matters…the Tigers need you to lead them to the playoffs!
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