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By mw2828, Section MLB
He's a walking contradiction, half hero half villain, glaring like a samurai behind ice-cold eyes. He's a warrior and a whiner, heart and talent, attitude and arrogance. He defends his teammates with righteous zeal. He belittles them with distant apathy. He hits and he hits. He is Gary Sheffield.
Who is Gary Sheffield?
After their negotiations hit a snag, over deferred payments, Cashman quickly swooped in on Guerrero, in his eyes the real prize. It was too late. The balance of power wasn't about to shift in the Yankee universe. The Boss was still in control, for better or worse. Sheffield and Steinbrenner would amend their differences of opinion, and the Yankees had their new right fielder for the balance of three years, plus a team option. Unbeknownst to Gary, the organizational mayhem that had allowed his arrival would curtail his quest for another ring, well before it even got started. To discuss Gary Sheffield's time in pinstripes, his impact, his effort, would be to describe an era. The years 2004-2006 will always be remembered for the Yankees flagrant star quotient, and their inability to win the brass ring. These teams, two editions featuring Gary as a prominent member, just never had the pitching. The machinations leading toward the decimation of the Yankees once strong starting pitching had been set in motion long before Sheffield's arrival, finally exploding in their faces the very winter of his signing. Their callous disregard for Andy Pettitte, their complete misjudgment of Javier Vazquez's ability, and their reprehensible trade for Kevin Brown, these were all factors completely beyond Sheffield's control as a player. And these were all moves in a progressive chain, symbiotic, one feeding off the next. It's unfortunate that Sheffield will be lumped in as a mercenary, a single disenchanted piece of this fractured Yankees puzzle. The Sheffield era teams failed in spectacular fashion because of the pitching. It's easy to forget, after all. The way Gary courageously played through the horrible pain afflicting his shoulder during the 2004 season, somehow maintaining MVP form. The way Gary supported Alex Rodriguez before a big Yankees-Red Sox series in the summer of 2005, sticking his neck out, openly claiming A-Rod was the jewel of the team. Rodriguez took arch-nemesis Curt Schilling deep later in the series, winning a key game, and briefly winning the Yankees' fans fickle respect. The time Gary fearlessly grilled Pedro Martinez after the legendary pitcher honed in on his elbow protector, nailing it with a fastball. " Not me, not me." Or when he obliterated a hanging Curtis Leskanic curveball to blow open game 3 of the 2004 ALCS. Even his seeing eye single off Francisco Rodriguez to keep Game 5 of the 2005 ALDS momentarily alive. No, Sheffield shouldn't be painted with a broad brush. We should remember everything. Everything. And simplicity isn't an option when defining Gary Sheffield. There was negativity. His constant whining over the contract he personally negotiated. His inability to side step the trap of the athlete, associating dollar value with respect points. His involvement in the Balco case, where nobody got away clean. His subtle, completely unprovoked shots at team Captain Derek Jeter. This is Gary Sheffield, many things, but never one. Signing Gary Sheffield instead of Vladimir Guerrero was a mistake of course. The latter player consistently puts up equal or better numbers, and is younger. The argument ends there. Essentially, the very appearance of Sheffield on the Yankees, from the first time he stepped on the field, marked the era as a mistake, a fundamental flaw exposing further cracks within the Yankees leaky ship. Sheffield was part of the grand superstar collage, superficial and shallow as a whole, a team with a glass chin. They could never take an October punch. But Sheffield also offers the Yankees hope. In dealing him for young pitching, a trade engineered by Cashman, now in complete control, New York executed a shrewd move, taking advantage of the Tigers' overt aggressiveness as defending American League Champions. It was time to build again. / Sheffield took the Yankees and their fans through an era, a time and place. He was a symbol for both right and wrong with these Yankees, power and greed. He defined them, now he departs them. Who is Gary Sheffield? Many things.
- Matt Waters Story writing contestLog in or create an account to vote for this story!
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