Gary Sheffield speaks again

Detroit Tigers right fielder and designated hitter, Gary Sheffield, who happens to be a former Yankees star, has made his way into controversy again. By now all local media sources have printed a copy released in Newsday on Friday, which was an interview set to air with Andrea Kramer on HBO's "Real Sports" Tuesday at 10 p.m.

Sheffield said the Yankees organization treated black players "differently," that Derek Jeter wasn't "all the way black," that Barry Bonds cannot be trusted and that women are to blame for all of his (Sheffield's) problems. Let's break this atrocity down one fantastic quote at a time.

When asked to name teams where Sheffield implied black players were treated and coached differently, the baseball player replied quickly with "the Yankees."

"I know when I was there the couple of blacks that were there, every one of them had an issue with the organization."

Just to get it out there, in the three years Sheffield was a Yankee, the black players on the team were: team captain Derek Jeter, Kenny Lofton, Homer Bush, Tony Clark, Tom Gordon, Tony Womack, Matt Lawton, Shawn Chacon, Terrence Long and Kevin Thompson. To give some background to these names, besides the fact not one ever brought this issue up before despite the fact only two are still employed by the Yankees, the following is, in a nutshell, how these guys joined the team:

Kenny Lofton was acquired in the offseason before 2004, was mediocre for most of a season (83 games off the bench where he batted .275 with just seven stolen bases) and did not return for 2005. Homer Bush was given a second chance by the Yankees after spending the dynasty years with the team up until 1998. After bench roles with the Blue Jays and Marlins, he played seven games for New York in 2004 and went hitless in seven at bats. Tony Clark spent 2004 on the Yankees bench, hitting 16 homeruns as an effective late inning offensive bat. Tom Gordon was the setup man in the pinstripes in 2004 and 2005, but was most notable for burning out for the 2004 ALCS with the Red Sox. Tony Womack was acquired to be the everyday second baseman in 2005 before he was so ineffective they gave Robinson Cano the spot and he never relinquished it. Womack was also ineffective on the bench after losing the starter's role. Terrence Long hit .167 in a short stint during an injury riddled 2006 campaign with New York (Matsui and Sheffield himself were out, but starting a black player over an injured black player only further makes Torre a racist, right?)

Matt Lawton was terrible off the bench for the Yankees, hitting .125 in 48 at bats before testing positive for steroids. He currently is not signed to any major league team along with the aforementioned Womack and Long, while Homer Bush is retired. That leaves Shawn Chacon, who was taken from last place Colorado with a 1-7 record and was converted by Torre and company into a successful starter that helped lead the Yankees to a division title in 2005. He has never stopped thanking the organization for the opportunity since and it is by far the highlight of his career. Kevin Thompson started tonight in right field for the boys from the Bronx. Let's keep all of that in mind as we continue reading.

"They had an issue with Joe Torre. They weren't treated like everybody else. I got called out in a couple of meetings that I thought were unfair."

If I gave you Bubba Crosby and Ken Griffey Jr. and you were a manager, who do you think gets treated with more veteran respect and trust? Joe Torre since he joined the Yankees in 1996 has always been known as a player's manager first and trusting veterans second. Those are his two main MOs Wow Gary, maybe it had nothing to do with race at all. Maybe, for once in your mind, it could have had to do with actual talent and the way Torre reprimanded his players was based on performance and not the color of their skin. After all, we're talking about the same manager and owner that gave your uncle, Dwight Gooden, rebirth after rebirth despite his numerous rehab clinics and drug addictions. They even offered him a job in Tampa Bay to work with the team before he skipped probation and left town.

"According to Sheffield, Torre used him to get a message across to the team. White players, Sheffield said, were brought in to Torre's office and 'treated like a man.' Sheffield said he did not think Torre was racist, only that he treated black and white players differently."

Again, I'm sure this was based on color. I'm sure they have separate water fountains in the clubhouse too.

"Umm Homer, I called you into my office to tell you, you're not getting the job done. You're 0 for your last seven at bats. Sorry, I wanted to tell you this in private so you can feel like a real man."

Maybe the problems just weren't that important to hold private meetings about it? Maybe Sheffield was used as an example because after 2004, he was a completely different personality. Sheffield played for Sheffield, he says so himself, and in 2006 when he was moved to first base because he missed most of the season in addition to half of 2005 (and Bobby Abreu was aboard and first base was the only place for him) Sheffield did not like that and openly complained while the Yankees were making a playoff run. Or when he crashed into Bubba Crosby in one of the most bone-headed veteran plays in the history of the division series. I'm sure that type of personality was no reason for Torre to ever use him as an example in the locker room though, it was because he had pure black parents. I would say a black Dad, but Derek Jeter's black father does not qualify his son as being "treated" like a black man, apparently.

"Sheffield said, 'Derek Jeter is black and white.'"

"Jeter's father is African-American and his mother is white. Sheffield said of that, 'There's really no significance. You just ain't all the way black.'"

So now Torre plays favorites on the full black guys, none of this half crap. My only question is, why wasn't Jeter made "half" captain?

The bottom line is this: Nobody, anywhere, is going to side with Sheffield on this one. The track records are too, and excuse my lack of a better phrase, "black and white." Sheffield is going to have Hall of Fame numbers, he will be part of the 500 home run club and thus will be considered one of the best players to play the game. Whether it was pure or not (and we will get to that) is for you to decide, but the fact of the matter is he has played for seven major league teams and has not left any of them quietly or gracefully. The fact he's on his seventh team is not a good sign to begin with. Joe Torre, in 12 years has never gotten complaints from former players of any color, including the ones Sheffield mentioned. Yet all of a sudden he's Trent Lott. Say what you will about how Torre manages the bullpen, fills out his lineup card or handles his rotation, but these allegations are out of line and the only person who is going to come off as racist when all is said and done will not have the last name of "Torre."

Sheffield did go on to spew some other notables, however.

"If I took what Barry Bonds took, why don't I look like him?"

He also says that he never took steroids because "the bottom line is steroids is something you stick in your butt - period."

Why didn't Ken Caminiti look like Bonds, or Jason Grimsley, or Rafael Palmeiro?

I mean I know Barry is stunningly large, but it's not like Sheffield looks like Walt Weiss. The man's credibility is highlighted by moments such as punching drunken fans who throw beer at him. Though I would have done the same thing, especially at Fenway, I wouldn't have when I am a Major League Baseball player and can dry myself off with 100 dollar bills at the end of the inning and have enough left over to feed Latrell Sprewell's kids.

As far as steroids being something you "only stick in your butt" - I'm glad Gary didn't become a doctor. Yeah, 'roids are only done in the buttocks and you can only eat ice cream if it is chocolate I suppose, right?

And here is my favorite part of the whole thing.

"Near the start of the interview, Kremer asks Sheffield how one man can have so much chaos in his life. 'Bad choice of women,' he says."

"That's way weak, man," Kremer says. "All the turmoil in your life is because of women?"

"Yeah," he says.

Kremer then asks him whether he takes any responsibility for it. "I picked 'em," he says.

Oh ok, so Sheffield took steroids mistakenly because A: There was no needle in his butt and B: Women. Sheffield accused Torre of mistreating black players because of: Women. Sheffield attacks the same franchise that gave Elston Howard a spot on the team when nobody else would because of: women. Now it makes sense. In one final attempt to gain back any credibility from the interview, a shot at taking responsibility for SOMETHING in his life, Sheffield decides to blame every single one of his problems on the women he picked to date. That, is priceless.

(Note: I'm aware he played for the Yankees. I suppose George Steinbrenner will release a statement through Howard Rubenstein saying that he wishes he had dated other women so he would have signed Vladimir Guerrero instead.)