SEATTLE -- Detroit slugger Gary Sheffield had an idyllic
view of the New York Yankees when he joined the team before the
2004 season.
Sheffield also had a strong friendship and trust with Barry
Bonds when he went to California and to train with the slugger one
offseason.
Those opinions quickly changed, and once again, Sheffield isn't
shying away from sharing his thoughts.
The latest controversy surrounding Sheffield surfaced Friday,
with comments he made to HBO's Real Sports, in an episode scheduled
to air Tuesday night. Sheffield had strong words for Yankees'
manager Joe Torre and shortstop Derek Jeter, as well as Bonds.
"They came to me, they asked me certain questions and whatever
you ask me I'm going to answer," Sheffield said before Friday
night's game in Seattle. "Whether you like it or not I'm going to
answer."
Sheffield's strongest opinions were about the Yankees and Torre.
Sheffield said Friday he felt disrespected from the time he arrived
in New York, claiming early in his New York tenure that Torre said
the Yankees should have instead acquired Vladimir Guerrero.
"When you're hearing that from your manager when you are out
there busting your butt for him, that's disrespectful," Sheffield
said. "But no one came to my defense to say it was
disrespectful."
Sheffield claims black and white players in the Yankees
clubhouse were treated differently, specifically how players Tony
Womack and Kenny Lofton were handled by Torre. In the interview
with HBO, Sheffield says the black players on the Yankees' roster
would be "called out" in the clubhouse by Torre, while the white
players would be called into Torre's office to discuss matters.
"I think it's a, a way of, the way they do things around there,
you know," Sheffield told Real Sports. "They run their ship
differently."
Sheffield's comments to HBO were first reported by Newsday.
Before Friday night's game against Tampa Bay, Torre had little to
say about Sheffield's comments.
"I just don't even want to answer those types of questions
because I feel comfort not answering," Torre said.
In the visiting clubhouse at Safeco Field, Sheffield stood
behind what he said to HBO -- that Torre is not a racist -- but also
tried to clarify some statements. In the piece, when it was
mentioned that the Yankees' most prominent player -- Derek Jeter --
is black, Sheffield quickly clarified that Jeter is "black and
white."
When asked the significance of that, Sheffield said, "It's
really no significance. It's just you ain't all the way black."
On Friday, Sheffield said he and the Yankees shortstop were best
friends on the team, and that Sheffield's son is also of mixed
race.
"They're trying to make it a problem with him, when my son is
the same. I'd say the same thing about my son," Sheffield said.
"No one knows he's black until they look at the back of his jersey
and see 'Sheffield."
Jeter declined comment.
Sheffield also addressed his past relationship with San
Francisco slugger Barry Bonds. The two spent an offseason working
out together in California after Bonds hit his record 73 homers
during the 2001 season.
Sheffield denied to HBO that he ever took steroids, but admitted
to taking the "clear" and the "cream" -- two designer steroids
created by BALCO. Sheffield said he didn't know they were steroids,
claiming, "In a million years I don't care what nobody say.
Steroids is something you shoot in your butt. You know, I do know
that."
Sheffield told HBO he trusted Bonds, and said he felt himself
being controlled by Bonds. But, Sheffield claimed, "if I took what
Barry Bonds took, why don't I look like him?"
On Friday, Sheffield said he doesn't speak with Bonds.
"We don't have no communication," Sheffield said. "I love and
respect Barry to this day. I had a problem with him at that time,
but I moved on and forgave."
Sheffield is in his first season with the Tigers and leads the
team with 21 homers and is hitting .309. The Tigers started Friday
with a ½-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central division.
Manager Jim Leyland didn't anticipate Sheffield's comments being an
issue.
"I don't care what he says," Leyland said. "He's a grown
man."
And, as for the atmosphere in Detroit versus New York?
"It's totally different, because we don't see race," Sheffield
said.
^------=
AP Sports Writer Fred Goodall in St. Petersburg, Fla.
contributed to this report.