Gary Sheffield is an idiot

Recently, Detroit Tigers OF/DH Gary Sheffield complained about not playing in the field, and not playing everyday, saying

“I can be in the outfield and play every day. I don’t want to DH. I don’t feel like a baseball player when I DH. I don’t know how to be the leader that I am from the bench. I can’t be a vocal leader. I can’t talk to guys from the bench because I don’t feel right about it.

“I’m in a role now where I don’t know what to do, really. The guys are out there busting their butt for nine innings, they come in and they hit and they grind. I just sit down and hit. That’s all I do, so I can’t be in a leadership role from that position.”

What an idiotic statement from Sheffield. As Manager Jim Leyland pointed out, shoulder injuries have limited his time, and one of the conditions of Sheffield accepting the trade to the Tigers from the Yankees was being a DH, saying

“I told him that all I had here for him was a DH. If he did not want to accept that, do not accept the trade. I’m still confused by the article because it talks about ‘platoon doesn’t set well.’ Gary Sheffield never platooned here.

“Platoon is when you have a left-hand hitter and a right-hand hitter. One plays against right-hand pitching and one plays against left-hand pitching. That is a platoon.”

Leyland said Sheffield played in 39 of 51 games before going on the disabled list in May and played in 36 of the last 43 games, entering Monday’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Anybody that has a brain knows that’s not a platoon.”

After reading the article, I must say that I agree with Jim Leyland here. What an idiotic statement from Gary Sheffield. No wonder people hate this scumbag.