Steve Popper tweeted yesterday that Gary Sheffield asked the Mets for an extension three weeks ago and was turned down. Ever the headstrong player, he asked again yesterday. Again, he was turned down.
Then, he cracked.
The entire season I’ve been waiting for this moment, the moment when Sheffield lapsed into his old self and put himself before the team.
Sheffield has a long history of attitude issues, hence the reason the slugger has played for nine different teams in his career. Since the Mets signed him in early April, he has been relatively calm. He, at age 40, seemed to finally have matured enough to realize the team comes before his needs.
He’s played exceptionally well, better than I ever could have imagined. His 10 home runs lead the punchless Mets and his defense was far better than someone who had played only a handful of games over the last few seasons, with the majority of his time coming as a designated hitter.
His ego and attitude may be a bit of a thorn in the side of the fairly good clubhouse chemistry, but I don’t see him being that much of a problem. He’ll be vocal, but maybe the team needs that sometimes.
And for months, we didn’t hear a peep.
The then flap of Sheffield being placed on the DL surfaced.
At the end of July, the Mets placed Sheffield on the DL after he claimed he was ready to take the field. There was a bit of controversy, and rightly so, as Sheffield said, “I don’t feel it. I don’t feel it when I run, I don’t feel it when I do anything.”
But that quieted down in a few days.
Eleven days ago, Sheffield and Manuel had a closed door meeting. Sheffield had been held out of the lineup for a few days, and he and Jerry Manuel had a 40-minute discussion over the issue.
But that was nothing.
Yesterday, Sheffield was in the original lineup for the Mets. Then, he was removed. Manuel said Sheffield asked out, “to clear his thoughts.”
We later found out Sheffield was rebuked on his contract proposal. After the game, reporter Brian Costa tweeted, “As he walked out a back door to the Mets’ clubhouse, Gary Sheffield said, "I’m done." Perhaps in more ways than one.”
I guess a few months of peace and quiet from Gary Sheffield was too much to ask.
Topics: Gary Sheffield
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Well done my friend.
I too was waiting for the Sheffield explosion. It sucks, doesn’t it?