Gary Sheffield's Mouth

The guy can't seem to keep it closed for very long, can he? Not too long ago, he made mention that his theory on the Major League African-American population dwindling was because they are more difficult to handle for coaches than Latino-Americans. Now, a report has just been released of Sheffield making some more controversial statements. He claims that New York Yankees' manager Joe Torre treats black and white players differently, that Torre is not a racist, but that he treats whites more like men than he does blacks. He also made the comment that his former teammate, Derek Jeter, is not all the way black, and also made some comments on Barry Bonds, stating that Sheffield in no way looks like Bonds, so how can people think they partook of the same muscle-enhancing substances?

I'll make this known for the record, I find all of these comments outlandish and ludicrous, to say the least. But, I got to thinking about things and thank God we have a guy like Sheffield in sports right now. Why even listen to interviews anymore? We, the viewers, typically know what the athlete will say directly following the question. They're chalked full of cliche's and it appears as if they're reading from a cue card provided to them by their coach/manager. Often times, the interview will go something like this:

Reporter: So, (name), what do you think you can do to help your new team this upcoming season be competitive and win some games?

Athlete: Well, you know, first off, it's not about me. It's about the team. As long as we win games, that's all that really matters. I could play awful, but so long as we win the game, I'll go into that locker room feeling good.

Or, what about this potential inquisition?

Reporter: So, I'm sure you've heard (name) statements regarding you, when the two of you were teammates. What's your reaction to that?

Athlete: I have no comment regarding that.

Cliche's, no comment, reading from cue cards, it gets to be mighty boring to listen to these athletes speak, doesn't it?

So, while many times I disagree with the likes of Curt Schilling and Gary Sheffield, I have to say that I'm thankful there are the likes of such players in sports today. While we may feel those two and those like them are complete idiots, at least when we see them on television ready to be interviewed, we can actually grab a soda, some popcorn, and not know what to expect.