In yesterday's recaps I wondered whether it was time for Brewers fans to finally stop booing Gary Sheffield. Almost everyone that responded disagreed, noting that Sheffield is a special case inasmuch as his alleged tanking in Milwaukee was way worse than your usual knucklehead behavior. I guess I understand that. And, as The Star-Ledger's Brian Costa notes, it's not like Brewers fans are alone:
Sheffield has been booed loudly in several stadiums this season, a constant reminder of the bad will he has left behind in cities where he once played.
Eighteen years have passed since Sheffield last played for the Brewers, longer than Brett Favre's entire tenure in Green Bay, yet he is still treated like a public enemy here. Only a day off Wednesday spared him from more boos . . . But Brewers fans still remember. So do Braves fans, who booed Sheffield at Turner Field. And Dodgers fans, who booed him at Dodger Stadium.
So I understand why he is booed in Milwaukee, and I understand Los Angeles too -- he publicly bad-mouthed the front office and kept demanding to be traded while playing for the Dodgers -- but I don't get the booing in Atlanta.
The Braves traded for him in January 2002. The guys they gave up: Brian Jordan, Odalis Perez, and Andrew Brown -- did nothing after leaving to make Braves fans regret the trade (Jordan was popular in Atlanta, but not THAT popular). Sheffield, on the other hand, was spectacular in Atlanta: in 2002 he hit .307/.404/.512 and in 2003 he was even better: .330/.419/.604. I recall no incidents of him mouthing off like he did elsewhere. He even had a little cheering section of guys who wore chef hats and stuff. When he left, it wasn't because he demanded to leave. He simply became a free agent and the Yankees, as they tend to do, offered far more than the Braves were willing to offer.
It's possible that I'm just forgetting some big incident, but short of that, the only possible explanation I have for booing in Atlanta was that, years later, it was revealed that Sheffield used steroids, likely when he played for the Braves. But that doesn't make much sense either because Braves fans have never really gone out of their way to boo Mitchell Report players not named Barry Bonds, let alone ones that played in Atlanta. They kind of don't care about anything, really, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad.
Either way, though, it makes me wonder why they booed Sheff. Inertia? Bad day at the office? Anyone have any other ideas?
Leave a Comment:
Saving...
Ummm, I don't know. But BOOOOOOOOO
because he's a dick?
Not exactly PC, but probably more than true.
That's exactly what it is! His personality is universally offensive.
Dickitude is an equal-opportunity lifestyle choice. Carlos Silva and Jeff Kent can co-host the telethon with Gary.
My personal "Sheff moment" is when as a Yankee he screamed at/took a poke at the fan who tried to glove a ball Sheffield was trying to get to at Fenway, then took great pains to tell the media he "kept his composure."
what michaelc1 forgets to tell us is that the baston fan took a swipe at him when he was trying to field a ball in play. I dont know what happened to that fan but he should have been thrown out of the park period for his gutless actions. Here is to betting that michealc1 is one of those typical gutless baston fans who would support what that cowardly baston fan did that day.
I think that's it, Jason, but if so, it makes me sad. Because he was a dick before he got to Atlanta, and they cheered their ass off for him while he played there. I suppose there's some rationality behind the notion of "well, he may be a dick, but he's OUR dick," but I would hope that people in Atlanta would remember that he was our best hitter for a couple of years.
You mean "irrationality," don't you?
I can't bring myself to cheer for a dick, even when he's on "my" team. Maybe it's a new era in fandom, where people will no longer suffer dicks to win pennants.
Of course, the risk is of fans booing media-made dicks like Rickey Henderson, or what Geoff Baker tried to do with Ichiro last year.
Just ask Boston fans how they feel about Manny these days? Forget how sublime he was for so many years...
If you ask Boston fans how they feel about Manny, you'll get a wide variety of responses, actually. But feel free to generalize.
I'm a huge Sox fan and i think Manny is one of the greatest hitters I've ever seen. He unfortunately started listening to Boras a bit too much, but he is also a big reason I got to see my team win 2 world titles...
Not to go all Dave Zirin on you Craig but I don't think you can discount race here. Seems to me that Bonds and Sheffield (and now probably Manny too) are the twin boogeymen of steroids/"bad" baseball. I suspect Sheff gets his share of boos in parks where he didn't even play (Cincinnati, I'm looking in your direction).
I'd respond to that, but then that dude at the Fifth Outfielder Blog would write 10,000 words about how I'm a tool of the racist establishment or something. Which I really don't care about, mind you. It's just that I worry that guy goes without food and drink while he's railing against me and I don't want anyone's death on my hands.
Yeah. There are no Black people in Atlanta either. We don't know what to do when a Black guy shows up. Especially a successful one. Oh wait...
Except Franceour's? Wait, remove the "?"
It may be generational in that older fans remember his Brewer's days. However, I doubt that is the whole story. He didn't stop being a jerk when he left Milwaukee. IIRC, last year in Cleveland he almost got into a fight with Fausto Carmona and Victor Martinez (two who are generally considered good guys) over a HBP and then charged the mound from 1B. After the game he was claiming he'd resume the fight the next season or some such crap. He has always carried around a big chip on his shoulder. Some guys are just jerks. He is a very talented jerk so he is better known. Most jerks don't last long because they waste too much energy being angry.
He's a Met. Only reason as a Braves fan I see to boo him.
Jason, that's hilarious!! I would have to agree...with Sheff being a Dick. That's why I boo him and I actually like to watch him hit, but get more enjoyment when he strikes out. :-)
He gets booed in NY for a few reasons: 1. He ripped Torre when he left and accused him of being a racist. He then indirectly ripped Jeter when he said the Derek wasn't "really black". 2. He never won a ring with the Yanks and like the rest of the team disappeared after game 3 of the 2004 ALCS. 3. He claims to be a 'good' team mate, but the perception is of him being all about Gary and he comes off as a a-hole. 3. Everybody gets booed in NY, even the Pope!
Wow, a selfish "me first" ballplayer...what a shocker...
Sheff has always been a bit out there....many of today's players are selfish...tough to watch at times...guaranteed contracts has hurt all sports as the only time many players accept their role is during a walk year...
When Gary played for the Tigers, he was the consummate player ~ it wasn't all about "Gary" ~ he was a team player. He was well respected by his teammates as well. We were all sorry to see him go, and this continual booing is childish crap. If he deserves it, then so does MANNY. Let's see HIM get it for the next few years, huh? Sheeesh!!!
It wasn't all about Gary until it was all about Gary. When things are going well and he gets his way he may be an okay teammate. When he was tabbed to be a DH he became a pain in the @$$ like always.
Sorry Knick, that's NOT how it was. He's always been about himself.
Gary is booed not because of his skin color, or his performance on the field, or because of the color of his jersey. He is booed because he is a malcontent, unprofessional, and has the taint of steroids dripping in ooze off of him. Manny hasn't taken the field in visiting cities yet. He will get booed as well.
The guy's always complaining that the front office isn't showing him "respect" by extending his contract (LA, ATL, NY) while making $10m+/yr. Kind of hard to root for a proven A-hole, who pulls the respect card out all the time when it comes to contracts or being a full-time DH and pleads ignorance when Bonds was rubbing "flaxseed oil" on his knees.
The dude may be a great hitter, but he's no rocket surgeon when it comes to PR.