VERO BEACH – Gary Sheffield essentially swore on his grandfather’s grave he wouldn’t ask to renegotiate his contract if traded to the Yankees. To do so would be to break his word with a man his grandfather considered a friend.
George M. Steinbrenner III is more than a multimillionaire, more than a baseball owner, to Sheffield. He’s a family friend.
“When my grandad was in the hospital when Doc [Gooden] threw the no-hitter, George was there with him 10 hours a day,” Sheffield said riding in a golf cart yesterday after he finished his workout at Dodgertown. “I left the team to be with my grandad in the hospital and I wasn’t surprised to see George there when I walked through the door. Nobody was surprised to see him there. That really touched my family. Nobody in my family will ever forget that.”
Sheffield’s late grandfather and Doc’s father, Dan Gooden, taught Dwight and Gary the game of baseball. Now Sheffield hopes Steinbrenner will unite uncle and nephew. After all, it was Steinbrenner who prevented that from happening when he signed Gooden at the last minute, stealing him from the Marlins.
Players traded in the midst of multi-year contracts can demand trades after playing a season and if they aren’t traded, can declare themselves free agents March 15.
If traded to the Yankees, Mets and Braves, will Sheffield delay his decision on whether to demand a trade until the following March?
“I’ll make the decision right now,” Sheffield said. “I won’t demand a trade. I won’t want to tear up my contract. I want the next team I go to be my final team. If it’s one of those three teams, I won’t demand a trade.”
AOL/Time Warner is slashing costs all over the place, which makes the Braves a long shot. Trade talks with the Mets intensified yesterday. Sheffield said he would be happy to go to either NL East contender, yet neither of those clubs would be his first choice.
“Absolutely, it’s the Yankees,” Sheffield said. “I feel protected by George. He’s the type of owner who can cuss you out and in the same sentence give you a hug. He expects you to do your job. He has very high expectations. I know if I go there he’ll get on me. That’s fine. All of us need that once in a while. He gets on you because he cares.”
Sheffield’s history with Steinbrenner dates back to when Dan Gooden took Dwight and Gary on a tour of spring training camps, including the Yankees.
“I didn’t really meet him as far as having a conversation with him until I was 11 and he took the Little League World Series team from Tampa to New York,” Sheffield said. “We ate at the Stadium. He had Reggie Jackson talk with us and we watched a game. I’ll never forget that day.”
Sheffield would fit smoothly into the Yankees’ clubhouse. Aside from his uncle, he knows Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez.
“I pitched against Tino when we were in high school,” he said. “They already know how to play winning baseball over there. It would be something I can just walk in on and become a part of. I wouldn’t have to set an example. I’m a natural leader, but there I could follow. When they need me to be the guy, I’ll be the guy.”
Sheffield would fit smoothly into the No. 3 slot in either the Mets’ or Yankees’ lineup. He would be ecstatic if traded to the Yankees, but that doesn’t mean he would be disappointed to join Mike Piazza, whose game he greatly admires.
“I love the way the Mets play,” Sheffield said. “They’re relentless on the field. They might not have the best talent in the league, but they play the game right every night. When you play the Mets, you know you are in for a dogfight every day.”
That statement reflects positively on the Mets’ manager.
“I don’t really know Bobby Valentine,” Sheffield said. “To be honest with you, I haven’t heard a lot of great things about him, but I like to make up my own mind.”
The Dodgers played the Mets yesterday, but are holding Sheffield out of games for fear an injury would kill a trade.
Back at Dodgertown, Sheffield threw, shagged flyballs, ran, and hit under the Florida sun. His last swing of the day – his last wearing a Dodgers uniform? – easily cleared the hill beyond the fence in left-center at Holman Stadium. He’s ready to do some damage.
Why the Yankees are lying so low, letting the Mets dominate trade discussions with the Dodgers, is a mystery for the ages. Perhaps the Yankees feel that since they got away with the mistake of not trading for Jim Edmonds a year ago, they are invincible. Risky.
Tampering rules forbid Steinbrenner and Sheffield from meeting. If Sheffield could say anything to Steinbrenner, what would it be?
“I would tell George I understand what New York is all about,” Sheffield said. “I would tell him I understand that if I don’t do my job people will get down on me like nowhere else. I’m ready for that challenge.
“I would also tell George I want to wear a great big New York City [ring] on my finger,” he said.
Sheffield likes his jewelry. He likes his uncle’s jewelry better.