Comments on: Sheffield talks about stuff

By: JoJo SunDevil

JoJo SunDevil — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:56:42 +0000

SHEFFIELD’S GONE!! Can we get back to basics now?

By: judpma

judpma — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:13:02 +0000

Sean that was TOOO GOOD

By: Sean C. in Illinois

Sean C. in Illinois — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:58:09 +0000

I’m going to have a talk with Sheffield as though I were a more Sean-like version of Jim Leyland, and also much larger and younger than Gary.

“I can be in the outfield and play every day.”

No, you can’t.

“I don’t want to DH.”

I’m with you. I don’t want you to DH, either.

“I don’t feel like a baseball player when I DH.”

Do you feel like a baseball player when you look at your 2008 stats?

“I don’t know how to be the leader that I am from the bench.”

You’re not a leader, on the bench or anywhere.

“I can’t be a vocal leader.”

You can sure be vocal, though, can’t you?

“I can’t talk to guys from the bench because I don’t feel right about it.’

They wouldn’t feel right about it, either. Because you suck.

“I’m in a role now where I don’t know what to do, really.”

That’s called retirement. Give it a try.

“The guys are out there busting their butt for nine innings, they come in and they hit and they grind.”

Yeah, they hit. By “grind,” do you mean something like running out an infield grounder? Just curious.

“I just sit down and hit.”

Yeah, you do sit down.

“That’s all I do, so I can’t be in a leadership role from that position.”

Try leaning on the dugout railing. Works for me.

By: Sean C. in Illinois

Sean C. in Illinois — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:45:45 +0000

Sheffield’s clarifying remarks clarify one thing: He wants out. This is good news. I hope fans at Comerica continue to boo him. I don’t see him making it to September in a Tigers uniform. Surely there is a team desperate enough for his supposed “when motivated” potential during a stretch run to pick up some of his contract.

He wants out, and I can’t wait. I’m not annoyed with him at all now. What a favor he is doing us all.

By: Sean C. in Illinois

Sean C. in Illinois — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:38:50 +0000

‘I’m going to miss that guy…”

Me, too, Dave. He’s City-State Strong, and I’m sure Athens regrets letting him go.

By: Dave BW

Dave BW — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:08:58 +0000

Sean C: “Thmaes the Macedonian”

I’m going to miss that guy…

By: ron

ron — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:48:25 +0000

Okay it’s only been a year and a half since 2006. Feels like an eternity.

By: ron

ron — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:38:29 +0000

What was brilliant is that the Tiger owner realized that a manager change had to be made less than a year and a half after the great 61′ season. If Fetzer still owned the Tigers, in Ernie’s own words, Leyland would be ” looong gone”.

By: Andre in Chi

Andre in Chi — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:01:46 +0000

Ken,

I couldn’t disagree more, Sheff’s at-bats call for something much more extreme…like Steel Reserve.

http://img.photobucket.com/alb.....didido.jpg

By: Ken in Las Vegas

Ken in Las Vegas — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:41:48 +0000

T. Smith, I appreciate the personal insight into the “Sheff get’s pitched to like he’s Ted “Ingey” Ruth” argument, but I feel like I’ve been seeing things through a different lense. If you ask me, Sheff gets his strike zone shrinked. I feel like he gets the benefit of the doubt more than anyone on the team. I’m not sure why we see things so differently. I don’t know how many times I thought “Wow, that was a strike. No wonder he draws so many walks.” after a Sheffield at-bat.

And let’s be honest, pitchers don’t throw up meatballs until a washed up hall-of-famer toss-up limps to the plate and then all of a sudden tries to hit the edges. Sheff gets plenty of juicy pitches to hit, and he routinely wallops them so foul left that it reminds me of my killer hook on the golf course. I mean the guy hits at least 1 home run and a line-drive double every single game, they just don’t happen to be within the pre-conceived “regulations” that we have so foolishly constricted our game with. Take half a painkiller or down a 22 oz miller before the game Gary and put a few of those on the right side of the Prime Meridian.

By: Sean C. in Illinois

Sean C. in Illinois — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:30:23 +0000

OPS IN TIGERS LOSSES

Guillen .721
Granderson .688
Ordonez .668
Polanco .652
Joyce .651
Cabrera .643
Sheffield .613
Rodriguez .613
Thames .570
Inge .475
Renteria .434

I thought it would be interesting to see how well a hit or walk from Thames, Inge, or Renteria predicted a Tigers win, since so little of their good hitting came in losses:

Thames 28-19 .596
Renteria 37-32 .536
Inge 23-22 .511

By: Sean C. in Illinois

Sean C. in Illinois — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:10:52 +0000

“I get it. Sheff-Inge. Brilliant.”

That would have went right over my head. Really.

By: Chris in Dallas

Chris in Dallas — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:02:41 +0000

I get it. Sheff-Inge. Brilliant.

By: ron

ron — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:49:11 +0000

They’re both sons of Bob Sheffing, who managed the Tigers to a 101 and 61 record in 1961, but was let go in 63′ because of a poor start. his nickname was Grumpy, a trait passed on to both his sons.

By: Chris in Dallas

Chris in Dallas — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:16:33 +0000

Polanco has never drawn a whole lot of walks. He balances that out by never striking out. I’d say something about looking up “contact hitter” in Webster’s and seeing his picture, but that sounds too hack-y (no pun intended).