Bottom Line Communications

         Ever just want to cover your ears and start screaming so you don’t have to listen to certain people speak?        
       That’s how I feel every time I see Gary Sheffield pontificate on anything. Yes, he is a talented baseball player. I will give him that. Other than that he is pretty much worthless as a human being.
      He is the classic star athlete who because of his talent feels he can do and say whatever he wants. Since 1988 he has played for seven teams and has caused trouble at every stop. He has at least three illegitimate kids, has been shot and recently threw a bat at an ump, but blamed the ump and was fined.
     The source of all his problems? It’s certainly not him. Would you expect anything less?
     In a recent interview he blamed all his troubles on “women.”
     His latest rants have involved saying that the Yankees’ Derek Jeter isn’t really black, Joe Torres is a racist, that he took steroids orally but that doesn’t really count because it must involve giving yourself a shot in the butt. The list goes on and on.
    Sheffield is the black John Rocker, but about 10 times worse. Rocker was just joking around with his slurs; Sheffield is sincere.
    Nothing Sheffield says or does should come as a surprise. This is a kid who played in the Little League World Series one year and was then thrown off the team after attacking his manager with a baseball bat.
    Sheffield epitomizes the unwritten sports rule that if you have superb athletic talent you can pretty much do whatever you want. When you are a star and can help some team there will always be someone willing to give you a second, third, fourth, tenth chance. See the career of druggie Steve Howe. And, just like in the Mike Vick dog fighting case, there are always folks who are willing to defend your actions.
    A star athlete could go into a nightclub and shoot 10 people and a segment of the population will blame it on the dead folks for getting in the way of his target practice. Google the words “Gary Sheffield and trouble” and you get 379,000 links to his activities.
    You would think that in this day of political correctness that with that kind of baggage team owners would run away from an athlete like him. No way. If he can help a team win he will always have a job.
    Sheffield was once the highest paid player in baseball and has made millions upon millions of dollars in his career. He continues to make millions each season.
     Anyone want to bet that in 20 years there will be a story about “Former Major Leaguer Found Living Under Bridge” featuring Sheffield? This one is easy to see coming.