"I’ve never touched a strength-building steroid in my life – and never will," Gary Sheffield said in his soon-to-be-released autobiography titled "Inside Power." On Joe Torre: "an enigma."
The NewYork Times obtained a proof from Crown Publishing, who will release the book this spring. According to the article, Sheffield doesn’t drop any major bombs but does describe his relationship with Barry Bonds, Balco, and the Yankees. Towards the end of the Times’ brief preview, there’s a reference to Torre and how they clashed once over Torre’s interest in Vlad Guerrero. I’d like to know the full context of that encounter.
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They should call the book “Liar”.
Interesting that he had to qualify the steroid comment with “strength-building.”
I’m certain it’s still a lie, but interesting none the less.
“Inside Power” is a horrible title.
From the NYT: Gary’s argument on The Clear issue seems to be that he only used it to help heal up an injury, as he thought it was like a nitro-powered neosporin, and that otherwise all he took from Bonds were vitamins.
The account is, having come to know Sheffield over the last couple of years, certainly plausible. But why did he not check with a doctor on this stuff?
Sheff put up two productive seasons in the Bronx, gave us some fun times, and even if he’s not the guy you’d like set up with your daughter, it’s hard to argue anything but that he was a gamer, and put it out fully on the line for the team. I would hope he can look back happily on his time on the Bronx. I appreciated him while he was around.
I think the qualification just refers to post-surgery use of a steroid cream on his knee in 2002. That’s old news: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1895380
Of course, it might all well be bullsh*t. But that’s almost surely the incident he’s referring to.
Basically, he heard Torre saying that he wished the team had signed Guererro, and Sheffield felt ‘disrespected’ (although honestly, when does he not feel disrespected…if you bat him 3rd he’ll feel insulted he’s not batting 4th).
Honestly though, the team would have been much, much better off if they had signed Guererro instead of Sheff.
the only book written by a former yankee being released this spring i plan on reading is the guide to hitting written by don mattingly.
YFSF had the inside scoop a couple of months ago about this book…sort of.
http://yanksfansoxfan.typepad.com/ysfs/2006/11/sheff_tells_all.html
On every episode of “Cops”, the guy driving the car claims that the bag of cocaine in the glove compartment was not his, or put there without him knowing it, or some version of exactly what Sheffield is saying. He’s full of shit.
Interesting that he had to qualify the steroid comment with “strength-building.”
Yea, we should really be busting him for using hydrocortisone.
So he used “the clear” without knowing it was a steroid, now he has never taken any “strength-building” steroids. I also hear he’s never had “sexual relations” with that woman.
“On every episode of “Cops”, the guy driving the car claims that the bag of cocaine in the glove compartment was not his, or put there without him knowing it, or some version of exactly what Sheffield is saying. He’s full of shit.”
a natural assumption, but sometimes that isn’t the case.
true story: i was once pulled over for speeding in a car i had recently purchased from the want ads.
a passenger was drunk and was giving the cop a hard time. the officer then decided he would search my car.
in doing so, he found a hyperdermic needle in the map pocket on the passenger’s door…
it honestly wasn’t ours.
we were arrested.
the kid was arguing with the officer… pleading… all that ran through my head at the time was that the guys you see on cops always say they’re innocent… what if a few of them are?
which isn’t to say that i think any of the accused juicers are innocent, but i’m having a hard time assuming their guilt without some evidence. (barry seems likely, however.)
heh. i can’t even SPELL hypodermic, let alone knowingly own one… heh.
…there’s a real possibility that sheffield’s telling the truth, unless allegations are all we need to convict someone these days, or there’s some blockbuster evidence being withheld that only a few bloggers are privy to…i’ll have to admit, i’m no pharmasist, and certainly don’t have the book on which products are illegal or banned by baseball, but if all they got on him is some cream, or clear, stuff that sounds like an ointment for healing a scar, that’s a bit weak…the local drug store has shelves of over the counter medications, nasal sprays, etc. that have a steroid in them…if rubbing goo on yourself was all you needed to hit more homeruns, guys wouldn’t be able to hold onto the bat they’d be so slicked up…
Andrew: I had the same thoughts about Vlad, but I thought it was because Vlad didn’t want to play for the Yankees, and the Yanks signed Shef instead after that..
IIRC, that was one of the last FA decisions that Steinbrenner “won”. He wanted Sheffield. Cashman wanted Vlad. I’m not sure I ever read anything where Vlad had a strong opinion(positive or negative) about playing for the Yankees.
Wow, so Vlad and Beltran vs. Sheff and Johnson. Thank goodness George “won” those battles.
a question to yf’s…. how will sheffs return to yankee stadium be received on aug. 16th?
good question. I think he gets cheered. I’m not sure why he wouldn’t unless the book is really negative and takes pot shots at Jeter…which is entirely possible. But while he played for the Yanks he was liked, for the most part, by the fans at the stadium.
I would give him my applause… somewhat subdued applause. He played hard and, overall, played well.
I won’t miss the attitude and his overly hacktastic ways in the playoffs (how he gets off w/o criticism and ARod gets slaughtered is beyond me – he was just as bad or worse).