Sheffield

[andyfox]

The now [in]famous fan who leaned over the stands in the Gary Sheffield lost his season ticket.

"That just proves I wasn't in the wrong, and that's what this is all about," Sheffield said in New York. "Yeah, you try to represent the game the right way, but then being told you're in the wrong for reacting to something you didn't start, that's kind of disturbing. That just makes me feel like it's a hypocritical society."

"The only thing I wanted to see is that whatever takes place ... is to try to send a strong message that fans can't throw things or hit people or put their hands on anybody," Sheffield said. "If you're out on the street, I guarantee that same guy doesn't put his hands on me. So why should we be penalized for a situation like that because we're on a baseball field?"

Sheffield has said some silly things in the past. You all know I'm a Yankee fan. But he'll be hard-pressed to say something as silly as this in the future.

Torre's and Jeter's initial remarks about the guy were equally silly, although they were responding on the spur of the moment right after the incident and a tough loss. Sheffield has had time to reflect on how much he over-reacted.

[ThaSaltCracka]

why has anyone ever liked Sheffield? He has always been this way, in fact, he has been just as bad as Bonds excepts he grants more interviews, and he doesn't hit as many HR's. Still one surly egotistical SOB.

[Jack of Arcades]

Because he's a [censored] awesome hitter. That's why I like him.

[jesusarenque]

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why has anyone ever liked Sheffield? He has always been this way, in fact, he has been just as bad as Bonds excepts he grants more interviews, and he doesn't hit as many HR's. Still one surly egotistical SOB.

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.298 .400 .528

Well, that's why I like him.

[Dead]

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Because he's a [censored] awesome hitter. That's why I like him.

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If Sheffield has 1-2 more good season after this one, I think he gets in the Hall.

[ThaSaltCracka]

bah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never liked him.

[$DEADSEXE$]

in my opinion..if your a fan and you think you have the right to clip,smack,punch,jab a player on the field....then that player has every right to beat you within a inch of your life if they choose too.
I loved Oneil dropping that chubby douche bag who was dumb enough to run on the court.

[ThaSaltCracka]

I agree with you, but I just want to reiterate I don't like Sheff. If this incident hadn't happened, I still wouldn't like him.

[Dead]

I enjoyed O'Neal pwning that guy as well.

He fell down hard.

I miss Artest. The Pacers would be great with him back, not that I'm a Pacers fan.

[$DEADSEXE$]

You notice not to many people [censored] with football players...cuz they know they'll probally get killed.

[[censored]]

Well I somewhat agree with Sheffield. You think that guy pulls that crap to Sheffield walking down the street? Or if he was in any other line of work? These are adults and men before they are fans. I hate the line of thinking that somehow a guy can attempt to put his hands on an athlete, use racist slurs or talk [censored] about his family because he bought some ticket. You call some dude's wife a slut, refer to him as a nigger, or take a swipe at him and one of the consequences is that you may get your ass kicked.

[nothumb]

1. Sheffield is an ass, and he cheated and took steroids, and Barry Bonds made him his bitch and took his personal chef.

2. These comments are also assinine.

NT

[Jack of Arcades]

[ QUOTE ]
Well I somewhat agree with Sheffield. You think that guy pulls that crap to Sheffield walking down the street? Or if he was in any other line of work? These are adults and men before they are fans. I hate the line of thinking that somehow a guy can attempt to put his hands on an athlete, use racist slurs or talk [censored] about his family because he bought some ticket. You call some dude's wife a slut, refer to him as a nigger, or take a swipe at him and one of the consequences is that you may get your ass kicked.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there any evidence that the fan did any of this?

[[censored]]

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Well I somewhat agree with Sheffield. You think that guy pulls that crap to Sheffield walking down the street? Or if he was in any other line of work? These are adults and men before they are fans. I hate the line of thinking that somehow a guy can attempt to put his hands on an athlete, use racist slurs or talk [censored] about his family because he bought some ticket. You call some dude's wife a slut, refer to him as a nigger, or take a swipe at him and one of the consequences is that you may get your ass kicked.

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Is there any evidence that the fan did any of this?

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No not in this case that I know of. I wasn't clear but I was talking more about sheffield's comments in regards to fan behavior in general and the notion that buying a ticket allows one to behave in a way that otherwise would not be tolerated.

[andyfox]

What's that got to do with what Sheffield did in Boston or what he said today? And let's say, that in going for the ball, the fan grazed Sheffield. He now has every right to beat him within an inch of his life?

[jesusarenque]

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[ QUOTE ]
Well I somewhat agree with Sheffield. You think that guy pulls that crap to Sheffield walking down the street? Or if he was in any other line of work? These are adults and men before they are fans. I hate the line of thinking that somehow a guy can attempt to put his hands on an athlete, use racist slurs or talk [censored] about his family because he bought some ticket. You call some dude's wife a slut, refer to him as a nigger, or take a swipe at him and one of the consequences is that you may get your ass kicked.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there any evidence that the fan did any of this?

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I think it was Gammons on ESPN yesterday who was saying that the fans were extremely rowdy and saying things like this.

[Jack of Arcades]

I was referring to the fan in questionm, but I have no doubt it was a very hostile environment.

I just don't think the fan himself was hostile.

[andyfox]

Whta crap did he pull? He stupidly went for a ball in play. (For which, BTW, I think the Boston management's punishment, revoking his season ticket, was justified.) Sheffield then shoves at him and comes at him with clenched fists. He didn't attempt to put his hands on him. Sheffield's comments are that he (Sheffield) has been proven correct in what he did by Boston's management's deicison to revoke the guy's season ticket. This is not correct. The fan has been punished for interfering with the ball in play while a fielder was attempting to field it.

[andyfox]

"being told you're in the wrong for reacting to something you didn't start, that's kind of disturbing. That just makes me feel like it's a hypocritical society."

Doesn't it depend on how you react? The talk of not starting it sounds childish. If the guy came onto the field to engage Sheffield, no one would say a word about whatever he did to protect himself.

[contentless]

[ QUOTE ]
Whta crap did he pull? He stupidly went for a ball in play. (For which, BTW, I think the Boston management's punishment, revoking his season ticket, was justified.) Sheffield then shoves at him and comes at him with clenched fists. He didn't attempt to put his hands on him. Sheffield's comments are that he (Sheffield) has been proven correct in what he did by Boston's management's deicison to revoke the guy's season ticket. This is not correct. The fan has been punished for interfering with the ball in play while a fielder was attempting to field it.

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You are right.

What we'll never know is how hard the fan actually hit Sheffield. On tape, it looks as if the fan just nicks him, and in slo-mo, it looks totally harmless, but you can't underestimate hitting parts of the jaw at high-speeds, even with low impacts.

I second this sentiment: "Why would anyone ever be a Sheffield fan?"

Edit: For those that like him because of his performance...natch. Baseball is a game. This guy (and many other players) are dicks in real life (which is not a game). Definately not likeable. Respectable, yes, likeable, no.

[[censored]]

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"If you're out on the street, I guarantee that same guy doesn't put his hands on me. So why should we be penalized for a situation like that because we're on a baseball field?"

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My comments were in response to this quote by sheffield rather than in an attempt to specifically defend this incident.

I generally think that if an adult fan is going to act like a mean spirited jack ass, only because he is at a professional sporting event, then he should not be suprised and I am not going outraged, when he ends up getting punched in the mouth.

I think if someone were to post a story about some dude on the street calling another guy's wife and children obscene names few people would be upset if that guy got his ass kicked. However have the jack ass buy a ticket and then somehow he has "the right to say what he wants." I think that is bullshit.

[[censored]]

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What's that got to do with what Sheffield did in Boston or what he said today? And let's say, that in going for the ball, the fan grazed Sheffield. He now has every right to beat him within an inch of his life?

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But he didnt beat him within a inch of his life. The fan intentionally crossed into the playing field and attempted to interfere with Sheffield as he was trying to get the ball.

Sheffield then reacted by giving the fan a 2 handed shove. I do not think that was unreasonble and I do not think the fan was victom in any way. He decided to cross into the playing and potentially interfere in very important play.

It would be different if then after throwing the ball in Sheffield went back into the stands and hit the fan.

[ripdog]

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Whta crap did he pull? He stupidly went for a ball in play. (For which, BTW, I think the Boston management's punishment, revoking his season ticket, was justified.) Sheffield then shoves at him and comes at him with clenched fists. He didn't attempt to put his hands on him. Sheffield's comments are that he (Sheffield) has been proven correct in what he did by Boston's management's deicison to revoke the guy's season ticket. This is not correct. The fan has been punished for interfering with the ball in play while a fielder was attempting to field it.

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When it initially occurred, I thought that he was going for the ball too. After seeing it many more times, it is very obvious that he was not going for the ball, but instead is just trying to distract Sheffield into an error. When (not if) you get a chance to see it again, watch as the ball comes out of the corner. You'll see several fans leaning down (in the field of play IMO) beating against the wall and yelling in an attempt to distract him. This moron takes it a step further and tries to wave his arm through Sheffield's line of sight, but hits him in the process. Then the fat dude dumps a beer on him as he takes his retaliatory swipe.

Does he deserve to lose his precious season tickets? YUP! I think Sheffield should have to pay a price for taking a swipe at the guy, plus a huge clubhouse fine for not throwing the call back in before going after him. No need for any ass kickings to take place over this though.

[sublime]

sheffield is a fcuking moron. has been since his early days with the brewers. fortunatly for him he is now surrounded by even bigger douchebags, and doesnt stick out as much.

[Deftoner]

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Sheffield has had time to reflect on how much he over-reacted.

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You think he over-reacted on the field? I think he reacted fine. It's not like he punched the guy or anything. He was pissed, just as any of us would be, yet he didn't go over the wall or anything.
This whole situation seems to have been handled well by everyone involved.

[shemp]

He's human. Something inappropriate caught him off guard in a brutal atmosphere and knocked him off balance mentally, but he kept it together. Asserting the leauge action shows he didn't act wrongly isn't so silly. As for over-reacting, I'll agree he didn't under-react, but all things considered he did well enough. You're just a hater.

[Jake (The Snake)]

I don't get it. First of all, it's hard for me to believe the fan was going for the ball... I mean the swipe was about 5 feet from the ground (he hit Sheff in the eye afterall). And even if he did, the fact remains that Sheff got hit in the eye. Do you really think him shoving the guy is overreacting that much? How was he supposed to know the fans intention?

I don't know about your whole clenched fists thing either... he pushed him... a punch would've been very different.

I'm not gonna say anything about Sheff's character because I just don't know. But I have a hard time believing that he did anything wrong in this case. Yanks-Sox, all the emotion... this could have easily turned into a Ron Artest situation and Sheff didn't let it happen.

[bernie]

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What's that got to do with what Sheffield did in Boston or what he said today? And let's say, that in going for the ball, the fan grazed Sheffield. He now has every right to beat him within an inch of his life?

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Yep. Along with revoking the guys season tickets.

b

[bernie]

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He decided to cross into the playing and potentially interfere in very important play.

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So if it was a less important play, it wouldn't have mattered as much?

b

[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
Doesn't it depend on how you react? The talk of not starting it sounds childish.

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It is childish. Unless you're a pro sports figure. Then it's endearing and understandable. The better the player the more slack is given.

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[bernie]

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I mean the swipe was about 5 feet from the ground (he hit Sheff in the eye afterall). And even if he did, the fact remains that Sheff got hit in the eye.

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The eye?

That's why he was stretching his jaw, right? That's why he was blinking so much when they showed him back in position.

I don't think so.

b

[bernie]

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You'll see several fans leaning down (in the field of play IMO) beating against the wall and yelling in an attempt to distract him.

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Take their tickets away too.

b

[i wanna be me]

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I'm not gonna say anything about Sheff's character because I just don't know. But I have a hard time believing that he did anything wrong in this case. Yanks-Sox, all the emotion... this could have easily turned into a Ron Artest situation and Sheff didn't let it happen.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wholeheartedly agree with this post. Biggest rivalry in sports - and this could have went south SO FAST. The guy might be "perceived" as a jerkoff (personally I've never met him, but those here that have can make that claim), but reality is that Sheff could have made this into a much bigger deal than it was. I give the guy credit.

P.S. The idiot that got his tickets taken away is probably gonna get compensation from some Boston radio station/TV station for "being a hero" (just speculating).

[contentless]

[ QUOTE ]
P.S. The idiot that got his tickets taken away is probably gonna get compensation from some Boston radio station/TV station for "being a hero" (just speculating).

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This is the sentiment of the majority: http://bostondirtdogs.com/index.html

Almost every Sox fan groaned when House almost [censored] us over for causing a fan interference situation. No one thinks he's a hero.

[andyfox]

Sheffield admitted he approached the guy with clenched fists. I assume it the guy was cool at that point, else thinigs might have escalated. And then, shortly thereafter, the security guard got between the two.

Guys reach over to try to get a ball in play all the time at all stadiums. In this case, the guy apparently grazed Sheffield. Sheffield, looking down at the bouncing ball, probably didn't know, at the time, what the guy did. But after looking at the tape, I don't see how Sheffield could say what he said.

Anyway, too much about not much. I like what the Sox management did. Hopefully people will now think twice about attempting to interfere with a ball in play, although I was at Dodger Staduim Saturday night and people still did the same thing.

[andyfox]

"Does he deserve to lose his precious season tickets? YUP! I think Sheffield should have to pay a price for taking a swipe at the guy, plus a huge clubhouse fine for not throwing the call back in before going after him. No need for any ass kickings to take place over this though."

I agree 100%.

[andyfox]

Maybe it was the guy in the stands who didn't let it happen. Sheff comes over with clenched fists after shoving the guy. The guy says the wrong thing and it could escalate.

Anyway, I'm glad the guy lost his season ticket. I see people attempting to get a ball in play in every ballpark. At Yankee stadium especially, they often cost the Yankees a base when they reach over and touch a ball down the line which, oftentimes, either Sheff or Matsui could get to and hold the batter to a single; instead it's a ground-rule double.

And, as far as I'm concerned, the most important fan play that game was Doug Flutie's line drive snag.