Dodgers: Gary Sheffield Refuses to Watch MLB Games Now
When Gary Sheffield was with the Dodgers, he was a force to be reckoned with at the plate. In his 4 years in Los Angeles, Shef slugged 129 homeruns and made 2 All-Star teams. The big right-handed bat also tallied a grand total of just 232 strikeouts in 558 games played.
Because of his success and ability to not strike out often, Sheffield apparently doesn’t enjoy MLB games anymore. The former Dodgers outfielder recently talked about the product of the field in today’s game and how he actually doesn’t watch any baseball games these days.
I’ll tell you the secret now: I never watched the games during the season. I would get educated on it when I got there. … It’s not something that I could watch, based on what I’m seeing, because I’ll be a complainer.
Sheffield clarified that when he was working for TBS, he had people fill him in on what was happening around the league. He went on to talk about what specifically he doesn’t enjoy about the game, and there are a few Dodgers he would probably hate to watch.
When I see a pop-up player that everybody gravitates to — he’s the face of the team, the face of the city — and he has 100 strikeouts in April. When I see stuff like that, I’m not one of those older players that scoffs at the game and then talk about the game in a negative light. I just speak on facts.
For example, Max Muncy slugged 70 homeruns in his first 2 seasons with the Dodgers. He also struck out 280 times in that span. So while he’s kind of annoying about it, Shef does have a little bit of a point.
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Sheffield went on to say that because of rule changes to help out hitters, homeruns aren’t impressive anymore. He boasted that homeruns hit when he was playing were way more difficult and thus far more impressive. Okay, guy.
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Hmm, Gary. Sosa, McGwire, Bagwell, ADAM DUNN! There were a lot of strikeout guys back then. Part of the game. I know Gary never used steroids; but they were there during much of that time. Baseball has gone through a lot of changes over the years. Gary may have had problems with the shift in today’s game. Or analytics. We will never know. Or the 95+ mph fastballs half of today’s pitchers throw. Embrace the game, Gary. Always changing. But ever the same
Check again. Sheffield admitted to using steroids.
Hard to disagree with him.
I’m not enjoying today’s game either. Separate playing rules for each league, forcing NL pitchers to bat while the AL has the advantage of an extra hitter in the lineup. These shifts that allow infielders to be the outfield as well and taking hits away. MLB has messed up this game to the point where it has become a turn off for many. Oh and deadening the baseballs.
Paul, the AL has had the DH for almost 50 years and the shift goes back as far as Ted Williams. It is just used more today, presumably because the data on hitters’ tendencies is available. The main complaint I have is the slowness of the action. Four hour games are not uncommon. Since I now live in Tennessee I am often up past 2AM for the west coast games. Still, there is no other sport like it.
Maybe Sheffield doesn’t watch baseball games anymore because he is an admitted steroid user who despite having over 500 chemically assisted home runs is not in the HOF.
Sheffield was the laziest Dodger I ever saw play. Guys regularly legged out doubles when he was in left field… Sounds like he’s still a bitter old man.
I could not agree more than what Shef is saying. Saber metrics, and launch angle have completely retarded the art of hitting. It takes far more talent to be a pure hitter than to just hit HR’s. To me if you are sacrificing getting on base vs hitting a HR obviously that means you are striking out more, and you are sacrificing scoring runs. Unless you are completely hot hitting you are not going to win as many games as someone who has a pure hitter on there team. It’s
Simple math RISP. If I get more men on base with base-hits I am more than likely going to score more runs than trying to hit HR’s because of law of average and strike outs. This is totally evident in the playoffs where the pitching obviously gets better. Not as many dominant pitchers as there were either, or base stealers. The fans that don’t truly understand the game are the ones that gloat over HR’s. Where are the Sheff’s, the Gwynn’s , the Roses, the Puckett’s, the Davis’s, the Henderson’s, the Coleman’s, the Smith’s. That’s the forgotten talent and art of baseball!!