Sheffield

As I'm sure you all know, former Yankee Gary Sheffield criticized Yankee manager Joe Torre for his handling of African American players.

I didn't really want to write anything about this, but I think it goes well with Krevor's recent work and JJ and I talked about this the other day.

What I'm surprised about is not that Gary Sheffield said something polarizing and abrasive, not that 65 year old Italian guy from Brooklyn could be at least unintentionally racist, not that this turned into a big story during a really slow sports week...what I found surprising was the way the bulk of the media has handled the story.

With virtual accord members of the mass media have dealt with this story in one fashion...Gary Sheffield is just a loud race man (if I can use some 1950's lingo.)

I am not here to step in march with all those who immediately think Sheffield is wrong and Torre is a saint. Now I've always liked Joe Torre, he has a very good reputation. Is it possible that Torre treats different players differently, yes! I would say that it is almost a platitude.

Gary Sheffield was in that clubhouse far more often that I or any member of the media, Sheff dealt with Torre again far more often, so for anyone to automatically dismiss Sheffield's claims without any evidence (only we all really like Joe Torre and we don't like Gary Sheffield sentament) to the contrary I think it is simpleminded, irrational, and mildly rasict to not give Sheffield the benefit of the doubt.

If Michael Young came out and said the Ron Washington or Gary Pettis treated the black player differently, how would the story be different?

One more side note: Another thing that has really surprised me about this is the fact that a lot of people try to say that Derek Jeter is black. Derek Jeter is not black. That is about as simply as I can put it. Sheff is right.

Yes Jeter's father is African American, but #2 is in no way culturally black.

Derek grew up in Pequannock Township, New Jersey... a town with a median family income of $84,487. The racial makeup of the township was 96.60% White, 0.30% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.91% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.94% of the population. (thanks wikipedia!)

In fairness, Jeter is more African American (50%) than the average person from his hometown (0.12%) On Census data Jeter can punch the African American chad....(not to be confused with this) but he is not black. Jeter grew up white. In a rich white town, with rich white friends. He has nothing in common with the black culture in America, nor the traditional inner-city environment. Do you have to be from the poor inner-city to be black? No. But you can't grow up in an affluent white town, only associating with rich white kids, with a white parent and be accepted into the mainstream black culture.