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For what it's worth, I felt Lofton was a little misused in New York, but I don't think race had anything to do with it.

I've been thinking lately that trading Sheffield was a mistake, but I'm thinking I was wrong. The guy is a jerk. When people say things like "Jeter ain't all the way black," well, you've lost me. I'm sure that, unfortunately, Jeter has probably had some problems or dealt with some ignorance at some point in his life since he's part of an interracial family. It's unfortunate that people want to trivialize that.

What exactly is Sheffield's problem? He was paid $30 million-plus for three years as the starting right-fielder for the New York Yankees. Torre thought so much of his ability that he tried to work him into the lineup last season as the first-baseman and batted him fourth in key playoff games, which in my opinion seemed to hurt the composition of the team at that time. So he was called out in a couple meetings-big deal. (I read the passage in the book, Torre told Sheffield that he was tough enough to take it and that he was a leader for the team because his teamates looked up to his competitiveness. Very much Neo-Nazi stuff.)

Sheffield sure sounds like a racist. Plain and simple. His remarks regarding Jeter are bull*&#@. More than likely Derek Jeter took more garbage from blacks, like Sheffield, than from anyone else over his parents mixed marriage.

Lofton always had a legit gripe. He was a better CF than Bernie, and yet he either rode the pine or was the DH. The DH. The guy still plays a good CF, at 40 yo, and he had to watch Bernie struggle out there day after day.

The AP really cut out a lot of that stuff from earlier versions. Earlier, it mentioned that Sheffield specifically said Womack and Lofton.
And Andrea Kremer made a factual mistake, for whatever it's worth. When she said the most-prominent player on the Yanks is black, Sheffield said, "Who?" She said, Jeter, and Sheffield said, simply, "Derek Jeter is black and white."

That's the correct way. If a reporter said to Jeter, you're a black guy, I can't imagine he'd leave out that he was also white.

Granted, I don't know why he was doing the interview, but the AP is misrepresenting him to an extent.

~~~He was a better CF than Bernie, and yet he either rode the pine or was the DH. ~~~

How soon they forget....remember that game where Lofton was in CF, and he din't catch a catch-able ball in the 9th...costing the Yankees a win...where Mo Rivera stood on the mound screaming at Lofton "Just catch the damn ball!"?

Lofton was a butcher in CF that year in NY. There were many balls that fell in or clanked off his glove. I was shocked to see that happen - but, it did happen.

To expand on my Lofton was a little misused point, as I said, I don't think race had anything to do with it; the fact that Bernie was one of Joe's guys had everything to do with it. No question in my mind that Lofton got a bad shake, although Lofton could've probably embraced his role a little better as well-a lot of guys had semi-starting roles over the years like Tim Raines and Strawberry despite being All-Stars at points in their career.

Anyway, this is where Sheffield loses any and all credibility. I don't think a racist cares how much "white or black" a person has in him.

Every time someone dislikes Sheffield or has a problem with him, he thinks it's because he's black. Gary doesn't seem to realize that people have a problem with him because he's a bitter loudmouth.

Sheffield was here for three years. Torre has been managing this team since 1996. All Sheffield saw was his time with two whiny guys who didn't want to be on the team anymore.

I'm not a Torre fan, but I seriously doubt he's a racist. He's just a guy who doesn't forgive. Lofton came to the team saying he was the centerfielder and that pissed Joe off, so he stuck him in the nine spot after a bad spring training. And that was it -- those two didn't like each other.

With Womack -- I mean, Torre actually batted this guy leadoff for a while! One of the worst offensive players in baseball, and he was committed to him for a while. It wasn't Torre's fault that the Tampa Faction brought him a garbage player. Womack was angry that he was getting stuck in the outfield -- and I can't blame him -- but he wasn't dumped because he was black. He was dumped because he wasn't a good player.

Sheffield calls into question everyone here -- Cash, Joe AND Big Stein. Well, if Big Stein and Cash dislike blacks so much, and Torre treats them so differently, how do you explain them taking in two players cast out from baseball, Doc Gooden and Strawberry, and then, post-career, helping them through all their myriad problems?

Raul Mondesi once suggested Torre was a racist too. Consider the source. People don't start to call out guys like Mondesi and Sheffield because of the color of their skin -- it is strictly their personality, which they display fully with these dumb comments.

Gary doesn't seem to realize that people have a problem with him because he's a bitter loudmouth.
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exactly my thoughts.

Steve, great point. I can't believe people think that Lofton was given a raw deal here in NY. I still remember the scouting report on him in CF, 'he goes after balls hit to him in the outfield like he's being chased by bees'.

I just have one memorable moment of Lofton, I believe he was asked to pinch hit in the 9th in an interleague game against the Padres. He hit a homerun to win/tie the game for the Yanks.

I know the Yanks won that game but I don't remember if Lofton had a walkoff. Plus I'm too lazy to check retrosheet.

How soon they forget....remember that game where Lofton was in CF, and he din't catch a catch-able ball in the 9th...costing the Yankees a win...where Mo Rivera stood on the mound screaming at Lofton "Just catch the damn ball!"?
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IIRC, that was Bernie, in a game vs. the Red Sox

As for Sheffield's comments, this isn't the first time a black player has made that accusation against the Yankee organization.

Whether it's true or not, I don't know. But I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it.