Sheffield says Latin players can be 'controlled'

[Th]

And that the 'nogs cant be. That is why, he says, the number of black players entering the league is dwindling:


http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2891875


Sheffield says Latin players easier to control than blacks
ESPN.com news services

Updated: June 3, 2007, 4:17 PM ET
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The percentage of African-Americans playing Major League Baseball is at an all-time low and Gary Sheffield says he has a theory why that's the case.



Sheffield

In an interview with GQ magazine that's currently on newsstands, the typically outspoken Tigers designated hitter said Latin players have replaced African-Americans as baseball's most prevalent minority because they are easier to control.

"I called it years ago. What I called is that you're going to see more black faces, but there ain't no English going to be coming out. … [It's about] being able to tell [Latin players] what to do -- being able to control them," he told the magazine.

"Where I'm from, you can't control us. You might get a guy to do it that way for a while because he wants to benefit, but in the end, he is going to go back to being who he is. And that's a person that you're going to talk to with respect, you're going to talk to like a man.
"These are the things my race demands. So, if you're equally good as this Latin player, guess who's going to get sent home? I know a lot of players that are home now can outplay a lot of these guys."

According to a 2005 report by the University of Central Florida Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, only 8.5 percent of major leaguers were African-American -- the lowest percentage since the report was initiated in the mid-1980s. By contrast, whites comprised 59.5 percent of the majors' player pool, Latinos 28.7 percent and Asians 2.5.





Jesus - Racist much?

[RadioFan]

It's 100% truth and you know it is.

Flat out bullshit.

Save your trolling for the suicide posts, faggot.

[Dinsdale]

Q: How can you tell when Shef said something stupid?


A: His lips moved.


What a microcosm. The latinos get the jobs, because they do as their employer asks, and African Americans bitch.

[Shoalzie]

Q: How can you tell when Shef said something stupid?


A: His lips moved.


What a microcosm. The latinos get the jobs, because they do as their employer asks, and African Americans bitch.

What's dumbest about what he said...he's got some of the best Latino players in the league in his own clubhouse. How the hell is he going to look Ordonez, Rodriguez and Guillen in the face now after saying that about their people? Poorly timed words to say the least. What was he trying to accomplish with that statement?

In response to his take...look at where most of these Latin players come from. They arguably had it worse growing up than any black player might've encountered growing up here in the States. The similarity to a Latin baseball player to a talented black athlete is that one of the few opportunities they have to get out of poverty and make it big is by using their god-given physically abilities to play a game.

Sheff seems to forget, he's playing a game...this is way less of a job than he thinks it is. Latin players can take their entire family out of a poor village in the Latin America and live the American dream just because they can throw a ball 98 MPH or hit .330. Sometimes, they'll even give back to their community and try to help others who aren't so fortunate. They're thankful for their opportunity and any player who came from a modest background needs to be reminded how lucky they are to be able to make millions playing a game.

[Th]

Q: How can you tell when Shef said something stupid?


A: His lips moved.


What a microcosm. The latinos get the jobs, because they do as their employer asks, and African Americans bitch.

What's dumbest about what he said...he's got some of the best Latino players in the league in his own clubhouse. How the hell is he going to look Ordonez, Rodriguez and Guillen in the face now after saying that about their people? Poorly timed words to say the least. What was he trying to accomplish with that statement?

In response to his take...look at where most of these Latin players come from. They arguably had it worse growing up than any black player might've encountered growing up here in the States. The similarity to a Latin baseball player to a talented black athlete is that one of the few opportunities they have to get out of poverty and make it big is by using their god-given physically abilities to play a game.

Sheff seems to forget, he's playing a game...this is way less of a job than he thinks it is. Latin players can take their entire family out of a poor village in the Latin America and live the American dream just because they can throw a ball 98 MPH or hit .330. Sometimes, they'll even give back to their community and try to help others who aren't so fortunate. They're thankful for their opportunity and any player who came from a modest background needs to be reminded how lucky they are to be able to make millions playing a game.

- - - Gets it

[Mikey]

What a microcosm. The latinos get the jobs, because they do as their employer asks..

Yeah but they're taking jobs away from real Americans.

[Shoalzie]

What a microcosm. The latinos get the jobs, because they do as their employer asks..

Yeah but they're taking jobs away from real Americans.

You can't exactly make that good of a living doing the small jobs the Latin immigrants do here. If you want to pick strawberries, work on landscaping, mow lawns or do other assorted service jobs...just go out and apply for the jobs if you really want them. It's not like they're taking away the white collar jobs and leaving highly-educated people begging for quarters on street corners. The lower class in this country have to compete with immigrants that are willing to work for cheap in order to live here. It's just another example of the open market system we have here...if you can get someone to do a job cheaper and the work is done right, you go that route.

[Mikey]

These guys aren't picking strawberries. They work 6 months a year (seasonal labor?) and make anywhere from $1 million to about $30 million. I'm sure there are a lot of real Americans who would work for that meager income.

[Shoalzie]

These guys aren't picking strawberries. They work 6 months a year (seasonal labor?) and make anywhere from $1 million to about $30 million. I'm sure there are a lot of real Americans who would work for that meager income.

I didn't realize you were talking about ballplayers with that comment.

I don't think Latin players are taking jobs away from American players for any other reason than the fact they are just better. You've got American kids today playing the game on well-groomed Little League fields and play with the best equipment and get strong financial backing from the community. Then you look at the kids from the Dominican who can't afford a glove most of the time and they're playing on dirt fields and rarely in organized leagues. We have all the advantages here and we have less excuses for why Latin players and some Asian players now are becoming better than us. If we can keep our kids off the couch and feeding their face constantly, we might be able to have more American players in the Majors than we do now. We're losing the athletic battle to other countries simply because they want to play more than we do. We want the money and the fame but aren't willing to make the sacrifice of working hard for it.

[BSmack]

These guys aren't picking strawberries. They work 6 months a year (seasonal labor?) and make anywhere from $1 million to about $30 million. I'm sure there are a lot of real Americans who would work for that meager income.

The alternative to allowing players from around the world into MLB is to have a system like Japan's where foreign players are limited to 2 per roster. That's worked so well for the Japan League that their primary revenue stream is auctioning off the rights to sign their best players to MLB teams.

[Cosmo Kramer]

A mvscals always into somethin.....

[Mister Bushice]

Thank you Shef, for solving that problem. Whew.

For a second there I was going to think it had something to do with latin boys playing the game damn near out of the womb year round, or less blacks playing in little league, or the increasing dominance of blacks in the NFL or NBA, or the expanison of both of those sports the last 30 years, or the expanison of MLB at the same time as all of those other circumstances that contribute to less blacks in baseball.

Thank you Gary for showing me the light. If it wasn't for you, I would've thought out logical explinations to this alarming statistic. I had no idea it had to do with blacks being uncontrolable animals like you have concluded. Thank you for seeing the light and making mvscal blow a load on his computer screen.

Add to that baseball is one of the few sports besides soccer 3rd world south american players can excel in, and soccer ain't shit here in the US.

When is the last time you saw a successful Dominican Republic football / basketball / hockey player?

Not to mention the number of Latino players who have become successful in MLB being heroes and role models in their own country.

Sheffield is a stereotypical example of a stupid baseball player spouting off on a topic he doee not know shit about.

Oh and also Unrack him for making sure any young black baseball prospects will now be sure to disrespect their managers and coaches for not knowing that what his "Race" demands is they back down when a black player speaks his mind.

If some latino player had made generalized comments about blacks, Sheffield would have decked him the next time they were on the same field.

Dumb ass mvscal is what he is.

[Shoalzie]

The one thing that has eased my mind on this issue is that the Latin stars on the Tigers have come out and cleared the air and aren't upset with what he said. Pudge, Magglio, Guillen and Polanco all have either supported his take or supported him. I think this article won't bring down the great chemistry in Tigers' clubhouse.

This lineup is as good as any lineup in baseball and Sheff along with the four Latin stars are carrying this team while the pitching staff has gone through some rough patches and had to deal with injuries that they didn't have to encounter last year. Rogers is coming back towards the end of this month and right now, their two best pitchers on the staff have been their best pitchers up to this point...Verlander and Bonderman are a collective 11-2. If the pitcher turns around, which I think it will at some point...it'll become a great four horse race in the AL with the Sox, Tribe and Halos.

[ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2]

it'll become a great four horse race in the AL with the Sox, Tribe and Halos.

Halos? Oakland is starting to heat up like they always do this time of year. Furthermore, it's still a four team race for the AL Central. You didn't even mention the Yankees either. Go fuck yourself. No... your cousin. Good God, it's June 7th already.

Also... I let this line slide the first time I read it, but now you've got me all fired up:

he's got some of the best Latino players in the league in his own clubhouse.

Link? When did Manny, A-Rod, Ortiz, Vladi, Santana, Martinez, etc, etc... start playing for the Tigers? Myopia much?

[Shoalzie]

Do you have selective blindness...I said some of the best. I am aware the other great Latin players in the sport. Besides, you left out friggin' Pujols on your list by the way.

Is Ordonez not having an MVP season right now? Pudge is arguably the greatest catcher of all time, Guillen is a perennial .300 hitter, and Polanco is one of the best hitters with runners in scoring position and is one of the toughest to strikeout. Don't tell me these four guys aren't worthy of being mentioned among the best Latin-born players in the sport. Are they the four best? I didn't say that...I just said they were "some of the best".

[ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2]

Besides, you left out friggin' Pujols on your list by the way.

That's funny, when most people who know shit about baseball talk about " the best players in the league" they are usually referring to A LEAGUE, as in American or National. I didn't name one NL player... ON PURPOSE.

Even then... if I fielded a starting 9 of the best AL players... in the league, not one Tiger would be listed on my line-up card.

Major leagues
In the sport
In the game
In all of baseball
In baseball
In either league

There's a reason these expressions exist...

[Shoalzie]

I left my classification of the Latin players on the Tigers fairly open-ended because it is up for debate.

Let's just look at Ordonez right now...leads the entire Major League in batting average, RBI, SLG%, doubles, and total bases, 2nd in hits, 4th in runs scored and 5th in OBP. Would he not be in the discussion of being one of the best Latin players right now? He might be a bad fielder in right but then again, Manny is brutal in left and his offense has still kept him among the elite in the league. Ordonez is a career .308 hitter is closing in on 1000 RBI for his career. From '99-'04 as a White Sox, he was one of the most consistent offensive players in the AL. He was good for 180-190 hits, close to 100 runs, 30-35 HR, well over 100 RBI, and had an OBP in the .370 to .380 range. Because of injuries the last couple of years, he fell out of the conversation as far as being a feared offensive player but right now, I think he's re-entering his name in the mix as being a superstar offensive player.

[Dog]

Carlos Zambrano agrees

[Dinsdale]

Manny is brutal in left

Ya'know, while it's glamorous to bash Manny's fielding, and I'll continue to do it even if he wins a Gold Glove...

It's really not that bad.

Sure, his range truly sucks huge ass, but when he actually does get it in his glove, he makes the right play, and his throws are always right on the freaking money. Haven't seen any stats about outfield assist percentages lately, but generally, since he went to Boston, Manny is always near the top.


Don't get me wrong -- I'm not bashing the "Manny is brutal" take. Any smack sent Manny's way is deserved, accurate or not.

[Shoalzie]

I'll this about Manny's fielding...he generally makes good plays well fielding the ball off the monstah. He's been playing for the Sox for quite a while...he's probably able to read the bounces off the wall quite well.

[Dinsdale]

I was also referring to Manny's fielding(not sure how you could confuse that, but then again, you confuse cousins for potential mates). In particular, I was referring to Manny's absolutely money-accurate arm, which is among the most accurate in the Bigs.

You'll notice I also derided his ability, or complete inability, to get in position to field a ball that hasn't hit the wall first.

[ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2]

In particular, I was referring to Manny's absolutely money-accurate arm, which is among the most accurate in the Bigs.

You are the first person I've ever seen/heard describe his arm as accurate. I've seen Manny play in hundreds of games over the years. That little side arm toss of his quite often misses its mark. In fact, just last week I saw a game in which he literally threw the ball into the ground in the general direction of first base as opposed to hitting the cut-off man (hint... usually not your 1B on a ball hit to left) It bounced about 6 times and came to a stop somewhere about 20 feet behind the 2nd base bag. It was quite comical. You usually only witness such hilarity in T-Ball games.

He gets a lot of assists every year, sure, but only because he's the most "run on" outfielder in the history of baseball. Thanks for the guffaw.

[Dinsdale]

He gets a lot of assists every year, sure, but only because he's the most "run on" outfielder in the history of baseball. Thanks for the guffaw.

Watched a game the other night, and he was on fire with the throws.

But agreed -- Jason Giambi tries to stretch gappers out to triples against Manny. Posada would be tempted to go for the inside-the-parker on a Texas-Leaguer.

Around this time last year, I saw a stat that the Rammer of Men had the highest percentage of guys thrown out trying to run on him in the Bigs. Not sure where a person gets such obscure stats(I loves me some off-the-wall stats), but one of the analysts said it, so it must be true.


But the word must be getting out -- Planet Manny only has 4 assists this season. Had about 1000 by this time last year. Hell, I think even David Ortiz ran on the guy last year.

[Shoalzie]

That throw from the left field wall at Fenway is probably one of the shortest throws any outfielder will make at any park in the Majors. It's 310 down the left field line and 302 down the right field line at Fenway...I'd imagine those are the shortest corners of any ballpark in use today. I didn't get a chance to see how well Teddy Ballgame, Yaz and Jim Rice played balls off the Monstah in their days patroling left for the Sox but I imagine they were much more graceful than Mr. Ramirez.

[WolverineSteve]

For the record...Williams was regarded as a dreadful fielder.

[Dinsdale]

And Jim "The Dick" Rice(one of my favorites as a little kid, despite being a Suxorz) didn't wait for the ball to hit the ground after coming off The Monster. He seemed to take offense to anyone insulting him by hitting a ball to left...


While blowing bubbles and foofing up his fro the whole time.