Variations on a theme: Shut Up Until We Know The Deal, Part One
I try to spread the AP story links around, so this one's via YESNetwork.com. Gary Sheffield is taking the standard-issue superstar stance. "Talk to me before you talk to the press. Or just shut up for awhile."
Sheffield, back at spring training, was upset the Yankees said earlier this week that the torn ligament might require surgery.
“That was out before anybody talked to me, and it’s going to be dealt with,” Sheffield said Wednesday after returning to the Yankees’ camp. “Everybody should have waited to see what happened before they made those statements.”
While Gary may have a point, it's just not practical. Not when Brian Cashman, Joe Torre, Freddie the Peanut Guy and everyone else within earshot are asked for comment ad infinitum.
As you most certainly know by now, Sheffield is not going to have surgery. He's elected to go ahead and play through the pain. To hear him tell it, his injury isn't even worth talking about.
“It’s not as painful as it was the second half of the season. When I hurt it the first time, I couldn't sleep under covers, I couldn't open doors, things like that,” he said. “Right now it doesn't feel that way. I've got full range of motion. I have strength in it.
Digression into thumb ouchies...
That's all good news, assuming it's true. The real danger here isn't that he'll miss any time in the short term - it's what might happen down the road. You can aggravate a thumb injury doing any number of things. Sleeping under covers and opening doors, for example. Grabbing a bat. Answering the phone. Um, maybe even throwing a ball or sliding into third base. Any of these activities could lead to a few days out of action. The fact that Sheffield finished out the season so well last year is as much a testament to his luck as it is to his toughness.
The good news is that the thumb in question is on his right hand. First of all, that's his top hand when he's batting. It's free to rest along the tip of his index finger without any outside pressure. When it's the bottom hand it can be hell. Two years ago I hurt my right thumb. It was an asinine stunt - jumping from one platform to another. The landing zone was closed off on the right by a wall, on which I caught said thumb. For the first two months of the softball season, I winced on every swing as my right thumb (bottom hand, I bat lefty) ground against the heel of my left (top) hand.
Throwing is not as much of a problem. I throw righty, and I didn't notice any real loss of velocity, but accuracy suffered. If you're an infielder, that can be very problematic. For a pitcher or catcher, debilitating. For an outfielder, not so much - but it can still be an issue.
Sheffield, back at spring training, was upset the Yankees said earlier this week that the torn ligament might require surgery.
“That was out before anybody talked to me, and it’s going to be dealt with,” Sheffield said Wednesday after returning to the Yankees’ camp. “Everybody should have waited to see what happened before they made those statements.”
While Gary may have a point, it's just not practical. Not when Brian Cashman, Joe Torre, Freddie the Peanut Guy and everyone else within earshot are asked for comment ad infinitum.
As you most certainly know by now, Sheffield is not going to have surgery. He's elected to go ahead and play through the pain. To hear him tell it, his injury isn't even worth talking about.
“It’s not as painful as it was the second half of the season. When I hurt it the first time, I couldn't sleep under covers, I couldn't open doors, things like that,” he said. “Right now it doesn't feel that way. I've got full range of motion. I have strength in it.
Digression into thumb ouchies...
That's all good news, assuming it's true. The real danger here isn't that he'll miss any time in the short term - it's what might happen down the road. You can aggravate a thumb injury doing any number of things. Sleeping under covers and opening doors, for example. Grabbing a bat. Answering the phone. Um, maybe even throwing a ball or sliding into third base. Any of these activities could lead to a few days out of action. The fact that Sheffield finished out the season so well last year is as much a testament to his luck as it is to his toughness.
The good news is that the thumb in question is on his right hand. First of all, that's his top hand when he's batting. It's free to rest along the tip of his index finger without any outside pressure. When it's the bottom hand it can be hell. Two years ago I hurt my right thumb. It was an asinine stunt - jumping from one platform to another. The landing zone was closed off on the right by a wall, on which I caught said thumb. For the first two months of the softball season, I winced on every swing as my right thumb (bottom hand, I bat lefty) ground against the heel of my left (top) hand.
Throwing is not as much of a problem. I throw righty, and I didn't notice any real loss of velocity, but accuracy suffered. If you're an infielder, that can be very problematic. For a pitcher or catcher, debilitating. For an outfielder, not so much - but it can still be an issue.
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