Fact: Gary Sheffield is a Pussy

After an accomplished career which includes a Bondesque transformation from wiry shortstop to monster banging out 30 home runs a year, all while removing any doubt that he is bat-shit insane, Gary 'Sybil' Sheffield has decided to add another personality to his growing repertoire: whiny bitch.

"Joe [Torre] took the fire out of me . . . I am running out on the field with the extra players. Think of what was going through my head. It takes the fight out of you. I have been through a lot. To tell me that I had to run out with the extra players, that took it to another level. I wanted to make sure I didn't lash out and affect the team, but the way we played it looked like we were affected already."

That's right Gary, the Yankees put on a display of baseball futility akin to the 2003 Tigers because they were upset that you had to run out with the reserves. You could see it in Jeter's eyes, he just couldn't take any game seriously when the Iron-Sheff had been so egregiously slighted. Now I may be idealistic, but wouldn't you think . . . I dunno . . . playing for your entire season would be motivation enough? But let's cut Sheff some slack, he has, after-all, been through a lot. If he somehow bounces back after being forced to run on the field with reserves, I'd say he's on par with Lance Armstrong's recovery from cancer or Jim Abbott's ability to pitch with one hand.

While it is uncomfortable to defend any aspect of the joyless collection of baseball machines dressed in pinstripes, you have to wonder why Gary Sheffield can't let this go. It's like the ex-wife that goes off the deep end and beats a car with an umbrella when you won't see her. I'm betting that the endless debate about Sheff's playing time is tearing the Yankees apart from the inside and probably had something to do with the split of Jeter and A-Rod.