Johnny Cochran . |
(Rehab) is like letting him off, |
[Manager Joe Torre] has been trying to get me a day off for a while now, but we're trying to fight to get back in it, so I don't want to be sitting down, ... I've tried to stay in there as much as possible, despite how I feel. I just play through it. It might have been a blessing to sit out a game, but now it's out of the way and I can go forward. |
[Manager Joe] Torre told me to tell him anything that goes on with me, if I tweak anything, to say something about it as opposed to just going out there and playing with it. I came expecting to play. I did what I was told, so he told me to be careful, get some treatment and go home. |
[Sheffield says he and Bonds enjoyed a casual friendship when the Giants leftfielder invited Sheffield to live and train with him in San Francisco for a few weeks before the 2002 season.] He said, 'I got guys here, they can get your urine and blood and prescribe a vitamin specifically for your blood type and what your body needs,' ... And that's what I did. |
[Sheffield served as the Yankees' designated hitter in all six games on the road trip, getting the start there again on Monday night. ] I hope I can get out there and help the team that way, because we're a better team when I'm out there, ... I'm being positive. Hopefully, one day I'll wake up and it will feel a little better. |
[Soon after Sheffield arrived in San Francisco, the friendship between him and Bonds began to sour. Bonds insisted that Sheffield stay at his house and not rent a car. He insisted that Sheffield not pay for anything, though Sheffield did bring his personal chef.] [It was], 'It's my way or no way,' ... I'm not a child. I make $11 million. I can buy what I want. |
[Though Sheffield says he was under doctor's orders not to run because of his knee, he did so anyway because Bonds and his trainers wanted him to.] Now all of a sudden my knee was hurting, ... He said something to me [about being late]. I did not respond, because if I did respond at that particular moment, I would have knocked him out. That's how I was feeling. [But] I said [to myself], No, I'm just going to walk away, and when I say walk away I mean walk away. |
A lot of people try to make it more than it is. But it was the same. I think it should be fun for the fans. And it was. |
Alex has got toughness about him. It's just that you spend so much time trying to find out what other people want, as opposed to doing what you got to do. You're trying to please everybody and do what everybody expects you to do. And the thing is, they ain't under the same gun. |
Catchers, they know everything that's going on, on the field. He's a pretty enthusiastic kind of guy. He's a hard worker and I think with young players, you've got to stress the fundamentals and hard work. |
Do you believe everything somebody tells you? Basically you want me to comment on it. My version, I don't have one. What version do I need to have for you all to be satisfied? |
Do you know what this is? |
Even if it's on paper, it's still in my hands. Trust me on that. I know how to get out of anything I want to get out of. Trust me. |
Every time you look up, they're scoring a run. They do all the little things. After a series with them, you're all worn out from watching those rabbits run around the bases. |