Sheff slaps Jeter, Yanks

[Veovis]

Derek's no leader, he tells mag

BY MICHAEL O'KEEFFE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Gary Sheffield has news for Yankee fans: Derek Jeter ain't the leader of this pack. "I know who the leader is on the team," Sheffield said in an explosive New York magazine interview set to hit newsstands Monday.

"I ain't going to say who it is, but I know who it is. I know who the team feeds off. I know who the opposing team comes in knowing they have to defend to stop the Yankees."

Sheffield, who has a reputation for being prickly and outspoken, doesn't stop there.

The 17-year veteran blasts the media for hyping team captain Jeter and third baseman Alex Rodriguez over every other player on the team - and says the Yankees lack family values, chemistry and trust. "Why shouldn't I tell the truth?" Sheffield told writer Stephen Rodrick. "I ain't trying to get no Pepsi commercial."

Sheffield never mentions Jeter and A-Rod by name, but he told New York the media portrays the two superstars "in a positive light and everyone else is garbage."

He says other players look at the Yankees as a first-class organization, but he believes the team lacks respect for family.

"It's not a family-oriented team. In L.A., wives can fly on the plane; with the Yankees they can't," the former Dodger said. "With other teams, the wives always have functions to bring them together. Not here."

New York's media crush, he contends, damages whatever chemistry the team might have. "This is the first team I've been on where no one sits at their locker," he said.

"It's where you build your chemistry from, how you get to know each other, just talking about life. I'm used to having six chairs around me, but here if there are six chairs, then there's going to be 20 reporters around me."

Sheffield, 36, also concedes he's not willing to pull a Jeter and dive into the stands after a ball. "That's not happening. I tore up my shoulder, I tore up a knee. I'm not doing that again," he said.

The All-Star with the gunslinger eyes also told New York he was insulted when general manager Brian Cashman offered him a two-year, $18 million contract before last season. He ended up signing a three-year, $39 million deal.

"I just came off 39 home runs and 132 RBIs and you ain't got nobody on your team that can put up those numbers, and you ain't gonna get anyone who is going to," he said. "But George [Steinbrenner] asked me not to take it as an insult and kept pursuing me. I said, 'Fine, I don't have to speak to anyone in the organization to still do my job.'"

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...p-285906c.html

So uh... so much for them being all friendly or w/e...

[Hmark6]

I can root for the uniform he's playing in.

[nyjunc]

I love watching Sheff hit but I am so sick of his mouth, if he wanted more positive press then maybe he shouldn't have done the dopey things he has done in his career. Don't be jealous b/c DRod and Jeter have always been great on AND off the field and b/c they earn the positive press they get.

[General]

Sheff's right though.

[Hammer]

Can we go back a couple years and sign Vlad instead? He doesn't talk shit about his teammates... granted he can't speak english... or spanish, from what I hear... but at least he doesn't open his mouth.

[awefullspellare]

This is going to help things a lot !

[RLA68]

Who cares. The RedSox last year proved that team chemistry or at least professionalism is overrated.

[A'sDiehard]

Just rub some cream on it Gary and I'm sure everything will be fine.

[A's Baby Girl]

granted he can't speak english... or spanish, from what I hear... but at least he doesn't open his mouth.

So what does he speak??

[General]

He lets his bat do the speaking.

[RLA68]

I almost can care less if the team passes around the cream before each game. Just win.

Just rub some cream on it Gary and I'm sure everything will be fine.