Kudos to Sheffield

[Brad]

even bosox players agreed with sheffields actions.

As did some NBA players (the entire union) that thought Artest and O'Neal were not at fault.

Quote the players all you want.

[Brad]

ChiTown,

I stopped in to peak at this thread and you have answered many of my posts...I still don't see what is wrong with a player being a professional and going on and playing the game allowing authorities to handle the fans.  Touching a player does not give the player carte blanche to strike back in any form whatsoever, including mild shoves, intimidation or otherwise.

Again, is it wrong for the player (in this case Sheffield) to exhibit some class?  If all of society (not just the lower rungs) reacted as many here believe Sheffield was justified in doing we would be a 7th century civilization (see the Mideast).

Geez, the base coach that got mauled by fans had a right to fight back, not some guy allegedly grazed by a overzealous fan in the seats.

I swear, the next time someone looks at me the wrong way I am going to pop a cap in their ass.  I'm starting to feel it brothers...yeah.  Don't F with Bullievah.

[___ Eats It]

I swear, the next time someone looks at me the wrong way I am going to pop a cap in their ass.  I'm starting to feel it brothers...yeah.  Don't F with Bullievah.

I think this needs to be Brad's new signature.   ;D

[ChiTownBull]

Bulliever,

Nothing wrong with being professional but in the heat of the moment when his eyes were towards the ground looking for a bouncing baseball and he gets touched I could see it from his perspective of not knowing what the persons intention were. So I don't fault him for reacting by clearing his way.....if he would have struck him after that i think he would have been out of line.

i think it is easier to say after the fact he should have been as you say more class. The Sports world as you pointed out is not like the rest of society no one charges admission to see you or i work.

I think if he would have seen the hand before it struck him the reaction would have been different. I believe his reaction was due to him doing his job and concentrating on a ball that was bouncing all around the weird curvature of that outfield.

[sdgukhsdgl]

upon further review, go back and watch the video again.... watch the guy just to the side that throws the beer on him!  not spilled, before the "action" the guy in the hooded sweatshirt flicks his wrist and throws the beer on sheffield.  then when sheffield lunges toward the stands, the beer thrower falls over like a little ***** and tries to hide

[___ Eats It]

Article about Sheffield:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7508981/

Don't applaud Sheffield for using common senseRestraint? Truth is Yankees star actually overreacted by making contact with fan

COMMENTARY

By Mike Celizic

NBCSports.com contributor

Updated: 12:10 p.m. ET April 15, 2005

Gary Sheffield is a hero now, I’m told, and all because he didn’t leap into the stands and pummel a fan who touched the Yankee outfielder while he was chasing a triple against the right-field stands.

He showed remarkable restraint, I heard. He could have jumped into the stands and cold-cocked the knucklehead, I was told. It could have been a repeat of the brawl in the Palace that so embarrassed the NBA last year, said the learned commentators.

Sheffield even gave himself credit for his incredible self-control, saying he thought about decking the fan, but thought about the consequences and didn’t.

I’m sorry, but I’m not impressed. Sheffield stayed on the field, where he’s supposed to be and where nearly every player who’s ever been touched or taunted or annoyed or even enraged has also remained. We shouldn’t be congratulating people for behaving the way they’re supposed to.

The truth is that Sheffield overreacted. He fielded the ball, then straight-armed the fan with both arms before throwing the ball back to the infield and returning to confront the man Sheffield thought has purposely attacked him.

Sheffield is a ballplayer, and his first job in any situation is to make the play, not retaliate. The shove was a reflex action, but a bad reflex and one that can be changed. First make the play. It’s that simple. After that, you can turn and yell and call security and get the person thrown out or arrested. That’s how you handle it.

And that’s how nearly every athlete has always handled it.

The fact that last year Texas reliever Frank Francisco threw a chair into the stands from the bullpen in Oakland and broke a woman’s nose doesn’t change anything. Nor does the fact that also last year, Milton Bradley of the Dodgers threw a bottle in the stands. Nor does that infamous brawl that erupted when Pacer forward Ron Artest charged into the stands and started throwing punches.

It was a bad year for that sort of thing. And the NBA debacle was certainly one of the worst incidents we’ve ever seen. Because of it, there is no question that we have been more alert to the constant threat of violence in the highly charged atmosphere of professional sports. Apparently, it’s made us so sensitive that now we congratulate people for not starting fights, and forget that not jumping into the stands is the norm, and inciting brawls is the incredibly rare aberration.

If there’s a “hero†in Thursday’s little bit of ugliness, it was the security guard who quickly leaped into the stands and got between fan and ballplayer. That’s something we wouldn’t have seen a year or two ago, before the Yankees Karim Garcia and Jeff Nelson got in a fight with a field hand in the Fenway bullpen two seasons ago and before the NBA brawl.

The quick action of the guard Thursday defused the situation before the jawing between Sheffield and the fan escalated. That’s significant because it shows that if you are prepared for these situations, you can deal with them.

But it also shows how much there is left to do. Sheffield said fans threw trash at him during the game and he was serenaded with the usual assortment of vulgar and vile language.

And that’s just wrong. As much as security in stadiums and arenas has improved, the people who sell the tickets are still reluctant to demand that their customers behave in something approaching a civilized manner.

Buying a ticket does not entitle you to scream language that you wouldn’t use at home or at work  unless you’re a longshoreman. It doesn’t entitle you to throw things at people.

Teams can stop it if they want to. But you need people watching the stands for the people who throw things, and you need to make it clear that if you can’t keep it reasonably clean, you’ll be told to leave the building.

You don’t have to use words of four letters to abuse and taunt people. And you don’t have to say things about their mothers and families. And when players come near in the pursuit of balls, you should lean back, not forward.

But it doesn’t matter what the fans do, you don’t hit them. Sheffield turned and struck out when he felt he’d been struck. As understandable as that is, it’s wrong. And the fact that he didn’t leap into the stands doesn’t make him a great guy. It just makes him one of countless other players who also didn’t jump into the stands.

The criminal behavior of last year has warped our thought processes. The incident Thursday was really nothing, but because of what happened last year in baseball and basketball, it was treated as if it were something enormously significant.

And because one idiot ran into the stands in an NBA game and ignited a brawl, Gary Sheffield was made a hero because he didn’t do the same thing.

When I worked on the news side of this business, at such times we used to quote a really silly headline that frequently found its way onto stories about bad things that didn’t happen: “Near tragedy averted.â€Â

In other words, something could have happened, but it didn’t. That’s what happened Thursday in Fenway. Nothing.

[Brad]

"And don't F with Bulliever"

                                  - Mike Celizic

                                     NBCSports.com contributor  

[S p e n c e]

Sheffield in my opinion didnt need to push the guy, the guy was clearly identified and security had no problem throwing the guy out of the game.  So Sheff could have just let it go and allow security to do thier thing.  But there is no way anyone can convince me that the guy was going for the ball.  NO WAY.  I watched the replay about 10 times on Sportscenter in slow motion and the guy is clearly looking directly at Sheffield when he makes his arm movement, I dont know if he intended to hit him in the face but he definetlly intended to interfere with the play.  Several people said he was going for the ball.  This is ridiculous, because if you watch the replay as I said before he is looking directly at Sheffield so he would know that he wouldnt be able to get to the ball.  But say Sheffield wasnt there, he was a few feet away waiting to play it off the wall or something, the way the guy swiped his arm it would have been impossible for him to grab the ball, he didnt even bend over or look at the ball or unclench his fingers.  How could he have been going for the ball if he is making a fist and standing upright?  

As I said he may have intended only to interfere with the play not to hit sheffield, but he did.  And Sheffield shouldnt have pushed him, but I think what he did was a natural reaction.  After he threw the ball in he thought better of going after the guy and restrained himself.  I think almost everyone on this board would react in the same manner as Sheffield if they were at a bar and someone hit them, or at a game and another fan hit you, where ever it may be, you would all most certainly have the same reaction.  This fan is an @55hole and should be banned from Fenway for the remainder of the season.

[smazza]

over reacted? funny choice of  a word

restraint is a better word

the fan shouldn't have touched sheffeld

the rudest fans belong to boston

[___ Eats It]

the rudest fans belong to boston

So does the World Series trophy.

Hurts, doesn't it?  

;D