What did the mouse say to the rat that was trying to steal his dinner? "Stop thief... that's nacho cheese!" Any good joke teller will tell you that it's all in the delivery. Unfortunately it's a skill I've never truly mastered. When making radical statements the difference between being applauded or criticized also depends on the delivery. Speak eloquently at just the right moment and you're an intellect. Communicate abrasively with laymen's terms at inopportune times and you're an idiot.

I wonder. Which category does Gary Sheffield fall into? I've had the opportunity to watch his interview on HBO firsthand. To be honest he didn't say anything offensive and was respectful throughout. Much of what he said was blown out of proportion, especially the highly publicized comment that Derek Jeter "ain't all the way black" (which is true, mom is white).  This was not said to insult. It was in response to a question from the interviewer and an attempt to substantiate his claim that Joe Torre treated blacks differently. Jeter is viewed through a different lens, both racially and historically.  He walks on water in New York and to compare him to the black men who have recently played for the team does everyone a great disservice. Sheffield knows that and so should we.

Other than himself the only recent Yankees players who were "all the way black" that come to mind are Kenny Lofton, Tony Womack and Tom Gordon. Lofton and Womack were position players who neither produced nor meshed with the team during their single seasons in New York. Both spent time in Torre's doghouse. Tom Gordon was a very valuable set-up man who disputed Sheffield's claims by stating he was treated fine.  Was it a "black thing" with Torre? I personally doubt it. More than likely he clashed with Lofton and Womack over playing time (Lofton only appeared in 83 games in 2004 and Womack was limited to 329 at-bats after being benched in favor of Robinson Cano during 2005). It's plausible that they openly complained and were made examples of. It's purely speculation but if that's how it went down I could understand why Sheffield said what he did. It's just his point of view and it's no secret that there were several differences of opinion between Torre and Sheffield. However, following his infamous comments about Latinos being more "controllable" than blacks, this instantly became another "Sheff's Special". 

To be honest we are facing unsettled times in American athletics. In theory our society has become less separated by race. In reality our professional sports don't substantiate this.

In the NBA African-Americans dominate the game and whites are becoming as rare as 4 leaf clovers. As we know most Caucasian "ballers" come from the international talent pool.

Racially speaking baseball is the exact opposite. Most homegrown talent is white. Players from Latin America typically fill out the remaining bulk of Major League rosters. The number of black players has been in decline for some time.

The vast majority of soccer and hockey players born in the states could use a tan.

The only game with a viable mix is the Golden Cow of American sports...our beloved NFL. Even there the game is polarized, as the majority of "skill" players are black with the exception of quarterback.  

Speaking of the NFL, what are the most common demands of the fans and the apparent mission statement of new commissioner Roger Goodell? CLEAN UP THE GAME...THE PLAYERS ARE OUT OF CONTROL!

From Pacman Jones...to Tank Johnson...to Michael Vick...to the Cincinnati Bengals...there appears to be a total disregard and an utter lack of respect for authority by far too many athletes. This also affects other professional leagues as we could mention players such as Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson of the NBA along with Milton Bradley and Elijah Dukes of MLB.  I would counter that the lawbreakers represent a significant minority of all players but perception is everything. Factor in that these headline makers tend to be minorities, specifically blacks, and all of a sudden the perception of many is that of a "thug culture".

Which brings me back to Gary Sheffield. How can a tremendous number of fans openly yell to the heavens that many black athletes are out of control and then condemn Sheffield when he makes the claim that "blacks are harder to control than Latinos"? Especially when most people doing the criticizing have never: A) visited a "ghetto" in America & B) never visited any poor community in Latin America. Trust me when I say this... Gary is probably right on the money. Most young players from south of the border are not going to risk anything for fear of getting sent back home. Especially when there are hundreds of others who would love to take their places along with dozens of family members counting on them to make it.

How can people not admit that there could be a great deal of credibility to Sheffield's belief that MLB tries harder to recruit Latin talent than it does black talent? Especially when they've long been placing major dollars into baseball academies in Latin America and only recently opened one in Compton, California.

How can people openly (or secretly) feel that many blacks have chips on their shoulders and then blast Sheffield for implying a lot of blacks aren't willing to take any "crap" from management? Terrell Owens anyone? Maybe Torre doesn't have a problem with "race" but it's possible that he didn't deal well with a couple of "mouthy brothers" a few years back. Who knows?

I'll tell you how. It's all in his delivery. Problem is this isn't a bad joke. There's a lot of truth involved and as we know many people can't handle the truth (unless it's stated just the way they want to hear it). That would be politically correctly, politely and with plenty of "thank-you", "please" and "yes sir". That's just not Gary. He "paints" with a very broad brush when he speaks. I'd say too broad and filled with generalizations. However... even though it's quite apparent where he's coming from... we still need to read between the lines to understand where he's going.

Funny how we don't "see" race but we still argue on blogs about O.J. Simpson many years after the fact.  Incredible that race no longer "matters" but most anyone who defended Rush Limbaugh's and Don Imus' freedom of speech was white. All known surveys agree that a huge racial divide exists between those who support Barry Bonds and those who do not.  Chances are if there's a line to be drawn you can hazard a fair guess at what side many, not all, people will stand on. It's a damn shame.

Gary Sheffield will never write a speech for the president of the United States. As a matter of fact I get a bit nervous imagining what he might say in Cooperstown if he's ever elected to the Hall of Fame. I doubt he'd hire someone to write his words for him. Then again I wouldn't want that because Gary's bound to have something interesting to say.