Turmoil? Sheffield Loves These Guys

General Manager Kevin Malone and left fielder Gary Sheffield emerged from a lengthy meeting Friday afternoon unified about the Dodgers’ course.

Malone and Sheffield cleared the air about comments Sheffield made in Friday’s editions of The Times regarding his desire to be traded unless team officials improve the ballclub during the off-season.

Sheffield reaffirmed his desire to remain in Los Angeles, saying that his comments were made in frustration about the team’s disappointing season. Moreover, Sheffield praised Malone for his efforts to restore the franchise’s winning tradition.

As long as the Dodgers keep moving forward, Sheffield wants to be a big part of their program.

“All I meant is that I want the team to improve,” Sheffield said before the Dodgers’ 7-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. “I just want us to build a winner for the fans, for us to win like the fans expect.

“I never would want to leave Los Angeles because the organization and the fans have been good to me. I love my teammates and I want to help this team get back to where the Dodgers used to be.

“I know this is the best place for me. I don’t want to go out there into the unknown. This is where I want to be.”

Sheffield has been burdened by the team’s poor play, but he said he hopes to help restore the organization’s luster while finishing his career at Chavez Ravine.

“I would never want to put Kevin [Malone] in a corner,” Sheffield said. “Kevin is a good man, and I have too much respect for him to do that.

“When I said that [discussing being traded], all I meant is that we need to make things better to make this a championship team. I didn’t mean that I would put Kevin in that position [forcing a trade].”

Sheffield said he is confident Malone will make the necessary adjustments during the off-season to help the team rebound in 2000.

“We have talent on this team, we just have to get everyone playing together like [Manager] Davey [Johnson] talks about,” Sheffield said. “We just have to get everyone on the same page. You have to have everyone working together to be a championship team.”

Malone said he and Sheffield understand each other.

“Sheff has been a leader for us all year,” Malone said. “Like most of us, Sheff is frustrated about how the team has performed. It’s been a difficult season, and sometimes your emotions get the best of you when you care about winning as much as Sheff does.”

There are moves Malone wants to make but can’t because of many variables. After meeting with Malone, Sheffield better understands those constraints.

“I know Kevin has got a tough job,” Sheffield said. “Kevin knows how to do his job, and I’m telling him how to do that. All I’m saying is that everyone has to do their jobs so we can get that tradition back again.”

Malone said it’s going to take time.

“We’re a team in transition right now,” Malone said. “We inherited some situations we’re still trying to fix, but we’re moving forward.

“But when you’re doing that, it doesn’t always happen as fast as you might like. It’s a process, and you have to sometimes be patient even though you’re working hard to make long-term improvements as fast as you can.”

Sheffield said he’s aboard for the long haul.

“I want to do whatever the organization needs me to do,” Sheffield said. “And all I want for us is to win. That’s it.”