Taking Some Early Swings

Gary Sheffield praised his new club Wednesday--and reminded his former team why it was eager to get rid of him.

While lauding the Atlanta Braves for understanding “what this game is all about” in his first day of spring training here, Sheffield continued to criticize the Dodgers, who traded him to the Braves last month for outfielder Brian Jordan and left-handed pitcher Odalis Perez.

Manager Jim Tracy was Sheffield’s latest target as the All-Star outfielder reflected on his final frustrating season with the Dodgers. Saying that Tracy hurt the club by fawning over right fielder Shawn Green, Sheffield also implied that the manager bowed to pressure from front-office officials and structured the batting order to help Green at the expense of the team.

Sheffield contends that Tracy had him and Green split time between the cleanup and third spots only to make Green comfortable. He said the Dodgers “showed favoritism” to Green because they were determined to justify giving him a six-year, $84-million contract after Green struggled in the first year of the deal. Tracy, not commenting specifically on Sheffield’s interpretation of events, has said he stresses team performance over individual statistics.

The Green situation was the final straw for Sheffield, whose Dodger experience ended in disgust. He’s hoping for better days with the talented and close-knit Braves, but couldn’t resist a few partingshots before slamming the door.

“I always wanted to play for the Braves, I always wanted to be with an organization that knows about winning, but I never let myself think about it because I didn’t want to be disappointed,” Sheffield said. “When you play this game long enough, you know that things that you want to happen usually don’t happen, so I just tried to forget about it. Then [agent] Scott [Boras] told me about the deal and I knew I needed this.

“I just didn’t want to be with the Dodgers anymore because of everything. One of the things I told my wife [DeLeon], when we heard all the [off-season trade] rumors, was that I didn’t know what was going to happen but I just didn’t want to play for an organization that did the things they did. I don’t have any bitter moments or memories, I’m where I want to be, but I just didn’t want to be there.”

Well, maybe one bitter memory.

Sheffield still seems upset about last season, believing the lineup was altered for the wrong reason.

Primarily batting cleanup behind Sheffield in 2000, Green hit .269 with 24 home runs, 99 runs batted in and 98 runs. Sheffield hit 43 homers, matching what was then the franchise record, and batted .325 with 109 RBIs and 105 runs.

With the roles interchangeable in 2001, Green took off. He batted .297, established a franchise mark with 49 homers, and led the team with 125 RBIs and 121 runs. Sheffield had another strong season despite playing with a sprained left index finger, batting .311 with 36 homers, 100 RBIs and 98 runs.

Batting third, Green hit .323 (85 for 263) with 21 homers and 52 RBIs. In the cleanup spot, he batted .289 (84 for 291) with 27 homers and 70 RBIs.

Sheffield batted .295 (81 for 275) with 20 homers and 46 RBIs in his favorite spot. His average increased to .329 (79 for 240) when he hit fourth, and he had 16 homers and 54 RBIs.

Considering that they both thrived, what’s Sheffield’s problem?

“It’s all about how you approach it and what your goals are as a team,” he said. “I have no problem batting wherever you want me to bat, but it has to be for the right reasons. It has to be to make the team better; it’s not about one guy’s numbers. You have to put that aside if you want to win. Third or fourth--it doesn’t matter to me. It’s all about the team.

“The first thing [Atlanta Manager] Bobby Cox said to me was, ‘Where do you want to bat?’ He showed me the respect of a player who has been in the big leagues for [14] years. That’s all you want. I told Bobby that I would bat fourth because [All-Star outfielder] Chipper [Jones] shouldn’t have to move [from third]. He should be comfortable because that’s best for the team.

“Chipper also told Bobby he would bat fourth, because we put the numbers aside. We don’t care who drives in the runs as long as we win.”

The Dodgers again took the high road regarding Sheffield.

“We all did a tremendous job of handling the [season-long Sheffield situation], dealing with it, putting it behind us and keeping the focus on the baseball field,” Tracy said. “I like the idea of everybody in the group participating, feeling that the individual accolades will come with winning.

“I don’t like to think of being involved with any club where an individual agenda needs to be addressed, because that’s not what I’m about. [Sheffield] went between the lines and gave us what he had; that’s all a manager can ask of his players. I don’t want to dwell on it anymore. I did the very best I could with that situation.”

Said Green: “I have respect for Sheff on the field and I have no problems with him. If he has a problem with me, you’d have to talk with him about that.”

Many in the Dodger organization believe Sheffield pouted--even quit playing hard late in the season--because of Green’s success. Starter Kevin Brown is one of only a few players who still speak highly of Sheffield.

“How can I not be disappointed to see him go?” Brown said. “I’ve played with Gary for more than a few years.

“I’ve seen what he does on the field and what he brings to the team. He’s going to be missed. I’ll miss him, no doubt about it.”

The Braves are happy to have Sheffield, believing he could be the difference in holding off the improved New York Mets in the National League East.

Sheffield is expected to bolster an offense that finished 13th in the league in runs, providing protection for the switch-hitting Jones and improving the batting order.

“I’ll probably see one or two more fastballs every at-bat,” Jones said. “What I’m looking for is hitter’s counts in crucial situations. In the last couple of years, when I got into a hitter’s count, I was pitched around. I don’t see me getting pitched around to get to Gary Sheffield.”

Said Cox: “He changes the lineup. Whoever hits in front of him will get better pitches, and that will continue on down the line.”

The Mets acknowledge Sheffield could be a big factor in the NL playoff race.

“I would prefer if [Jordan] had been replaced with somebody other than Sheffield,” General Manager Steve Phillips said. “Sheffield is a great hitter; he’s going to help their team offensively. Certainly, they have to be the favorites.”