Sheffield visits Lake Club for YSU Baseball Golf Extravaganza
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POLAND -- While it didn't feel much like baseball weather with a slew of rain storms early in the morning, the annual YSU Baseball Golf Extravaganza gave supporters the opportunity to contribute to the team at the Lake Club.
Guest starring this year's outing was nine time All-Star outfielder Gary Sheffield, who was a key member of the Florida Marlins' 1997 World Series squad.
Penguins coach Trevor Charpie had fond memories following Sheffield's professional career.
"Being from Southern California, I always recognize (Sheffield) as a Dodger. I remember him just being so cool, watching him and doing the bat wiggle and stuff growing up," Charpie said. "It's cool, it's full circle.
"(Sunday) he was really cool and he talked with us and the coaches a lot. He's been meeting some of the players today, it's awesome. He's really been nothing but the most kind I could ever ask for."
Sheffield's career spanned 22 seasons with eight different clubs, most notably with the Marlins, while earning five Silver Slugger awards. While it was Sheffield's first trek to the Mahoning Valley, his trainer, Tony Martin, hails from the local area.
"He was telling me about (Youngstown), how committed they are to sports and everything that I've seen since I've been here," Sheffield said. "He was one of those guys that believed in Ohio and Pittsburgh, he believed in this region and the steel mills and hard workers. He used to talk about it all the time.
"I told him a story in 1986, that I thought I was going to be drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. I couldn't imagine what my life would have been like if I had the opportunity to come here and play with Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla."
On Sept. 3, 1988, Sheffield made his debut in the show for the Milwaukee Brewers.
"It's like anybody else, when you're a young player coming into the big leagues and you see the Nolan Ryans and the Dave Parkers, the big-name guys, you're nervous. You can't process it really," Sheffield said. "Your eyes are wide open and you're impressionable. For me, I was able to have good leadership around me to guide me with the mistakes I made. They were able to show me that I was able to do better."
The conclusion of the 1997 World Series remains one of the more thrilling affairs in baseball lore, with the Marlins coming back to force extra innings against the Cleveland Indians before Édgar Rentería knocked in the series-winning hit in the bottom of the 11th.
"That was a special group of guys, not only baseball players, but guys. We bonded together," Sheffield said. "When we showed up to play against our opponent, we were already so bonded that whatever it took to win that game. We had the right guys to do it. It came down to details, the first man that blinked, that's what happened, (the Indians) blinked. They took their best pitcher out of the game when he was managing and operating through our lineup, and that gave the life that we needed when we knew there was a fresh arm coming in. We knew we had another shot and took advantage of it."
Baseball changed a lot over Sheffield's 22 seasons, with the rise of analytics.
"It became less of a thinking man's game and more of an analytical game. For me, old school, that doesn't work for us," Sheffield said. "Not saying that you don't have it in the game, but you kind of give it a little balance. If you balance it with old-school thinking, you can create magic."
Playing 22 seasons is not a small task either. The key? Taking care of your feet.
"Your body is a reflection of your lifestyle," Sheffield said. "You'll look just like your lifestyle. If you manage your lifestyle, you can do whatever you want to do. Dave Parker told me and got me to understand that taking care of your feet. I never had a pedicure in my life, and he started making me do it. Once I started doing it, I stayed off my feet."
Looking back at his career, which included many road trips, Sheffield embraced Wrigley Field and Fenway Park as his favorites for their historic nature.
Sheffield fondly remembers a trip to Pittsburgh where he hit two home runs on a rainy, cold day. Games at Cleveland before and after Jacobs Field were eye-opening too.
"I remember the old (Municipal Stadium) and I remember the new stadium, and when you compare the two, that's why I tell kids all the time that you got it made," Sheffield said. "If you would have played at the stadium that we played in at Cleveland off the lake, then you'd understand that you had to be warriors."