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Focusing on now Sheffield shifts attention to 2001 season
Updated: Sunday March 11, 2001 4:14 PM
VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- His trade demand rescinded, Gary Sheffield said Sunday he will concentrate now on the upcoming season, even as Dodger general manager Kevin Malone said he would continue to explore trade options. "I'm going to enjoy myself no matter what," Sheffield said. "It's a short career. You might play 20 years, but it goes fast. I'm going to enjoy the time that's left." Malone said Sunday he may not go after trades with the same intensity he did when Sheffield wanted a trade, but wouldn't rule out a deal. "We're going to keep all our options open," Malone said. "We're going to do that with all our players. If we can make the team better, we're going to do that. We've got a lot of players teams have interest in. This isn't just about Gary Sheffield. It's about making this team better. "As I've said all along, I don't want to trade Gary Sheffield, but who's to say we can't get overwhelmed in a deal for Gary." Sheffield decided to take back his trade request because he wanted to do what is best for his teammates and "true" fans. Although he had said at times earlier in the spring that he didn't know what type of season he would have if his mind weren't 100 percent on baseball, he said Sunday he was going to put those worries to rest by having a better season in 2001 and the best three years of his career during the rest of his contract. Sheffield said the situation had been going on long enough. "We've been through this for a month," he said. "I just want to come in here and concentrate on baseball, do the best thing for my teammates and my fans. That's the bottom line." Dodger outfielder Marquis Grissom said Sheffield has always wanted to be a Dodger. "All Gary wants to do is play the games and get ready for the season," Grissom said. "I think the fans deserve to know what's going on. They need to know he wants to be in L.A." The Sheffield drama started during the offseason when he asked for a lifetime contract extension and was turned down. When that happened, he asked to be traded to the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets or New York Yankees. Last week, he expanded that list to include St. Louis, Cincinnati, the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Texas. At the beginning, though, Sheffield said his hope was to remain with the team. "I guess the point was that he always wanted to be a Dodger but just wanted to make sure that he would finish as a Dodger," Malone said. "I think it just didn't go the way that [Sheffield's agent] Jim [Neader] thought it would go. I think it's fine. We've dealt with it. Gary wants to be here."
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