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June 3, 2007

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Gary Sheffield said in an interview with GQ magazine, which is currenty on newsstands, that he has a theory on why the percentage of blacks playing in Major League Baseball is at an all-time low.  Sheffield says that Latin players have replaced blacks as baseball's most prevalent minority because they are easier to control.

Sheffield was quoted as saying "I called it years ago.  What I called is that you're going to see more black faces, but there ain't no English going to be coming out."  Sheffield is speaking of the mass entrance of Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Venezuelans among other countries that have gain prominence in the major leagues.

Sheffield said the people from where he came from can't be controlled.  They may do things a certain way for a while to benefit from it, but they'll go back to doing it their way in the end.  This, Sheffield said, is a person that gets talked to with respect.

"There are the things my race demands," Sheffield said.  "So, if you're equally good as this Latin player, guess who's going to get sent home?  I know a lot of players that are home now can outplay a lot of these guys."  He is referring to his claim that Latin players can be controlled easier.

Read more about GQ at Wikipedia

The University of Central Florida Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport had a report in 2005 that said only 8.5% of the MLB was black, which was the lowest mark since the report was first done in the mid '80s.  Whites were 59.5% of the MLB, Latinos 28.7%, and Asians 2.5%.

Do Sheffield's comments carry any weight or is he spouting off at the mouth again?  Give us your comments.  E-mail us at shamefulornot@athletehos.com