The Sheffield Report - 4/9/09

Gary Sheffield was "hitting ready" last night.

I had to participate in a family gathering involving Hebrew and bitter herbs. By the time I finished washing the dishes, it was the ninth inning. The only Sheff sighting was a dugout shot that followed yet another 2-0 curveball from Frankie the Rod. Bitter Gary, looking slightly disgruntled, had his head pointed in the general direction of the playing field.

Will Gary Sheffield ever be "fielding ready?" We've all read countless accounts (How's that for an alliteration? I'm talking to you Mrs. Ehrlich.) of the vastness of the Citi Field outfield. Opening night, I half expect to see a solitary polar bear hunting -- out in the endless tundra of right center. How the hell is Gary Sheffield going to play rightfield? Here's a diagram I prepared showing the range of the Met corner outfielders based on data from the good folks at the Elias Sports Bureau:

Carlos Beltran is going to have to cover all that green. That's 37 hectacres. I know, I know, Gary Sheffield's range is not to scale. I had to expand it slightly or the sterroid induced gigantism of his skull would have hidden all the blue.