Sheffield Calls for Breakup

HOUSTON — Another day, another frustrated Dodger speaks out.

Left fielder Gary Sheffield followed the lead of others, saying Thursday that the disappointing ballclub should be overhauled because the parts don’t fit. Sheffield included himself among the guilty, and the five-time all-star did not single out anyone as the main problem.

Sheffield simply said things aren’t working, and he doesn’t believe much will change unless much is changed.

It was business as usual for the Dodgers on Thursday afternoon as the Astros broke open a scoreless game with six runs in the seventh inning of a 7-0 victory at the Astrodome. Right-hander Shane Reynolds (14-7) pitched a five-hitter to lead the Astros before a crowd of 38,018.

Sheffield went two for three and played well defensively, but his effort wasn’t enough to help the Dodgers. By now, Sheffield knows the feeling.

“It definitely can’t work the way it is now,” he said. “This organization’s goal is to get to the playoffs and win [the World Series], and this team just can’t do that.

“I know what it takes to win in the playoffs, and this team doesn’t have close to what it takes to even think about that. . . . We just shouldn’t even be thinking about that.”

Sheffield was a key contributor on the Florida Marlins’ 1997 World Series championship team.

Sheffield said the Dodgers won’t succeed as a team in their current form because team goals aren’t foremost in the clubhouse.

“The playoffs are unbelievably tough, a lot tougher than people realize,” said Sheffield, batting .307 with 18 home runs and 56 runs batted in. “It’s not just physically tough, it’s also mentally tough.

“You have to have 25 guys with the same approach, 25 guys all shooting for one goal, to survive in the playoffs. You have to have that just to reach the playoffs, and then you have to be able to take it to another level. We don’t even have what we need to reach that first level.

“In Florida, we were all on the same page, and that’s just not the case here. We need guys to pick each other up, that’s what’s needed to win, and that’s not what you see with this ballclub. It’s just not.”

The Dodgers did not make moves before last Saturday’s non-waiver trading deadline. President Bob Graziano and General Manager Kevin Malone want to evaluate the team during the final two months, hoping players will persuade them not to make radical changes by finishing strong.

Sheffield said Graziano and Malone shouldn’t waste their time.

“Kevin Malone is the general manager and I’m just a player,” Sheffield said. “It’s my place to just go play every day and leave that stuff [player-personnel moves] to him, and I accept whatever he wants to do. But in my opinion, this team is more than one or two players away from competing like the Dodgers want to compete.

“I understand wanting to give certain players a chance, but some players just aren’t going to do what you hope they will. One or two players won’t get us to where they [management] want us to be, I can promise you that. . . .

“I’m not saying that I’m happy with my performance. There are things I’m not happy about because I have my own standards. But I know I’m going out there and doing everything I can to help the team.”

Tom Lasorda last weekend publicly admonished players for having too many agendas. Does Sheffield agree with the former Dodger manager?

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinions,” Sheffield said. “All I’m saying is that this is my opinion based on what I’ve seen. When you see the same things over and over again, it just starts to become pretty obvious.”

Sheffield said he has been frustrated because of the turmoil that accompanied his arrival to the franchise.

He has been the Dodgers’ most consistent position player this season, and he was an offensive force last season after being acquired on May 15 in the seven-player Mike Piazza trade. Sheffield has done his best to avoid stirring controversy.

“There has been a lot of chaos ever since [he waived his no-trade clause to complete the trade],” Sheffield said. “It has just been one thing after another, and it’s disappointing. Sometimes, I look back and say, ‘What if I had stayed in Florida?’ But I just would have been losing there [too]. I like L.A. and I want to be here, but it hasn’t been easy.”

Sheffield said fans at Dodger Stadium often make him feel unwelcome.

“I don’t know what it is, but the abuse I take out there [in left field] is worse than on the road,” Sheffield said. “I feel that L.A. has been good to me, but the fans haven’t fully accepted me. Maybe they blame me for what’s happening with the team, but this was happening before I got here.

“The team was already starting to change, and I don’t have the same talent around me that Piazza had around him. He had a lot more to work with. People like to talk about me not hustling, but I’m doing the best I can with my legs the way they are. My legs have been hurting all year, but I haven’t said a word about it.”