Tigers DH Sheffield rips Boras

Feb 21, 2008 - 7:13 PM LAKELAND, Florida (Ticker) -- Gary Sheffield ripped Scott Boras at Detroit Tigers spring training camp Thursday, calling his former agent a "bad person."

Sheffield has been involved in an ongoing feud with Boras stemming from a dispute regarding the $39 million deal he signed with the New York Yankees more than four years ago.

Sheffield claims he independently negotiated the three-year contract with the Yankees in December 2003, months after firing Boras. But Boras subsequently filed a lawsuit, claiming that the All-Star slugger owed him approximately five percent of the deal.

Never one to back down from a war of words, Sheffield fired the latest volley against Boras on Thursday, claiming he has grown tired of missing spring training games to deal with the case. The designated hitter missed four exhibition contests last season and likely will miss at least one early game this year.

"It's probably personal with him," Sheffield told reporters Thursday. "But when it's done, it's going to be personal with me. It's going to be the ugliest thing you've ever seen.

"Certain people you don't mess with - and I guarantee you, I'm one of them."

Sheffield also lashed out at Major League Baseball for not getting more involved in the situation.

"Major League Baseball is allowing it to happen," he said. "But (Major League Baseball) hasn't heard what I'm going to say when I'm done with all of it.

"It's not going to be pretty, and nobody's going to shut me up. Ain't no fine going to be big enough, ain't no suspension going to be long enough."

Boras also has a well-documented strain in his relationship with Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, the reigning American League MVP who inked a $300 million deal to stay in New York this offseason.

Rodriguez admitted this week that he has not spoken to Boras since negotiating the record 10-year deal without his long-time agent. Sheffield did not seem surprised by Rodriguez's actions, saying that future Boras clients have to tread with caution.

"You have to do whatever you feel is best for you," Sheffield said. "But my experience was total hell. I should never have introduced myself to (Boras). He's a bad person."

Sheffield, 39, struggled with a right shoulder injury throughout the second half of the 2007 season and finished with sub-par numbers, batting .265 with 25 home runs and 75 RBI.

But the nine-time All-Star, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery, said that his personal controversy with Boras would not deter him from having a bounce-back year in 2008.

"None of this is a distraction," he said. "To call it a distraction would mean it got under your skin. I've learned to adapt to any situation, because people like (Boras) exist, and I already know it."