I don't normally talk about injuries here in this space, but an article over at MLB.com by Mike Bauman - yes, the same guy who wrote a poor article about pitch counts that I was asked to rebut - is now crowning Gary Sheffield a "folk hero" for playing through pain.

I'll be the first to give Sheffield every bit of deserved credit for playing extremely well, for playing at all in an age when some athletes would shut it down, and for his continued, underappreciated excellence. Don't take anything I say as a denigration of Sheffield's season.

"Folk hero" is just about the most ludicrous thing I've heard in relation to this. Sheffield has, as I've detailed over in UTK, a partial thickness muscle tear of the trapezius near it's insertion at the shoulder. Let's look at the anatomy of this. The tear is at the insertion, near the acromion process (the "tip" of the shoulder, lateral (outside) to the collarbone). It's action is to adduct (bring towards the spine) the scapula (shoulder blade) and secondarily to flex, extend, and rotate the neck.

The fact then is that the action of batting only involves the trapezius in a) bringing the bat into the "cocked" position and b) turning his head. Yes, I'm sure Sheffield is dealing with some pain, but it does *not* affect the motion, range, or power Sheffield must generate to hit as he does. Using commonly dispensed medications, the pain is obviously being controlled.

Members of the media exhibit a great deal of ignorance at times, but there's no excuse for not doing the most basic of research. Perhaps asking a trainer or doctor would be appropriate. I've had any number of journalists ask me questions about medical topics. Some I've been able to assist with and in others, I point them in the right direction of someone more knowledgeable than myself. Asking questions is not difficult. In fact, it should be the most basic requirement of the job. I'm not asking for in-depth research here.

Sheffield is a great hitter despite the challenge he has. He overcame a much more serious thumb problem that sapped his power earlier this season. I give him and the Yankees medical staff credit for healing him in-season, always a more difficult task that a DL stint. In fact, that management, plus the effective usage patterns laid out by Joe Torre have helped Sheffield's performance to be maximized.

Calling Sheffield an MVP candidate is certainly well within reason; calling him a folk hero for nothing more than normal pain tolerance is certainly ignorance.