Every spring, teams sigh and make room for one player or another on their roster because of his salary, not his ability.
Fans get used to the notioin that, say, Carlos Silva or Miguel Batista are owed so much money there's no chance the team will ax them and start with fresh faces.
And then, there's the Detroit Tigers.
They've cut Gary Sheffield, a man with 499 home runs - and a $14 million deal this season.
The Tigers thought so little of Sheffield they didn't want him on their roster despite that huge contract - and they literally asked 29 other teams to take him for just part of the money.
No, thanks.
Now, Sheffield will likely be picked up somewhere and paid very little to hit a few home runs and bat in the middle of the order for a bad team.
His career has been marked with nearly as many confrontations as homers, and now even the I-can-work-with-anyone manager Jim Leyland has thrown up his hands.
Go with God, Gary - oh, and take $14 million with you.
Every fan of a team with a disastrous contract and an underachieving player just cheered.
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