Inside Power

I love this game

Love the feel of the bat in my hand, the grass under my feet, the shouts of encouragement as I step into the box. I draw strength from the fans and play my heart out for them.

I just wish those who control the game had more respect for the guys doing the playing.

What I want to do in this book is show you what it’s been like taking this strange, wonderful, sometimes immensely frustrating life journey. There are a lot of stories to tell from a life lived on and off the field: some sweet, others horrific. Everything from soaking up Little League glory to nearly being shot to death, from learning the startling truth of how I came by my last name to playing with and for characters like A-Rod, Jeter, Lasorda, Leyland, and Torre. And, yeah, I’ll finally set the record straight about Steinbrenner and Bonds.

GARY SHEFFIELD began his Major League career in l988, and in 2007 he will join his seventh Major League franchise, the Detroit Tigers, where he’ll take aim at the 500 home-run mark. He is the only player in Major League history to make the All Star team with five clubs. He makes his home in Florida with Grammy-nominated singer and actress DeLeon Richards and is the father of six children.

DAVID RITZ is the critically acclaimed author of the bestselling biography Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye and coauthor of the autobiographies of Smokey Robinson, Etta James, B. B. King, and Ray Charles.


From the Hardcover edition.