Gary Sheffield looked in the mirror yesterday and decided to be Gary Sheffield.

He announced, Monday, that he’ll be holding himself out of the World Baseball Classic games next fall. I’ll let him speak for himself on this one, because, frankly, I’m too tired to shovel.

“My season is when I get paid,”Sheffield said. ”I’m not doing that. I’m not sacrificing my body or taking a chance on an injury for something that’s made up. A lot of guys feel that way. They won’t say it like I will, though.”

If you’re wondering, Sheff’s pocketed over $116 million during his 16 year run. He’s 37 and still raking in over $10 million/year. It’s really unbelievable.

What’s even worse is that some people out there are buying this selfish garbage. Meanwhile, you’ve got A-Rod and his $25 million contract ready to suit up for his home town in the Atlantic. Alex, if you’re wondering, makes $13 million more/season, and he’s 7 years younger.

Now we just have to wait for the next ego to open his mouth.

Look, NHL players play in the Olympics and I don’t hear any of them balking because of injury concerns. And judging by the nature of the two sports, I’d say a defenseman who hits people for a living has a greater chance of suffering a serious injury than someone whose job it is to run, throw, catch, and hit a ball with a piece of lumber.

Sheffield is selfish. In fact, he’s the definition of selfish. And people who can sympathize with him and his $100 million+ bank roll have to wonder why they feel that way. The man has made over $116 million in his 16 year career. And he has stated, unequivocally, that he plays for the money. Of course he would, it’s a lot of money. But at what point do you say “enough?” I’m 37. “No one in my family (my children, their children, their children etc…) will ever have to work a day in their lives.”

It’s like Ted Turner going to the corner store to buy a Powerball ticket.

And the suggestion that it’s all right for him to opt out because he’s not getting paid is just ridiculous. People fight to represent their countries in every realm of amateur and pro sport. I’ll use the hockey example again. These guys play in the World tournament every year. Not the Olympics, but some venue in Europe that most people here have probably never heard of. Yet here’s a guy who has everything he could ever want in life and it’s not enough.

The Classic kicks off March 3, 2006, in Japan and runs until March 20, with the finals held somewhere in the USA.

Here’s Sheff’s historical rake:

1989: 90,000
1990: 115,000
1991: 400,000
1992: 750,000
1993: 3,110,000
1994: 4,625,000
1995: 5,625,000
1996: 6,135,000
1997: 6,100,000
1998: 14,936,667
1999: 9,956,667
2000: 9,916,667
2001: 9,916,667
2002: 9,916,667
2003: 11,416,667
2004: 13,000,000
2005: 13,000,000