sheff mvp'ing it up in more ways than one. helpin a brotha out:

As Sheffield returned to the dugout after scoring, he pointed to Rodriguez at first base.

"That's all you want is validation from your teammates,' Torre said. 'That said it all."

"The guys in the dugout were happier for him than he probably was for himself," Sheffield said. 'We've all been through it and when you're going through it you think you're all by yourself. But we felt his pain."

Hesitantly, Sheffield said he had taken Rodriguez aside before the game. It's something he doesn't usually do with players who have "track records"

"You're getting in the way of your ability," Sheffield said he told A-Rod. "Draw a box when you come to the plate. If the pitch isn't in that box, don't swing. If it is, hit it out of the park."

"If you make contact, you'll hit it hard somewhere. Don't turn into a slap hitter just because you have two runners on base."

Rodriguez said Sheffield's advice didn't click until after he had grounded into that inning-ending double play in the fifth.

"I realized I was feeling for ball and that's not who I am," he said. [newark star ledger]