Playboy: How is your uncle, Doc Gooden, doing these days?

Sheffield: He seems to be in good spirits. He's just looking to get back with the Yankees. I think right now, with all the things that went on, Steinbrenner's giving him some time to himself, and then he can get back to baseball.

Playboy: What have you learned from what he's gone through?

Sheffield: It prepared me to know what not to do; what to look out for. To be myself, as opposed to being what people want you to be.

Playboy: Who are the toughest pitchers you ever faced.

Sheffield: John Smoltz, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson. These guys are always a constant battle. When you have success off of them, you have a good moment. But more often then not, they're gonna get you. Smoltz is such a competitor; he's got a lot of fire in his belly. He attacks the strike zone, and when you're throwing 95 miles an hour with a good forkball and a slider, it makes it difficult. Clemens just has a lot of repertoire. He can go to anything at anytime, any count, and puts it away. He's an intimidator on the mound. Everybody in the league gets up for the guy, and he still dominates, so that tells you how good he is. And Randy Johnson, from the left side, he's probably the best pitcher of all time. He's a deceptive pitcher. You've got a guy who's 6'10", and it seems like he's right up on you throwing 97 miles an hour with a slider, coming at your back leg. It always makes for an interesting challenge.

Playboy: Who do you think is the most underestimated player in the game?

Sheffield: Derek Jeter. People look at his numbers and say that they don't measure up to a lot of players. But when you look at all the intangibles that he brings to the game on a consistent basis, I would say that if there is one person I would pick on my team, it would be Derek Jeter.

Playboy: There's been talk in the media of a feud between A-Rod and Jeter. What's your take?

Sheffield: Well, as a player, I didn't see anything that was a rift. They hang out sometimes. I think it was escalated by the media. Everybody has issues. They're grown men; they will work out their issues, if there are any. The media takes it to another level, and now you've got two wonderful guys who have to defend themselves. And any time you have to defend yourself in New York, it's never gonna come out right.

Playboy: There's a cliché that boxers shouldn't have sex before a big fight. Does that matter in baseball?

Sheffield: I don't think it matters in baseball. In boxing, you have to use your legs so much. You have to have so much endurance to last a 12-round fight. Those guys lose a lot of weight going into a fight, and they're losing a lot of fluid. In baseball, it's different.

Playboy: Do you think you belong in the Hall of Fame?

Sheffield: Well, when you get 500 home runs, that's like getting 3,000 hits. Now they say, 500 home runs ain't what it used to be. You try to hit 500 home runs. That's a benchmark, and it should be automatic for the Hall of Fame.

Playboy: Are you worried that the writers might not vote you in, because they don't like you?

Sheffield: Well, if that's the case and they hold you out, it's really not a true Hall of Fame, if it's based on that.