KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA - Gary Sheffield doesn't want to look back. He tries not to look too far ahead, either. <br>
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One of baseball's most feared hitters, Sheffield was supposed to power the Atlanta Braves to the World Series. Instead, he endured an injury plagued season that ended with a 1-for-16 performance against San Francisco in the N.L. division series. <br>
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Sheffield's final swing from 2002: a ninth-inning strikeout with runners at first and third in the deciding game. <br>
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He said it didn't go the way he planned at the end of the season. <br>
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Sheffield wouldn't mind finishing his career with the Braves, but those plans are threatened, too. He's in the final year of his contract, playing for a budget-cutting team that isn't likely to offer another lucrative deal. <br>
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So Sheffield is living in the moment. <br>
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He said, ``I'm not thinking about next year and where I'm going to be. I know one thing --'ll be playing baseball somewhere.'' <br>
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He's been through this before. After helping Florida win the World Series in 1997, Sheffield was dealt away along with just about every other high-priced Marlins player. <br>
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Better than anyone, he understands the business side of baseball. <br>
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He said, ``I know the caliber of player I am. I see what Jim Thome made. I see what Scott Rolen got. They're in the same situation as me.'' <br>
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For the record, Thome signed an $85 million, six-year contract with the Phillies. Rolen re-upped with St. Louis for $90 million over eight years. <br>
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It's hard to imagine the Braves coming up with that kind of money for Sheffield, who is 34 and coming off his least-productive year since 1998. <br>
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If this is to be his final season in Atlanta, he wants go out with a flourish. Last year, he put up respectable numbers -- .307 with 25 homers and 84 RBI's -- but didn't put the Braves over the top in their frustrating quest for another World Series championship.
