Sheffield and Ventura join same Facebook group

DETROIT — Gary Sheffield became the second member of a Facebook group that Robin Ventura started today when the slugging outfielder joined “Put in a headlock and pummeled while charging the mound,” a new group on Facebook started by Ventura.

Sheffield, who charged the mound last week against the Cleveland Indians, only to be headlocked and pounded by Fausto Carmona, joined the group in hopes of meeting others who had shared a similar fate. Obviously, Ventura, who faced a similar circumstance with Nolan Ryan, is the world’s living expert on the matter.

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“It’s really nice to meet new people, and reconnect with other people who have similar interests and experiences to you,” Sheffield told SSNN. “Sometimes you can feel as though you are all alone, and then you realize, hang on–there are a lot of people out there who have very similar experiences to me, and I should embrace them.”

Ventura said he hopes to find more members for his group, but that it’s been slow going thus far.

“I’d like to get the membership up over 20, but the fact of the matter remains, not many people charge the mound anymore,” Ventura said. “And, of those who do, not that many end up getting put into a headlock and pounded. And, of those who do that, not that many of them end up joining Facebook groups about it.”

For Sheffield, it’s the fourth group that he’s joined this week. The others are “Detroit Tigers Outfielders”; “Angry African-American multi-millionaires”; and “Relatives of Dwight Gooden.”