“Everybody else is speculating on what I am going to do,” Shields said. “Nobody has ever asked me the question.”

“I am going to come back this year and do the best I can.”

Shields, who told reporters this summer that he was pondering retirement, was back today from a trip to Kansas City to get a third opinion on his back. He said that he’s still waiting on some results but that he felt better.

“Regardless of what it is, knee, back or whatever,” Shields said, “you always want to be on the field and do the best you can – You want to be productive. And that’s the big thing for me. I don’t want to go out there and just be a guy out there. I want to be able to contribute.”