Doc Deserves Better from Mets
By Mike Silva ~ November 16th, 2009. Filed under: Mike Silva.
Wayne Coffey of the Daily News had a great in depth article of former Mets pitcher Doc Gooden on Sunday. Earlier in the month Gooden was in studio at WFAN with Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno. During that segment Gooden revealed that he had not once, not twice, but three times offered his services to the Mets. First in 1996 before signing with the Yankees, then again in 97′ when he signed with Cleveland, and finally in 2000. Now over a decade later Doc has returned to Citi Field, but you got the feeling from the interview the Mets are keeping their distance. Not only is this unacceptable, but it’s unfair to Gooden.
I am not denying that Gooden, along with Darryl Strawberry, did a great deal of harm to the Mets organization. Their off the field problems set the franchise back a decade and ownership has a right to their disappointment However, when you start to look back at Mets history (as we did last week when SNY aired the 1971 Mets yearbook) there are not many players of their caliber throughout the franchise history. Remember, until Gooden and Strawberry arrived the Mets had only won 90+ games once in their history. During the seven years they played together the Mets won 90+ six times and a championship.
Today you hear about Joba Chamberlain, King Felix, and the latest Doc as in Halladay. None of those guys can match up in terms of electric stuff on and off the mound. A Gooden start was an “event” that you quite simply could not miss. One of my early baseball memories was the anticipation of Doc returning from rehab on a Friday night in June of 1987. He struck out Barry Bonds to start the game and all was well with the Mets. You could feel the New York baseball universe fall back on its axis. Doc’s name rarely gets mentioned since he left in 1995. Younger fans probably remember him more for the Yankees no hitter than any of his Mets exploits. Sorry, but his 10 inning duel against Nolan Ryan in 86′ playoffs is higher on my list.
Even though Gooden was invited back to the final game at Shea you don’t get the feeling he is very welcome around Citi Field. The reaction to him signing the wall was a joke and symbolic of the disaster called the 2009 season. In game where Steve Howe was given multiple chances why shouldn’t Gooden be forgiven by the franchise that he grew up with? Shouldn’t his fight to stay clean and sober be inspiration? So many times you see corny public service ads by baseball about how “they care”, but here is one of their own fighting back from personal demons and the team appears reluctant to reciprocate. That is plain wrong. I mean it’s only the second best pitcher in franchise history. Typical Mets, but that is beside the point.
If there is a Mets Hall of Fame in the near future I hope Doc Gooden is one of the first inductees. I love Carter, Hernandez, and Strawberry, but Doc might have been the most popular of them all during his time in orange and blue. It’s painful to know he won two rings and pitched a no hitter in the Bronx. Seeing him at Yankee Stadium for Old Timers Day should make Mets fans sick. You can’t “turn back time” but the Mets should make amends in 2010. Bring Doc officially back home with a celebration in 2010. It’s time to forgive, forget, and look towards a better future.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I couldn’t agree more…
November 16th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I’m not sure what the Mets have done wrong here. They didn’t re-sign the guy in 1996, 1997, and 2000 and we’re to complain about it now as being somehow heartless? Not signing a guy to play for your team is not exactly treating him poorly.
Beyond that, we’re to have a “feeling” that Gooden has been unwelcome at CitiField? C’mon.
The Mets know the value of his legacy to the organization and also know the risk of committing to an addict and I’m sure have long sought and will continue to seek to meet him halfway as far as mutual support. It’s hard.
And the Mets do have a Hall of Fame.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Funny, I couldn’t disagree more.
I hope he has himself straightened out and has his life in order now … same for Strawberry …. but I don’t get the point that he deserves special treatment. I am OK with him being more visible but refuse to cannonize him as if he were a Met god.
Dwight Gooden — for all his success as a Met — never won a post-season game. He had a great rookie year in 1984 and super-human year in 1985 …. but he began to become human in 1986 (my unprofessional view is that he was beginning to show the signs of the drug use) and while he was still very good, he was never the dominant Doctor as he was in 1985.
The 1987 cocaine suspenson and Smithers Instutute rehab was something to be forgiven for, and despute Dick Young’s column that implored everyone to “stand up and boo” when he took the mound in June that year, I did forgive him … the relapse in 1992 was unforgiveable in my opinion.
For me, he let this franchise down far more than he progressed it. If you belive that as I do,m then to reward it would be wrong IMO.
I respect your opinion Mike, but there are other sides to this and hope you can respect mine.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
how they treated him after the signing of the wall fiasco was typical mets
November 16th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
The nonsense over Gooden signing the wall was just that — nonsense. It was a complete over-reaction by the Mets — on that, I completely agree.
Frankly, I think the Mets would have handled any player or former player doing the same thing so to make it sound like “another” example of the Mets distancing themselves from Gooden is a poor misrepresentation IMO.
I also agree with Edgy DC about not signing Gooden in 1996, 1997 and 2000 …. was he really any good at that point? And after basically betraying the Mets organization, his teammates and fans with his repested drug use, what exactly di the Mets owe him then — and for that matter, what do they owe him now?
November 16th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
The Mets owed him what his first wife owed him — prayers and best wishes and the opportunity to hit bottom without bailing him out. They couldn’t save him and, like his wife, needed to get on getting on.
I imagine Gooden on his better days know this.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Edgy you honestly don’t think the Mets have a good HOF? Those busts in the lobby of the Diamond Club were a joke.
I am a huge Mets fans and even I can’t defend how this team celebrates its history. Too many marketing genius and not enough smart people who understand the product.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Nah, it would be better to add a Don Newcomb rotunda to the Jackie Robinson rotunda.
All Met fans below the age of 60 could relate to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 17th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
we have to honor players for what they did on the field – that other stuff doesn’t change what they did there.