4
2013
The Tragedy That Is Dwight Gooden
An article by 
It usually is not a good sign when a name not recently in the news shows up on the “What’s Trending Now,’’ list when one logs onto the Internet.
Dwight Gooden was there this morning and we can expect to see future postings as his latest issue with the law unravels.
GOODEN: Once upon a time. (AP)
Gooden, long out of baseball but not forgotten by Mets fans, allegedly threatened his estranged wife, Monique, on Friday, when he should have been on a back field in Port St. Lucie tutoring what he once was – a hot, young prospect.
It would have been nice if Gooden had a second career in the sun, literally and figuratively. It’s not like he hasn’t had chances. The Yankees gave him several when George Steinbrenner was alive and he would have been welcomed by the Mets had he not struggled with drug, alcohol and law issues.
Monique Gooden called police and filed a restraining order. He was forced to move out of the house he and his wife are living in until their divorce becomes final.
Reportedly, Gooden threatened his wife, saying: “All bets are off and I will hurt you and your family. You’ll see, just wait.’’
A DUI, well, a team can live with that on a player’s record. Not pleasant, but doable. It is especially possible if the player had a remarkable career and once was a face of that franchise, as Gooden was with the Mets.
However, such a threat, especially if carried out, is not the image a team wants to project. There has to be considerable damage control if Gooden is to ever again represent the Mets.
Or, any other major league team for that matter.
That is, of course, unless something bad happens to him, such as jail, or worse.
Gooden will no longer have visitation rights with his two children until a hearing, March 11. In the interim, Gooden can contemplate where it all went wrong.
The drug problems began shortly after the 1985 and 1986 seasons, which were his early days with the Mets, and unfortunately, the highlight of his career. There once was a night a decade later, when nearing the end with the Yankees, he threw the no-hitter one expected of him whenever he took the mound at Shea Stadium.
Throwing what Kevin Costner said in “Bull Durham’’ was “ungodly stuff in the show,’’ Gooden was the inspiration of the “Ks’’ banners and cards that fans hung over the stadium railings. Gooden was electric in those days when he owned the summer nights at Shea.
We knew it wouldn’t last forever as it never does, but were shocked and angered and saddened knowing Gooden was throwing away his career with drugs and booze. We once were enthralled with the hard- partying Mets of 1986 and even glorified them, but also knew at the same time knew life on the ledge couldn’t end happily.
For different reasons, but ultimately the same one – a lack of self-control – it didn’t well for Gooden. For Darryl Strawberry. For Lenny Dykstra. Wally Backman is still paying the price.
Nearing the end of his life, Mickey Mantle talked of role models and said, “don’t be like me.’’ At one time, there wasn’t a kid around who didn’t want to be like Gooden, standing alone on the mound awash in the cheers and adulation that comes with being the greatest.
Gooden is again alone as he faces another life crisis, but there’s nobody who wants to be like him.
And, that’s just sad.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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Disappointing news…
What are the Mets going to do, they are having a Bobblehead night for him in the summer.
“All bets are off” on that, I guess.
Sad, I wish he could have been the pitcher we thought was on the way to the Hall of Fame. All the God given talent, so depressing, I will continue to pray for him.
Goodne was teh most overpowering pitcher I’ve ever seen come out of the minors.
He was so good that the only knock against him was how he held runners on base because there were so few of them.
He owned baseball for three years.
It is a sad, sad story but at least he gave us fans some of the most dominating pitching we’ve ever seen.
Which is worse? A DUI or a threat? As bad as the threat is, one is saying you will kill someone and one is driving around with a deadly weapon and no control of that weapon. Though call, I take the neither.
People say a lot of things in anger they don’t really mean. I don’t now if that was the case here, but stupid statements are uttered time and again in anger. It’s not an excuse for having no self control when angry but threats are not always carried out.
The DUI is infinitely worse. Driving while under the influence puts yourself and everyone else out on the road with you in immediate danger. It’s only by the grace of God or karma or luck that you don’t kill yourself and take others with you in that circumstance.
To better understand what Gooden and Strawberry have done with their lives and the lives of those around them, read the book, “High and Tight” by author Bob Klapisch. It’s not pretty and both can legitimately be reviled or pitied, depending on your personal views.
Alternatively, go to this link to take another view:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/sbbw0921.htm
He had 100 wins by the age of 24 and 150 by the age of 28, even with all the drugs. A once in a generation talent and I have more pity than revulsion for him. 24-4, 1.55 ERA in ’85 and he was slated to go in game 162 if they had not been eliminated the day before.
He once pitched a two-hitter that he didn’t remember pitching!!!
Sorry to be reading this. Addictions such as this are a terrible disease that one can never fully recover from.
It takes guts and the will to overcome to live with it day in and day out.
Here’s hoping Gooden finally gets the help he needs to turn his life around.
The most dominant and exciting young Met pitcher I ever had the pleasure to watch pitch for a few short years in the 80s. I thought in those days there was no way he would not have a HOF career. Was not to be, sadly.
Wait, after wally backman went off with the bats and baseballs, they plays “Why Can’t We Be Friends” on the loud speaker. That is awesome.
If I do say so myself, anyone wishing he went Jimmy Dugan on that guy (league of their own movie) and ask him if “Did I ever tell you you look like a ***** with a little hat on?” haha that woulda been classic. (ill take Wit over f-bombs all day)
Another sad chapter in Gooden’s life. He had a hall of fame career until drugs, alcohol and domestic issues derailed his once promising career. Help is always there for him but its been a struggle for the doctor.
Off Topic – This site should be loading 200% or more faster tonight after we completed some re-coding and added some new enhancements geared toward doubling the speed of our page loads. I’m curious if anyone can tell the difference in speed or posting comments now from a day ago?
Just did some bench-marking and our main page, which has the heaviest weight, loads in 2.3 seconds as compared to 5.9 for the last 3-4 months.
Comments in less than 3 seconds…
I do it all for YOU!
Much faster Joe….
I always thought it was the ads that slowed things down because they came off other slower servers…
But a tightening of code will always help!
Read set go!
Wow, that was fast! Simply Amazin’!
Thanks for the feedback!
Let us keep this in context.
An allegation by a bitter ex in the middle of a divorce proceeding.
Is it true. Or not. He said she said.
The toughest thing to swallow for me in regards to Dwight was that he was so good, so overpowering that I actually felt he would have surpassed Tom Seaver as the greatest pitcher in Mets history. He stuff was so overpowering that he looked like a right handed version of Sandy Koufax. The Mets front office and ownership should have found a way to protect both Daryll and Doc from their eventual demons. They tried by trading off Kevin Mitchell who was not a good influence for them in “off the field” matters. The trade worked out for the team as Kevin McReynolds played very well for us….but alas Dwight and Daryll let their fame get the better of them and fell victims to booze and drugs!
Sometimes when your that young and that successful…the success is too much for the kid to handle!
Child Actors have the same issues, Many TV stars who had great success early in thier career also spiral into the abyss because they can’t handle the stress of the success or deal with the adversity when it finally arrives.
the 80′s screwed up a LOT of people not just Gooden and Strawberry!
How they wound up was indicative of everything the 80′s were about!
Studio54 was invented in the 80′s remember!
Coke was the drug of choice, debauchery was the order of the day, Free sex was rampant and no one figured out just how bad it was until the party was over in the 90′s and everyone was in Jail or Rehab!
I think studio 54 was opened in ’77
Yes but it wasn’t the place to be until the 80′s rolled around.
Speak for yourself. Drunken drug-abuse never “enthralled” me. I liked them because they won. I first suspected something was wrong with Gooden during the playoffs against LA. Watching him sweat like a pig on a cold cold night before he gave up the Sciosia shot. He has had far too many chances in my book. Another example of the press thinking someone was a great guy when really he was not.
Get a real job, delcos.