However, in an unusually candid (for an owner) interview, Cohen laid forth his direction for the Mets going forward. I was not expecting to be impressed by what I heard, but I actually liked many of the points the Mets owner made. In his words, he showcased both the vision he had for the team when he originally bought it and the adjustments in his thinking moving forward.

Although it may seem that he did not say anything that earth-shattering, here are some of my takeaways from Cohen’s presser.

Steve Cohen. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

He Has a Long-Term Vision

Overall, Cohen knows where he wants to take this team. He walked back his three-to-five-year timeline for a World Series somewhat, admitting that it’s difficult to actually win and the best you can do is get into the dance. But as much as he still wants to win now, he has a vision to build sustainable success.

For example, Cohen pointed to the fact that the Mets are just starting to build their pitching lab now, while other teams have had theirs in place for nearly a decade. Not only does that put the Mets’ minor league pitchers behind the eight-ball, but it also doesn’t help their struggling major leaguers. Cohen pointed out that the team has not developed its own pitchers for a long time, and that needs to change for the Mets to become winners. However, he also knows it’s going to take time.

Cohen’s goal is to turn the Mets into a perennial contender like the Astros, Braves, and Dodgers. While those teams differ slightly in their willingness to foray into free agency and spend big, all three have developed a lot of their own talent and churned out a number of stars from their farm systems. That didn’t happen overnight for those organizations, and it won’t happen overnight for the Mets, either.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

His Patience is Calculated, Too

I liked what Cohen said about his reasoning for not firing Eppler and Showalter. Who wants to work for an owner who won’t give his guys a chance? Although the pressure to win in New York is immense, any talented executive is going to want reassurance that he has the chance to implement his vision. In the book Caponomics, which discusses the NFL salary cap, author Zack Moore states that in all professional sports, the tandem of general manager and coach needs at least five years together to fully get their vision in place, from philosophy to coaches to players and then to the finer details. Though the timelines may be different for baseball, this is the way to sustain success—not just attain it immediately.

I still believe that Eppler and Showalter are not the right people to make that vision happen. However, showing at least enough patience to see the season through before making a move will likely benefit Cohen in the long run. Although I originally felt that he was being patient just for the sake of not being labeled as George Steinbrenner 2.0, his words show that there is reasoning behind it.

He is Not a Reckless Spender

Many have tabbed Cohen as the next Steinbrenner with a similar willingness to spend indiscriminately. Although that was fairly evident from the players he both did and did not acquire over the last three offseasons, his comments further demonstrated that he is willing to spend in a calculated manner.

About the team’s payroll, Cohen said, “I don’t think it’s sustainable in the long term, just losing the type of money that I’m losing. It’s a lot to ask… I have the wherewithal to do it. And it’s just a question of how long.”

Some will scoff at the billionaire claiming that a ballooning payroll is unsustainable. However, I don’t believe that he meant his personal financial situation, even though he said the money that he is losing. What Cohen was saying was that running a baseball team that is reliant on overpaying in free agency is not a formula for winning.

In other words, even when Cohen spent all that money in free agency, it was not with the intention to keep doing so forever. He wanted to make the Mets winners in the short term and mostly signed short-term contracts toward that end (Francisco Lindor notwithstanding, and perhaps Starling Marte, as well). His longer-term vision, though, remains to become a team that builds through their farm system and supplements through free agency.

When asked if he regrets spending all the money he did in free agency, Cohen responded, “Let’s say this turns out to be a poor season, in retrospect, yeah, you’d like to spend less. But you don’t have that luxury when you’re trying to put together a team. That’s the decision we made. Free agency is really expensive. If you want to field a good team from free agency, that’s what it costs.” He admitted that the cost is also magnified by the iffy proposition of getting what you expect out of the players and reiterated that the long-term goal is to build up the farm system.

Clearly, Cohen’s vision of success with the free agents he signed is not working this year. But that leads to the next point.

He Will Use Sunk Costs to Get Better

Last week, the Mets traded Eduardo Escobar to the Angels and paid down the maximum salary that MLB will allow in order to get a greater prospect haul. Cohen was asked if he will continue to do such things. His answer was telling: “I consider it money spent.”

This is the antithesis of the sunk-cost fallacy and an excellent way to approach team-building. Not every team has the luxury of paying down a player’s salary, but Cohen has the money to do so. Unlike many other owners and decision-makers across the business spectrum, when he made a mistake, he’s willing to swallow it to get better.

I criticized Billy Eppler very heavily in the past for refusing to admit his mistakes in trades, specifically with Darin Ruf (and even, to an extent, Daniel Vogelbach). I saw him as a purveyor of the sunk-cost fallacy. However, on a broader level, it appears that Cohen understands the issue and is willing to put his money where his mouth is.

If the Mets want to build up their farm system, then giving up talented but expensive players while picking up the tab should net them a superior return. Since many of their prospects are still several years away with uncertain developmental curves, perhaps the Mets can build the upper levels of their system this way.

In the same vein, I was happy to hear Cohen say that if he is in the same position at the trade deadline then he will not be buying. His words made it clear that if the Mets don’t improve, he will sell. He does not want that to happen, but he’s not going to play the middle-of-the-road mediocrity card that the Wilpons so often did.

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

What I Still Want to See

Prior to this press conference, I was fully prepared to write an article stating that Cohen made his own bed by trying to put a Band-Aid over a wound. After hearing him speak, I realize that he recognizes there is a lot of work to be done and that the team’s success will not come overnight.

However, there are still a few points that I would like to see changes with, and those pertain to the 2023 Mets as well as the future.

Analytics Overhaul

I find that the team’s analytics department is very outdated. When Tommy Pham explained that the analytics team told Showalter that he should sit against right-handed pitching, that was emblematic of so many of the issues we’ve seen with the team’s lineups and decision-making in-season and in-game.

There is too much of a focus on handedness over actual splits, too much of an emphasis on on-base percentage vs. weighted on-base average (wOBA), and not enough recognition that the power vs. strikeout tradeoff is worthwhile to win. As an analytically minded writer, I find these issues ongoing and infuriating. If Cohen truly wants to improve this team, he needs to get his analytics department up to par from the lowest levels of the minors on up.

Player Development

In concert with that, the Mets must build up their player development and coaching. The fact that so many Mets players fall into prolonged slumps at the same time and cannot break out of it is concerning. When it happens in one season, it can be considered fluky, but this is the second time in three seasons that over half the Mets lineup are performing far below their norms. That they can’t figure it out speaks to something within the organization.

Baseball is a tough sport to figure out. Players do go into prolonged slumps or have off years. Witness players like Carlos Correa and Trea Turner, megastars at their positions who started off this season being unable to buy a hit. However, when it seems to happen team-wide, the question is why there is no one to help them break out of it.

Similarly, Brett Baty‘s struggles to elevate the ball and Francisco Álvarez‘s recent slump raise questions about what the Mets are doing to help them. Again, young players do struggle at times (see: Jarred Kelenic). However, these are two very talented hitters who have shown flashes of the players they can be. It seems to me that there may be a systemic hitting approach that is not allowing these players to maximize their potential, whether it’s an overemphasis on walks and avoiding strikeouts or something else.

To me, these are things Cohen still needs to identify and endeavor to fix. Perhaps the president of baseball operations that he seeks will be in charge of that. David Stearns comes from the Astros’ management pipeline and will likely have a good understanding of these issues. If it’s not Stearns, though, whoever Cohen puts in place must have more than old-school approaches to the team’s current problems.

Overall, I was encouraged by what I heard from Cohen even if many others seem to feel the same as before. It may be too late to turn things around for the 2023 team, but I’m confident that there’s a vision going forward that has a good chance of paying off in the long term.

The post Opinion: Steve Cohen Showing Patience and Savvy with Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

Throughout baseball history, there are certain players who make a quick ascent to the majors, ready to dominate and live out a dream they’ve had since childhood.

These players are few and far between, as the maturity factor and lack of experience can instantly overwhelm young athletes.

Then there’s the case of Dwight Gooden.

Selected fifth overall by the New York Mets in the 1982 MLB Draft, Gooden made just 38 starts in the minors between 1982-83 before making the Opening Day roster in 1984.

At 19-years-old Gooden took New York by storm, posting a 17-9 record with a 2.60 ERA. The league was just not ready for what ‘Doc’ had in store, as Gooden led the National League in WHIP (1.073), strikeouts-per-nine (11.4), strikeouts (276), FIP (1.69) and bWAR for pitchers (5.5).

Gooden was named to the ’84 N.L. All-Star team, making him the youngest player to ever be named on an All-Star roster. He received 23 of 24 first-place votes to win N.L. Rookie of the Year and finished second in the N.L. Cy Young voting behind the Chicago Cubs’ right-hander, Rick Sutcliffe.

Not bad for a kid who would be in his first year of college.

Gooden’s meteoric rise in ’84 made him the talk of baseball. However, after such an impressive rookie season, it was hard to expect Gooden to replicate such a brilliant opening to his career.

Replicate? No. Gooden’s 1985 season was flat out one of the most dominating and historic seasons in baseball history.

Since 1913, when the ER became official in both leagues, only two starting pitchers have posted a win/loss percentage of .800 or greater, an ERA under 1.60, and a Wins Above Replacement of at least 12.0: Walter Johnson in 1913 and Gooden in 1985.

Among starting pitchers under the age of 21 (age as of June 30), Gooden was just the 8th to toss 15 or more complete games and five or more shutouts in a season since 1901. He joined a list that included notable Hall of Famers in Christy Mathewson and the aforementioned Johnson.

In his sophomore season, Gooden was the best pitcher in baseball. At the tender age of 20-years-old, Gooden led the majors in wins (24), ERA (1.53), strikeouts (268), FIP (2.13), ERA+ (229) and WAR for pitchers (12.2). At 20-years, 9 months, and 9 days old, Gooden became the youngest 20-game winner in baseball history.

No amount of adjectives could fully describe what Gooden was doing on the mound, as his starts became can’t miss events. Every time ‘Doc’ toed the rubber, fans in attendance, watching on TV or listening on the radio, were readying themselves for a multi-strikeout performance, a complete game shutout or all of the above.

His high strikeout performances led to fans starting the K Korner in the upper deck in left field at Shea, tracking each of Gooden’s victims with a white placard with a red letter “K” tracking each time Gooden struck a batter out.

By the time he was 22, Gooden was on top of the world. In a matter of three years, Gooden had been named N.L. Rookie of the Year, won the N.L. Cy Young, N.L. Pitching Triple Crown and a World Series ring after the Mets beat the Red Sox in a Series for the ages in 1986.

Gooden spent eleven seasons with the Mets, posting a 3.10 ERA over 305 games (303 starts). Among all-time Mets, Gooden is second in wins (157), strikeouts (1,875), and bWAR for pitchers (41.6), while third in game starts (303), complete games (67) and innings pitched (2,169.2).

The well-documented off-field demons Gooden faced plagued his Hall of Fame trajectory, detouring him from becoming one of the greatest starting pitchers in baseball history. Speaking to Gooden on the matter, he looks back on his tenure in the game with pride, realizing the countless missteps he took along the way, though appreciative of the career he amassed, and most importantly, the fans.

He glowingly speaks on how he fed off the fans’ energy and how they pushed him to the mental and physical limits to put on a great performance each time out on the mound. The support and love he’s received over the years does not go unnoticed to the 53-year-old, as his sincerity is evident when speaking to the Mets legend.

I had the privilege of speaking with Gooden prior to New Year’s, where we discussed his upbringing, an influential figure during his minor league days, his Mets tenure and his current health.

MMO: I saw that your grandson, Emiere, made the Baseball Factory Under Armour National Winter Invite. That’s got to be exciting for you to see your lineage continuing to play. What positions does he play, and can you give a little scouting report on him?

Dwight: He’s a third baseman and a pitcher. It’s ironic that when I first started as a kid – I was younger than him; he just turned fourteen – I played third base and pitched. He’s bigger than I was at that time; we’re probably about the same height, but I was a little skinny kid.

I was telling my son, Dwight Jr., ‘When a kid tells you something, don’t take it for granted because you never know.’

My mom told me that when I was a kid, I told her one day that I’d be playing on TV. She didn’t pay much attention to it, but it actually happened.

I’m not saying that he can walk on to make it because it’s very tough to get to that point. But he has passion for the game, and he has a lot of potential, he works hard and he wants it. I’m pulling for him, and I’m just trying to put him in the best position to succeed.

My son has done a hell of a job with him, a lot better job he’s doing with him than I did with my kids. Only because when my kids were younger, besides one now, they were playing sports and I missed a lot of that because I was playing for the Mets. I missed the school activities and these games, so I tell my one son, ‘Be there as much as you can for him; it’s very important.’

MMO: Do you help coach him?

Dwight: Yes, I try to help him as much as I can. Just try to encourage him and emphasize to him that the way you become a better player is doing it on your own time. What I mean by that is doing extra work when there’s no practice and no games to take the time out, get away from the computers and Facebook and all of that, to go out and work on what your weaknesses are.

That’s what I try to instill into him. He’s doing very well; I’m very proud of him.

Greenwich Time

MMO: Who introduced you to the game of baseball, and how did you fall in love with the sport?

Dwight: My dad, he was my hero. Growing up, Gary Sheffield – my nephew – basically grew up in the same house. Gary’s my nephew, but he’s basically my little brother; we’re four years apart, and my dad taught both of us the game at a very young age.

At that time in the ‘70s, you basically had one game a week on Saturdays [on TV] with Joe Garagiola. Growing up in Florida, we got to see the Cincinnati Reds in spring training; they trained in Tampa at the time. We would also listen to Braves games on the radio, and that was pretty much it. There was no MLB Network or ESPN like they have now, so my dad basically taught us the game.

A lot of times it was Saturdays when we were watching the games, and he would quiz us, “What would you throw here?” And to Gary, “What would you look for here?” It’s like he knew I was going to be a pitcher and Gary was going to be a hitter. As a kid, you think your dad’s just asking you questions, but actually, he was giving us a lot of knowledge on hitters and pitchers.

One thing I regret before my dad passed away was asking him where he got his knowledge from because he had a lot of knowledge and was way ahead of his time. I can’t thank him enough for the career I had and the career Gary had.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Dwight: My guys were Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Pete Rose and Al Kaline. Those were my main guys.

I’ll tell you a quick story about Pete. We were watching spring training one time and Tampa to Lakeland is like going from Long Island to Citi Field. We followed the team to Lakeland when they were playing the Tigers, and one game was a blowout, so we were leaving early. To me, baseball players are bigger than life; I would never ask for an autograph or anything like that. Not that I didn’t want it; I was just too shy and afraid to ask.

We saw Pete Rose in the parking lot leaving the same time we were, and my dad said, “There’s Pete Rose.”

So I waved my hand real quick, and he waved and said, “Hey kid, how you doing?”

And I said, ‘Good.’

My dad asked him if we could get a picture, so we took a picture. Back then it was a Polaroid camera, so you took the picture and pulled it right out. We took the picture, and this is how Pete became my favorite because he was the first guy I got an autograph from and took a picture with.

Fast forward to 1984, when I make the team and we open the season in Cincinnati. I go out early to watch the Reds take batting practice because they were my team growing up watching as a kid. Pete Rose is the first guy that came over and said, “Congratulations on making the team.” I was telling him the story about how I took a picture with him, and he didn’t remember. Later that summer, my dad came up, and he had the picture blown up, and I had Pete sign the picture for me.

Even today when I see Pete at different autograph signings or charity events, I still get choked up because he’s my guy. And hopefully one day he gets in the Hall of Fame.

MMO: That’s a very cool story. Those are the types of moments that stick with you forever and leave a lasting impact, especially at a young age.

Dwight: Oh definitely, one-hundred percent. And that’s what it’s all about, and I carry that today with me. I tell this every time I speak to kids: speak to everybody because you never know the impact you can have on a kid, just like the impact Pete had on me as a kid. Say Pete may have been nasty to me; I might never have been a baseball player.

MMO: How and when did you first earn the nickname ‘Doc’?

Dwight: It actually came when I was about eleven or twelve-years-old. My dad’s best friend was a doctor, and he was always telling my dad that one day he was going to make me a doctor. Every time I was pitching a Little League or high school game, he would come, and for whatever strange reason, my dad’s friend would come up to the fence when I had two strikes on the batter and say, “Come on, Doc. Operate on him, Doc. You’ve got a patient, Doc.”

One day there was a news guy from the Tampa Tribune, Tom McEwen, and he was doing a story as my dad’s friend was going through the whole thing, “Come on, Doc, operate on him, Doc.” He started writing, “Dwight Gooden, The Doctor.” Then my teammates started calling me ‘Doc’ as a joke, and it kind of stuck.

Once I signed with the Mets, mostly all professional players give you nicknames, and they called me ‘Goody.’ I’ll never forget, I looked at them and said, ‘Goody? No, I like it when they call me Doc.’

‘Doc’ sounded better than ‘Goody,’ so that’s how ‘Doc’ came about.

MMO: What do you remember most from the 1982 MLB Draft, being selected fifth overall by the Mets?

Dwight: We went to the Tampa Tribune. We got invited: me, Richie Monteleone and Lance McCullers, whose son now pitches for the Houston Astros. Those guys in the scouting reports were supposed to be ahead of me. My high school coach said I’d probably go between the fifth and tenth round because I had only really played my junior and senior year. I had no idea I was going to go in the first round, I had never talked to a scout or anyone from the Mets organization.

When the draft started, obviously Shawon Dunston went number one, which I saw. Then number five: Dwight Gooden, New York Mets. I was like, no way! I had Tom McEwen – the same guy that wrote the [Doc] story on me – call New York. To call the Mets and make sure that was right because I just didn’t believe it based on what my coach had told me. He said, “No, you’re the Mets’ number one pick. Fifth overall.”

I could not believe it, and I remember it was a small community, and all the news trucks were there [at Gooden’s house]. To me, it was overwhelming, but it was great for the whole neighborhood.

MMO: So you had no idea that the Mets were looking to take you so high?

Dwight: No, not that high. I talked to a lot of scouts and a lot of teams that would come by my school and have me throw and have me hit. But nobody ever said we’re going to take you if you’re available. I never talked with anyone from the Mets. Once I was drafted, I talked to Joe McIlvaine, who was a scout at the time, and he said, “We saw you play; we saw you play outfield. We had our sights on you the whole time.”

I had never talked to anybody from the Mets [prior]. I talked to the Reds a lot, I went to a lot of Reds’ tryout camps. I went to a lot of those because they were right there in Tampa. But they never said where they were going to take me, I figured I would get drafted but I didn’t think I’d go that high.

MMO: I read that your minor league pitching coach, John Cumberland, was instrumental in your development in the minors. Is that true?

Dwight: I owe him a lot of credit because without him, who knows what could’ve happened, especially moving forward in ’83 and ’84. And what I mean by that is in ’83 I started out 0-3. I would not pitch inside because in high school I hit a kid in the head, and that just scared me ever since. It knocked him out, and the paramedics came out onto the field to take him off, so I wouldn’t pitch inside.

Guys were hitting me pretty hard, and after my first three starts, they were talking about sending me down to Low-A. John Cumberland said, “No. We’ll have him miss a start, and I’ll work with him, and then we’ll go from there.”

We didn’t really work on anything; we just talked. We talked about pitching and pitching inside. All he told me was, “If a guy hits a ball hard off you, the next guy I want you to throw high and tight, back him off the plate. If a guy hits a home run off of you, the next guy I want you to drill him; hit him in his leg or somewhere below the belt.” He told me if I didn’t do that, then they would send me down.

Just by pitching inside after starting 0-3, I end up 19-4 with 300 strikeouts, and next year I’m in the big leagues. Having not had that talk and not missed that start, who knows what could’ve turned out or what could’ve happened if I had got sent down to Low-A that year.

I owe John Cumberland a lot of credit.

MMO: April 7, 1984: your major league debut. What memories stand out most from that day for you?

Dwight: I think the best thing about that was the Mets flew my parents into Houston and put them up in a hotel. I was the youngest kid of five by thirteen years, so my parents were basically my security blanket. Having them there in the stands for my first game meant a lot to me, and I thank the Mets a lot for that.

That day I was so nervous and had so much anxiety. I had breakfast with my parents. It was a night game, so the bus didn’t leave until 5 PM.

At around 2 PM I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I asked the concierge, ‘How far was the stadium? Where is the Astrodome?’ He gave me directions, and I ended up walking to the Dome.

Never being there before and not knowing how to get in, I asked the guy at the gate how to get in. He didn’t have any idea, so I ended up climbing the fence. It was like an eight-foot fence, this is a true story. I climbed an eight-foot fence, and then the security guard saw me and asked, “Who are you? What are you doing?”

I showed my license and told them I was the starting pitcher tonight, and they were like, yeah right, whatever. They called the front office, and they said, yes, he’s fine. So they let me in.

I remember warming up in the bullpen just sweating bullets, so nervous with my knees shaking. Mel Stottlemyre was my pitching coach, and he said, “Just relax. Just throw the ball like in spring training.”

Those were good encouraging words, but you knew it wasn’t spring training, and this is the real deal. This is something I wanted to do since I was eight-years-old and now I had the opportunity. Not only that, but I remembered that two years ago I was in high school pretending to be these guys that I’m getting ready to face.

I pitched and went five innings, and we ended up winning, 3-2. After the game, my dad said, “So, son, what did you think?”

I said, ‘Well, I think I should win a lot of games.’

But then my next start against Chicago, I got knocked out in the fourth inning, and he asked me the same question, “Son, what do you think?”

I said, ‘I don’t know if I’m ready or not.’

That’s how the game humbles you. I didn’t think I belonged until probably once I made the All-Star team. That’s when I knew I should have a pretty good career and things would be okay.

MMO: That ’84 season was sensational, as you led the National League in WHIP, SO/9, FIP and bWAR for pitchers. At 19-years-old, winning Rookie of the Year and being viewed as the ace for a team with championship aspirations, what was that pressure like for you that season?

Dwight: I think one thing that really helped was having my dad. He coached a semi-pro baseball team in Tampa and also softball and stuff like that. Being around older guys even though they took it easy on me obviously playing softball and stuff. But playing with older guys – it wasn’t Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt – but I think being a young guy of ten or eleven-years-old playing against grown men helped a little and took some of the edge off.

Still, there’s nothing like playing in the majors. I think Keith Hernandez was a big influence. Mike Torrez, Mookie Wilson, George Foster; all of these guys helped me a lot. Just taught me about having confidence in my ability and not to look at the names on the back of the jerseys. It’s little things that might sound cheesy, but they played a big role in my confidence because I was very nervous.

As you said, 19-years-old, a year and a half out of high school, and playing in the major leagues in New York City is just tremendous. Plus, the fans gave me so much energy, so they helped a lot with the confidence.

MMO: Only two players have ever had a season with the following numbers since 1913: a sub-1.60 ERA, a win-loss record of .800 or better, and a WAR of 12.0 or greater. Walter Johnson in 1913 and yourself in 1985. Talk a little about that 1985 season, everything just seemed to go right for you that year.

Dwight: Thanks for that trivia. I didn’t even know that! Being there with Walter Johnson is amazing! One thing was in the All-Star Game in 1984, I came into the game as a reliever. I struck out the three batters, and Gary Carter was my catcher; not knowing we were going to trade for Gary that November.

Having Gary in 1985 after the ’84 season I had and having Keith Hernandez there who I leaned on a lot [was big]. But having an All-Star catcher, a veteran catcher that loved the game and was going to get the best out of your abilities every single night played a HUGE part of my success in 1985.

I also remember probably after about 10 starts in 1985, I knew at that point that each start was bigger than just a regular game. I mean, there were more people, and not to toot my own horn, but there were just more fans in the stands, more media coverage.

Everybody was coming to see my performance that night. And now, not to disrespect any player I played against, but if we scored 2-3 runs I wanted to be on the mound as much as possible because it was almost like being at a concert. Guys wanted to see a shutout; they wanted to see 10 plus strikeouts; they wanted to see a dominant performance. Not just a win where you win 5-2 with five strikeouts in seven innings; they wanted the whole package, and I wanted to give them the whole package.

I put added pressure on myself. I wasn’t disrespecting the other players on the other team; I just felt the fans were there to see a performance, and I wanted to give them the whole event. That’s what motivated me every start.

MMO: Your 1986 team is forever beloved and is one of the greatest teams of all-time. To you, what made that team so dominating?

Dwight: I think what made that team so dominating were the coaches we had. We’re viewed by a lot of people as a wild bunch, and we had some characters on the team, but also we had a lot of baseball knowledge.

We had a lot of guys, especially on Sundays at Shea Stadium, where the traffic would be so bad after games that we’d hang around and just talk baseball. If guys made mistakes or had something to say, we’d talk about it and it was over with.

Everybody just had fun. It was great, and I loved it.

MMO: You mentioned that Nolan Ryan was one of your idols growing up. Where does Game 5 of the N.L.C.S. against Houston and Nolan Ryan rank for you in your career?

Dwight: That’s definitely top-2 or top-3. Going against my idol, going ten innings in a game like that was a tremendous, tremendous part of my career.

MMO: Who were the toughest hitters you faced?

Dwight: I’d say the toughest hitter was probably Barry Bonds, but the guy that gave me the most trouble was Chili Davis.

When Chili Davis was with the San Francisco Giants, I could not get that guy out. It didn’t matter if it was one of my top performances with my best stuff or just a regular game; I could not get him out. I would just try to make sure that I got the guys out in front of him so no one was on base. I would try to throw inside on him and try to intimidate him, but it didn’t matter. I just couldn’t get him out.

He just owned me.

MMO:  May 14, 1996, you tossed a no-hitter at Yankee Stadium. After being suspended for parts of the 1994 season and all of ’95, did you ever think you’d be back in baseball? And what did that moment mean for you to get that second chance?

Dwight: I was working out the whole ’95 season while I was suspended, and some scouts were coming around, but there wasn’t really much going on. I didn’t know if I was going to get an opportunity again to see if I can [play].

Fortunately, Mr. Steinbrenner gave me an opportunity to continue my career in New York, which I wanted to do. I obviously wanted to finish with the Mets, but I understood why we went our separate ways.

When the Yankees gave me the opportunity to come back to New York that year, I started out 0-3. The first thing I thought was, ‘Oh, here we go again.’ If you ever heard of a pitcher getting benched that meant you didn’t get to pitch in games if we were up 10 runs or if we were down 10 runs. I would just hang in the bullpen, not knowing if I was going to get released, sent down to Triple-A, what have you.

Unfortunately, my good friend David Cone got an aneurysm in his arm, and that got me back into the rotation. My third start back into the rotation was my no-hitter. What made that night so special besides being at Yankee Stadium, a no-hitter, and the history was I was supposed to be home that day because my dad was having open-heart surgery the next day because of his health. He had been on dialysis for fifteen years, and his health was failing him.

I had my plane ticket to go home, and that morning I just thought, He’d probably want me to pitch.

I called Joe Torre and said, ‘I’m coming in to pitch.’

He told me, “No, go home. Take as much time as you need with your father.”

I told him, ‘No, I’ll be there tonight.’

I called my mom, and she didn’t take it as well, so I ended up hanging the phone up on my mother because I just felt guilty of not going home to be with my father.

The first three innings of that game I was standing in the walkway between the dugout and the clubhouse wondering if I had made the right decision or not. Not until the sixth inning is when I realized that I had a no-hitter. I looked up at the scoreboard to see the hitters I was going to face the next inning, and I see no runs and no hits. Your heart beats a little faster, and the anxiety starts kicking in. I was able to focus in but Seattle had what I thought was the best offense in baseball.

Once I threw the no-hitter, the game’s over, and I go home. The next day I gave him [Dad] the ball. It turns out the doctor said that he did see the game, but he never made it home from the hospital; he ended up passing away. But the last game he ever saw me pitch was that no-hitter, so that made it that much special.

MMO: That’s an incredible story. It must have made you happy that your father got to see you pitch that final game.

Dwight: Yes, definitely. It’s amazing how things happen sometimes. To me, that was like a gift to him for all the hard work he put in. The sacrifices he made coming home from work every day and taking me and Gary to work on our game to make us players to live out our dreams.

MMO: You went from being a power pitcher with the Mets to relying more on location, off-speed pitches, and guile later in your career. How difficult was that transition for you?

Dwight: The thing that made it tough was in the beginning. Some nights you feel like you have a good fastball, and when you have that you feel like going back to the pitcher that you were in the ‘80s. But that wasn’t the pitcher I was anymore. And to have Stottlemyre as my pitching coach there – who was also there at the beginning of my career – made the transition easier.

Not that it was easy, but it definitely helped me just accept who I was. I wouldn’t say I didn’t miss striking out ten to fourteen batters, but I became more of a student of the game. You had to study the hitters more, learn their weaknesses, and each pitch meant something where after every game I was more mentally tired just as physically because each pitch you had to know what the purpose behind it was.

Earlier in my career, when I fell behind 2-0 to a batter, I just reared back and threw as hard as I could to challenge guys. It was more of a challenge, but it was all fun, but Stottlemyre definitely helped make that transition a lot easier.

MMO: When you look back on your career, Doc, what are you most proud of?

Dwight: I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I think I learned to accept the career I had. I’m very thankful and knowing that the fans love me for a person just as much as a player. And I say that because when I first made it to the majors, my goal was to stay healthy, play as long as I can, and hopefully win a World Series. I never thought about winning any individual awards. I was fortunate and very blessed along the way to win just about every award, pitch to win, that ’85 season, win three World Series with both New York teams.

By then the writers started saying he should’ve been a Hall of Famer. So I started thinking that and put a lot of pressure on myself, and I started thinking about all the trouble I got in off the field. One day I told myself, Who am I to say what career I had based off of what someone else said? I basically won three World Series, had some of the greatest people supporting me on and off the field, played with two great organizations and I lived my dream.

I had an unbelievable career, and once I saw it that way, understood it, and accepted that it made it that much better. A lot of times, even now, it gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Sometimes I still put in tapes and watch and say, ‘Wow, that was great.’

I really enjoyed the career that I had, and the thing I enjoyed the most about it was developing friendships with the players I played with and the organizations. And the fans, I can’t thank the fans enough. They gave me the strength to carry on even when I didn’t feel like it.

MMO: How’s your relationship with your former teammate, Darryl Strawberry? You both had a public feud dating back to August of 2016, how have you guys been?

Dwight: Our relationship is good now. I think it’s more about respect and understanding that if we have a problem with one another that we confront each other about it, instead of going public.

We talk now probably more regularly than we did, and I think the conversations are more real. It still bothers me that he did that, but I forgave him. I think by that happening, our relationship grew a little closer.

MMO: On a personal level, how’s your health been?

Dwight: The health is good. Unfortunately, I need to get cataract surgery; I’ve had more surgeries now than when I played for sixteen-years. I’ve got to get the cataract thing, which is nothing serious. I went through this whole dental process because I chewed tobacco unfortunately for thirty-five years, and then I had a bad infection in my mouth where I needed teeth injected and then implants put in. I get that all done in February, but those are minor things; it could be worse.

Other than that, my health is great, my recovery is going really well. I have no complaints. I’m actually training my thirteen-year-old son [Dylan] in basketball, trying to get him bigger and stronger. And my kids are good and healthy and getting ready to have my fifth grand-kid, so everything’s great.

I have no complaints. Life has been good; I’ve been very blessed. I’m doing a couple of different events, helping kids, I love working with kids.

MMO: Talk a bit about the Gooden Brand. How did that start and what are you hoping to accomplish with it?

Dwight: That’s more of my son’s thing, and he started it, Dwight Jr. He’s very creative and he came to me and said, “Dad, this would be great to do.” And actually this year we’re having it at Modell’s.

It’s just something that he started as a fun thing, but now he’s trying to do it where he can raise money and half the money goes to charity, to help those who need second chances. Whatever those second chances might be, whether it’s finances, drug abuse, or what have you. Just helping others, and that’s what it’s all about. Putting a smile on a stranger’s face and that’s the way he was raised.

It just started off as something that was a fun project for my son, and now it’s turning into something big. I’m very proud of him for starting it, and I’m just happy to be a part of it and help support it.

MMO: I can’t thank you enough for your time today, Doc. It was an honor getting to speak with you.

Dwight: Thank you. My pleasure, buddy.

Follow Dwight Gooden on Twitter, @DocGooden16

For Gooden merchandise, visit: www.goodenbrand.com

The post MMO Exclusive: “Doctor K,” Dwight Gooden appeared first on Metsmerized.

DOC

A Memoir

By Dwight Gooden and Ellis Henican 

In the mid 1980’s no pitcher was more feared and more dominant than the Mets young superstar, Dwight “Doc” Gooden. Gooden arrived in New York in 1984 as a shy nineteen year old from Tampa and became a pitching sensation overnight, Times Square even held an 105 foot mural of Doc on the mound. His first season he was named Rookie of the year; his second, he won 25 games, earning the Triple Crown and one of the most prestigious awards in baseball: the Cy Young Award.

The Mets loved him, New York loved him, and at the age of 20 with a 98-mph fastball he had cemented himself in baseball history. In 1986 when the Mets won the World Series, Gooden’s life would change forever. Instead of celebrating with his teammates at the Tickertape parade, he watched them on TV, bleary-eyed, drunk and high. For the next 25 years Gooden battled alcoholism and drug addiction while his life and career spun out of control.

With fresh and sober eyes, Dwight Gooden shares the most intimate moments of his successes and failures, from three World Series rings to endless self-destructive drug binges in his brutally honest memoir DOC written with Ellis Henican.

Taking accountability for his actions, both on and off the field, Gooden holds nothing back. He reveals the hidden traumas in his close-knit Tampa family; the thrill and pressure of being a young shy baseball prodigy in New York; the raucous days and nights with the Mets’ bad boys; the drug binges and arrests; his comeback with the Yankees; the heartbreaking attempts at getting sober; the senseless damage to family and friends; and the unexpected way he finally saved his life—on VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

Gooden details his close friendships with many of baseball’s greats: Pete Rose, George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre and nephew Gary Sheffield. For the first time ever, he reveals the real story of his troubled relationship with fellow Mets superstar Darryl Strawberry. Intimate and vulnerable, Gooden tells the moving story of the Yankees no-hitter he pitched for his dying dad and the complicated and at times estranged relationships he has had with his own children.

A story of family, baseball, of talent squandered by the disease of addiction, and of the long road to getting clean, DOC is a riveting baseball memoir by one of the game’s most fascinating figures, and an inspiring story for anyone who has faced tough challenges in life.

As you would expect, the book contains large chunks of his time with the Mets and details the 1986 Mets clubhouse which was known as much for their antics off the field as well as on. Gooden shares what it was like and the real story of why he missed the 1986 World Series Victory Parade in New York City.

ON SALE NOW!

A brutally honest memoir of baseball, family, addiction and the long road to getting and staying clean by one of the greatest pitchers of all time

“Dwight Gooden’s directness, rarely seen in athlete-penned memoirs, distinguishes this book.”
— Publishers Weekly

“How could you not like Dwight Gooden? There is no way. His disease took so much from him. He lost everything. And in spite of that, he is having this glorious recovery. He understands what’s really important in life –your family, your relationships, getting right with God, doing what you need to. He gets that now. It makes his story that much more tragic –and that much more inspiring.”

— Dr. Drew Pinsky 

 “The young Dwight Gooden was as beautiful to watch as any pitcher I have ever seen. The question seemed to be not whether he would make the Hall of fame but where he would rank among the very greatest pitchers who ever lived. In Doc, Gooden honestly confronts how and why the story didn’t quite turn out that way.”
— Bob Costas

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I’m thinking of Bernie Williams who was let go in a brisk manner by Brian Cashman who seem to think he is the new ‘George Steinbrenner’ – in fact he used that kind of language over the holidays when he made a big deal of re-signing Derek and told him to look elsewhere if he was not happy with his new deal.

Andy Pettitte has come and gone during the past decade partly because of injury and partly because he is caught up in the steroid mess with former friend, Roger Clemens. Andy – a really gentle family man – was quite upset about this and I doubt he’s gotten over it yet – in fact he’s on the witness list for the Clemens trial next month.

All this illustrates that you never miss someone until they’re gone – I’m thinking George. And there were a couple of Georges that we all got to know. You should have seen the list on the obit page the days after George died. There was the George who would work behind the scenes for those he wanted to help. His family, who would be brought out for events at the new stadium. I personally knew George from the racetrack where we both raced horses against each other in the early 1980’s. His horse farm in Ocala – Kinsman Stud – is run by his sons and daughters – and I can tell you it’s not easy and it’s a 24/7 operation.

Personally I feel that Derek has missed George a lot. Someone who takes the game – and his job – as seriously as Derek can affect the whole team. He is a true Captain who does his job as the Captain of the team without any fusses. He knows how to handle things away from the field and out of the public eye.

He’s their Captain and the current one in a long line of outstanding Yankees.

Somehow, the Mets don’t have a Captain – I wonder why. 

I have always respected the true greats of the game, especially those who performed in New York.

If by chance, Jeter does get his 3,000th hit at Citi Field, will you stand and applaud him for his rare and majestic feat?

What are your thoughts on that?

The post Get Well Soon, Derek appeared first on Metsmerized.

Sparky Anderson 1934 – 2010

Jim Bibby 1944 – 2010

Phil Cavarretta 1916 – 2010

Mike Cuellar 1937 – 2010

Willie Davis 1940 – 2010

Walt Dropo 1923 – 2010

Bob Feller 1918 – 2010

Ernie Harwell 1918 – 2010

Ralph Houk 1919 – 2010

Jose Lima 1972 – 2010

Bob Mandt 1926 – 2010

Gil McDougald 1928 – 2010

Robin Roberts 1926 – 2010

Ron Santo 1940 – 2010

Bob Sheppard 1910 – 2010

George Steinbrenner 1930 – 2010

Bobby Thomson 1923 – 2010

In 2010, baseball was hit hard with the losses of some of their greatest voices, players, coaches, managers, fan favorites, Hall of Famers, and executives. Many of them changed the way the game was played, but a lot of them just made the game memorable and magical for millions of us. They are forever a part of the fabric of our National Pastime.

The venerable Marty Noble wrote a poignant review of how impactful many of them were to this game that we love so much. Go check it out at MLB.com. 

There may be some that I may have missed, but we can honor them too by including them in the comments section as an addendum to this post.

The post In Remembrance Of Those We Lost In 2010 appeared first on Metsmerized.

He was lauded, loathed and lampooned, respected and reviled, feared and fawned over. He was bombastic, cruel, demanding, outrageous, outspoken, and charitable, a man who could fire a secretary for messing up a sandwich order but who also gave extra World Series tickets to bus drivers and servicemen, a man who fired managers in a blizzard of public invective, then hired them back as team executives at more than their original salaries.

One thing is certain, whatever one’s views of George Steinbrenner- he changed the landscape of baseball and for sports franchises forever. To those who he made enemies, of course their personal views are effected. Similarly, those he helped over the years view him much differently.

Having never met the man, I unfortunately cannot provide you with my own insights but like anything in life we form opinions based on our experiences. Putting that aside there is one aspect of George Steinbrenner’s personality that I think can be judged impartially-his willingness to accept blame.

In 1990, then commissioner Fay Vincent, through great pressure, forced Steinbrenner out of baseball for life-the reason- Steinbrenner paid a gambler to drudge up damaging information on Dave Winfield whom he was in a bitter contract dispute with. It was damaging to Major League Baseball in Vincent’s eyes for a sitting owner involved with a gambler to discredit a player. Understandable.

The last time Major League Baseball entered the rhelm of gambling and one of its own, was when Pete Rose was banned for life by commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti. Rose was accused of betting on baseball and from the moment he was accused in February of 1989 to as recent as 2003, Rose denied he bet on baseball until he wrote in book in 2004 where he finally came clean and admitted betting on baseball games.

Ever the smug, insolent and unrepentant hard nosed personality, Rose for years became the poster boy for the wrongly accused in the minds of many fans. Even in the confinement of five months in prison, having plead guilty to tax evasion, didn’t provide enough of an epiphany for Rose to finally admit his wrongdoing.

Compare that to George Steinbrenner who also was banned for life, yet was reinstated by the same man who initiated his ban in the first place. For all the man’s faults, the one virtue that George Steinbrenner can be applauded for was his humility in the face of banishment.

For a man who’s persona defied the very ideal of humility, accepting the ban placed on him, spoke volumes. There were no prolonged public pleas, no lawyers getting together to fight over the wording, he was gone, plain and simple, and he took it like a man.  In fact, Vincent himself spoke of Steinbrenner’s ban as being “a silly deal for himself when he asked to be banned for life…”  Yes, it was Steinbrenner’s idea.  

Pete Rose on the other hand-well there is my point. We are a forgiving people. We love stories of redemption. For his many shortcomings as a person, as we all have, Steinbrenner did come back a changed man after being banned from the game for two years.

That’s more than what Pete Rose can ever say about himself and that’s why George Steinbrenner will one day be a Hall of Famer and Pete Rose will still be trying to convince us, with his new explanation, that he ONLY bet on HIS team.  Sometimes we get life lessons from those we least expect it from.

The post The Lesson Of George Steinbrenner appeared first on Metsmerized.

“It was a beautiful thing to observe, all 36 oars working in unison.’’ – late Cardinals announcer Jack Buck quipping he had seen George Steinbrenner’s yacht.

It is a timeless quote about a timeless subject, George M. Steinbrenner, the demonstrative, cantankerous and blustery owner of the New York Yankees, who died today of a heart attack at age 80.

Buck’s comment has long been the perception of Steinbrenner by the public through screaming headlines and video and audio sound bites. The man was positively driven to win and it didn’t matter the cost in dollars or whom he stepped on. The Yankees would throw millions at players, and if they didn’t win Steinbrenner was ruthless in his handling of his managers and front office staff.

It was that way from the day he purchased the Yankees in 1973 for less than $10 million from CBS and said: “I won’t be active in the day-to-day operation of the Yankees. I’ll stick to building ships.’’

What he did was rebuilt the dynasty – twice.

By the time I started covering the Yankees in 1998, Steinbrenner’s legacy was well cemented in that he revived a struggling team and turned professional sports’ most revered franchise to a billion dollar empire.

The Yankees Brand is world-renowned and that is Steinbrenner’s legacy on the grand scale, but for me I’ll remember him like most beat reporters for the exhilarating paces he put us through.

Whenever the Yankees faltered the calls went into Steinbrenner’ office. It was maddening on the days he released a statement condemning the team’s play.

There is no more haunting words than these on a reporter’s voice mail: “John, George Steinbrenner returning your call.’’

You knew you wouldn’t get another chance.

You had to put the call in early in the hope he’d return it before you went to the park, and rare were the times he did.

He did several times for me, one in particular I’ll always remember. It was at the trade deadline in 1999 and Andy Pettitte was the focal point. All the other beat guys had Pettitte being dealt, but I was steadfast in he wouldn’t be traded.

The day before the deadline the Yankees were in Boston and my cell rang around 7 p.m., just before first pitch.

It was Steinbrenner and he told me on the record Pettitte wasn’t going anywhere.

Five hours later it was my editor with questions about a New York Times story that ran on the wire that had him being traded to Philadelphia for four prospects, and what I wanted to do about it.

“Nothing,’’ I said. “I have the owner on the record and that beats any unnamed source the Times can come up with.’’

Then there was the spring when Steinbrenner railed at Hideki Irabu, calling him a “fat, @#$%^& toad,’’ as he stormed about Legends Field with a pack of reporters following him like he was the pied piper.

I had never seen anything like it, before or since.

Steinbrenner’s presence loomed over the Yankees-Mets rivalry in that it cast a shadow upon the Mets. There was always this sense of entitlement from Yankees fans about winning, as if it was a birthright.

Mets fans hated the Yankees for their swagger, but there was always a grudgingly admiration for Steinbrenner in that they knew he would do everything in his power to improve the Yankees.

Mets fans hadn’t always seen that with their management.

The last time I saw Steinbrenner was during the 2007 playoffs, frail he was walking out of Yankee Stadium holding onto his daughter’s arm. Far from the Napoleonic image of him on a horse for a Sports Illustrated cover shoot.

The phone rang several times today from radio stations wanting me to reflect on my time covering the Yankees and Steinbrenner, and there was the question: Is he a Hall of Famer?

Unquestionably, yes. He should have been in there years ago. Like the Yankees or hate them, like Steinbrenner or hate him, the man kept us interested in baseball year round.

He made the Yankees great again, and a healthy Yankee team makes the sport better. It’s just the way it is.

John Delcos has covered Major League Baseball for over 20 years, including more than ten in New York on the Yankees and Mets beats. You can read more on his blog, New York Mets Report, where he hosts a chat room for each Mets game.

The post Steinbrenner Passes, But His Legacy Will Endure appeared first on Metsmerized.

As you may have heard, this morning at 6:30 AM in Tampa, Florida, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner passed away after suffering a massive heart attack. We want to extend our condolences on the passing of one of the giants of the game and a New York icon. Rest In Peace George.

The post George Steinbrenner Dies of Heart Attack appeared first on Metsmerized.

A controversial President and a controversial political decision which arguably moved China closer to a free market system, and more importantly, moved the United States out of Beijing’s nuclear cross-hairs.

So you’re asking yourself, what in Choo Choo Coleman’s name does any of this have to do with the New York Mets? To offer another famous quote,

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”- Sun Tzu.

The Mets need to look no further than the borough of the Bronx if they really wish to change as an organization, and we as fans need to take a collective step back, grow up, and acknowledge where the New York Yankees have clearly progressed far beyond even their own realizations.

Until the Wilpons do this, as difficult as it may be, until we shed the daunting weight of our pride which has landed us in the situation we are in today, nothing, absolutely nothing will ever change with the New York Mets.

With all great stories there are beginnings and many of those beginnings are rife with trials and moments of total ineptness and for some, illustrations of egomaniacal behavior. That’s the story of George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees.

It’s also the story of personal redemption, aided ironically by then Major League Baseball Commissioner, Fay Vincent, who suspended “The Boss” for life in 1990. It was said that Steinbrenner paid a bookie to find “dirt” on former Yankee Dave Winfield who was suing Steinbrenner for a breach of contract involving a payment that was meant for Winfield’s foundation.

It was the straw that broke the camels back for Vincent, a no-nonsense Commissioner unafraid of protecting the game and it’s history.

Steinbrenner by 1990 had earned a reputation of being a meddler. Basically a rich boy and his toy was a Major League Baseball franchise. His hiring and firing of Billy Martin, more times than one can comprehend , was as farcical as his constant micromanaging of his players grooming.

Yes he even had Don Mattingly suspended for having a goatee. The Yankees were THE joke of baseball. The storied franchise was becoming a living artifact all at the hands of its self-destructive owner.

Steinbrenner had three years to ponder the future of his team, and his place in baseball history. He was reinstated in 1993 a changed man or as New York Daily News reporter Bill Madden said, “ He got religion”.

No longer the impetuous meddler who would interfere with the day to day functioning of the team, instead he left that to Gene Michael then later Bob Watson and a little known assistant named Brian Cashman.

Instead of demanding young talented prospects be traded for high profile established players, the Yankees started to develop their home grown talent, the proof of which we see playing today. The money that he normally would be floating into the accounts of veteran talent was flowing into the teams’ Latin America, minor league and scouting system.

The foundation was being formed. The history being reset. Patience was the key along with the unwavering almost rabid desire to be the best in everything.

“It” was the mindset that greatness was the moment you put on the uniform, and the responsibility to the memory of those who came before you.

History is our greatest teacher but only if we are willing to open our eyes to it and accept the truth. The Wilpons as I have often said, have a gem in their care that is the New York Mets, yet they treat it and it’s fans with the snobbish disrespect that only an outcry of an off-season could begin to chip at.

Proof being the aesthetics of Citi-Field and it’s initial over emphasis on the Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson. Last year to walk into Citi-Field and not walk out feeling you went to a Met game was as demoralizing as the state of the teams’ play. Luckily the Wilpons learned this lesson and turned Citi into the home of the Metropolitans by way of the Mets Museum. It’s a start.

By no means am I saying the Wilpons should try to make the Mets into the Yankees. Emulation is not the goal. After seeing the Yankees receive their rings on their opening day this past week it dawned on me how far apart both teams are.

I know many of you will kill me for all I’ve said here and that’s fair. I’ve been a Met fan since my father and grand father took me to Shea when I was 5 years old. I will always be a Met fan, my bias is to them I admit. However I call it like I see it and I give credit where credit is due. My allegiance may be to the Mets but I’m a fan of this great game first.

The Wilpons have an opportunity to change this franchise for better like no other owner this team has had before. A beautiful new stadium, envied television broadcast rights, and a loyal fan-base are at their disposal. They aren’t perfect but neither was George Steinbrenner. The blueprint to the future is there for the viewing. That’s if the Wilpons are willing.

To quote Sun Tzu,

“ If ignorant of both your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril”.

Let us not be ignorant any longer Mr. Wilpon, history is patiently waiting to be written.

The post Fred Wilpon, It’s Time To Save Your Team appeared first on Metsmerized.

Canseco said what? What's steroids?

Sources have told Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune that commissioner Bud Selig plans to step down after the 2012 season, when his contract is up.

The good news is that we’ll be rid of him in three years.

The bad news is we still have to endure him for another three years. Hopefully he won’t foul up the game more than he has already in his Napoleonic reign.

Selig was first named as acting commissioner immediately following the resignation of Fay Vincent. George Steinbrenner and several other owners were led by Selig in a plot to overthrow Vincent who Selig believed was guilty of biting the hand that fed him. Vincent, had quickly become known for always acting independently and in the best interest of the game. He had zero tolerance for gambling, ethics violations, criminal activity and cheating. Selig was enraged at Vincent for ruling without bias, rather than siding with the owners who paid his salary. Following an 18-9 no-confidence vote that Selig held in the dark of night, Vincent resigned in disgust. The Selig era had begun.

Baseball as we knew it then, will never be the same again.

You almost got the feeling right away that Selig cared very little about tradition and keeping the game pure, clean and honest. One of the first things he did as commissioner was to reinstate George Steinbrenner who had been banned for life by Vincent. The Yankees owner hired one of his henchmen, a small time mafia hood name Howard Spira, to follow one of his own players in an attempt to dig up some dirt, and then blackmail him in an attempt to avoid paying him his remaining salary ($300K) which was going to a children’s charity. That player was Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.

Selig and Steinbrenner have had a close relationship ever since and Selig has turned a blind eye on many other ethical issues where the Yankees were concerned.

You kind of expected that Selig was nothing more than a shill for the owners right from the start, after all he was one of them, and was even found to be one of the key conspirators in the landmark 1987 collusion case where owners led by Bud Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf attempted to rig the free agent system. A judge ruled that the owners had to pay the players $280 million dollars in damages. The relationship and trust between the players and the owners would be damaged forever. Fay Vincent released a statement soon after the 1990 settlement.

The single biggest reality you guys have to face up to is collusion. You stole $280 million from the players, and the players are unified to a man around that issue, because you got caught and many of you are still involved.

In an attempt to recoup the $280 million dollars that was lost to the players, Selig’s first act as commissioner was to expand the league which led to a great dilution of talent and quality that still exists today. He also broke up the two leagues into smaller divisions while adding a third, and of course he ushered in the Wild Card format. Regardless of whether you liked or disliked any of those moves, we can all agree it was motivated solely by greed and not by a purist’s love of the game.

Selig was also responsible for canceling the World Series in 1994, and it became quite evident that MLB owners finally had themselves a commissioner that they have always longed for; a commissioner who was at their beck and call. For the first time in nearly 100 years, there would be no World Series. The impetus for the cancellation was the players strike. Selig saw it as an opportunity and a chance to punish the players for beating him in the collusion case, so he sided with the owners and killed the Fall Classic. Best interest of baseball or sweet revenge? You decide.

I can go on and on listing the many grievances I have with Bud Selig, who even fouled up something as pure and simple as the All Star game. The most embarrassing moment in All Star game history occurred on his watch in 2002, when the game was played in his own home park in Milwaukee that he himself helped construct. Because he allowed managers to play as many players as they could during regulation so as to give them all a chance to play, the game ended in a tie when both squads ran out of players. He stood up and waved for the umpires and told them to end the game in the 11th inning tied at 7-7. A tie in baseball? On that day there was plenty of crying in baseball.

Should I mention his ridiculous rule that grants World Series home-field advantage to the winner of the Mid Summer Classic?

Or how he turned a blind eye to rampant steroids use because players like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were bringing in millions of dollars a day in marketing revenue?

He put on a hell of show in 2005 when he appeared before congress and pleaded ignorance, but only an idiot would have believed that sob story. That debacle culminated with the now infamous Mitchell Report and allegations that more than half of baseball players were cheating.

If it’s one thing Selig is not, it’s ignorant.

He is in fact a mad genius, a brilliant manipulator, and a master of the macabre. He has his fingers in every pot, and knows exactly what is going on in every facet of the game both on the field and in every front office.

USA Today once called him an agent of change, and they were certainly right about that, but change at what cost?

I’m sure that many of you will disagree with me or have a diferent opinion or perception of Bud Selig. This is mine.

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