The Mets have done a lot to embrace their history of late. During the season, they adorned Citi Field with murals and banners reflecting their past. Perhaps it was reaction to fan outrage that Citi Field did not have enough to embrace the team that plays there but the Mets are making amends now.
Yesterday the Mets hired Wally Backman to manage Brooklyn and shortly prior brought in Tim Teufel to manage at Binghamton. So someone is getting it and it is likely Jeff Wilpon who unlike his dad, grew up a Mets fan. There is also a Met Museum in the works at Citi Field that will likely be announced in December.
While I applaud the Mets for these actions, here’s one more they should consider—Dwight Gooden Day.
Just this past weekend, a story was featured in the New York Daily News written by Wayne Coffey in regards to Gooden. It portrayed an individual who finally may have tamed the demons that thwarted a Hall of Fame career. But as Coffey pointed out, even with all of Gooden’s transgressions which eventually led to a prison sentence, his numbers are still pretty special, especially those with the Mets.
The Mets should honor Gooden with a day and retire his number. I realize he was not Tom Seaver but there was no other player in Mets history, perhaps New York baseball history, who was as electric as Dwight “Doc” Gooden was from 1984 through 1986. During those years, I made plans around when Doc pitched. “Are you kidding, go where? “Not tonight Honey, Gooden’s on the hill. “ –I’m sure was uttered around the tri-state area every five days.
When Doc pitched, attendance was always up. The game was as close to a sure thing as could be when Gooden was standing on the mound. His best year by far was 1985 which followed his Rookie of the Year season. Then just 20 years old, Gooden won the Cy Young award with a 24-4 record and a 1.53 ERA. As a met, only Seaver had won more games in a season with 25 back in 1969.
For three seasons, Doc was simply dominating, perhaps as good as Sandy Koufax in his prime. He pitched a complete game on September 17, 1986 to help the Mets clinch the Eastern Division of the National League. Gooden had sent the Mets to the playoffs for the first time in thirteen years.
The winter after the World Series victory against the Red Sox, Gooden started using cocaine. In 1987, he went into rehab prior to the start of the season. He suffered reoccurring incidents over the years before ending his Mets tenure in 1994 prior to being suspended for one full season. However, overall in eleven seasons with the Mets, Gooden won 157 games and lost 85 with an ERA of 3.11. Also with the Mets he struck out 1,876 batters with a season high of 276 in his rookie season. There are countless pitchers who wish they could have come close to his statistics.
But numbers aside, there was an atmosphere and energy Gooden brought to the Mets we have not seen since those days. Back then the Mets owned New York, the Yankees were an afterthought. Gooden’s image was painted on the side of a building near Times Square. He embodied what the Mets were back then, he made Shea Stadium exciting and where everyone wanted to be.
The fact that he struggled with alcohol and drugs was his and his family’s personal tragedy. Mets fans often feel that he cheated them. I know I felt that way back in the nineties, especially when he ended up with the Yankees. But let’s get real and grow up here. Dwight Gooden is a human being and just because he had all that talent and money was no guarantee he would not succumb to the illness that afflicts so many in our society—drug and alcohol abuse.
Many believe he should have just made the choice to be good and toe the line. How easy is it for us to say that not having walked a mile in his shoes? America has come a long way but being black and successful in this country was still a heavy burden in the 1980s, especially when 20 years old. I do not defend Gooden’s poor behavior and choices that led him to a prison sentence. But he no longer does either. It’s time he is forgiven and given the day he deserves.
The Mets do not have the history other teams have. They are not the Yankees or the Red Sox. They are not the Dodgers or Cardinals. But they have had their moments and they have had their stars. The Mets must continue to embrace their accomplishments regardless of how they are compared to other organizations. True Mets fans do not care how their history stacks up to others. They care about what is theirs. That’s why I feel it is high time the Mets recognize what Gooden meant to this franchise.
There were others that wore the number but 16 has become synonymous with Gooden. Doc deserves to have his number retired and to be remembered in Mets lore for all time.
