"I've been in that situation, trying to prolong my career with the money that was out there to be made at this time in baseball. I can't sit here and say that I would not have done it," he said. "But had I done it, I'm going to face the consequences. And the consequences are, that whether they belong in the Hall of Fame or not, the records can't stand.
I know most that read my blog are aware that I am a sports pig (definition = someone who's into all sports to the point of nauseum to others) and that I occasionally post about teams I like.
Of course, I'm a San Diego Charger fan, but I am also a San Diego Padres fan. I lived in North County (north of San Diego, includes communites that were known as Leucadia, Cardiff, Encinitas, and Solana Beach) from 1975 through 1982, with a brief stint in Hawaii and Los Angeles. It ws during that time that I became a Charger and Padres fan.
As for baseball, though, that was a different story. Having family that hailed from Brooklyn, I was raised as a Dodger fan. I know exactly where I was when listening on the radio when Don Drysdale set a record with 58 consecutive scoreless innings, and I know where I was when listening to Orel "Bulldog" Hershiser break it 20 years later. But, living in San Diego, when Dick Williams took over the Padres, who were a hapless throwaway team before Mr. Williams came along, I would get all the Padres information on the nightly news, hence the interest. I can't remember exactly what year it was, but the team had gone 8 games in a row with wins, so I started paying attention. Next game, they win, making it 9 games. Then there was the 10th game, and the 11th game was at home (and if memory serves me well, it was against the Dodgers, whom later became known as the L.A. Crybabies after that game) which I went to, being the sports pig that I am/was!
What was very interesting was the fact that the stadium was not very full in the late 1970's and early 1980's, so you could just show up at a game, buy any seat available, and sit down in the expensive seats. I still prefer the upper deck in most stadiums, because I like to see the whole field in play when the ball is pitched and hit. Anyway, the point I am getting to is that as a San Diego Padres fan, I got to see a lot of Goose Gossage, who was voted into the Hall of Fame yesterday, along with Dick Williams, who was the coach of the Padres, and the one responsible for getting them to the World Series in 1984.
Goose was a relief pitcher, and at the Padre games, they would give out a pin with Goose's face on it whenever he would save a game.
I know he will have a Yankee jersey represented in the Hall, but I will always remember him as a Padre, and the best relief pitcher I ever saw.
2 comments:
Goose's pitching strategy: I'm gonna throw this ball as fast as I can & you're gonna try to hit it.
Not much guesswork on the part of the batters. They knew what was coming.
And yet, they still could not hit his pitches. He was something to watch live!
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