No Cocaine in the Hall of Fame
DR. UETZ
I would like to thank the 17 voters who saw fit to cast a ballot for Dwight Gooden. Doc Gooden blazed a trail of glory for the Mets. From his first start on April 7, 1984 all the way to his final start . . . well, um, okay, so maybe the final eight or nine years weren’t as memorable as the first eight or nine years – at least not for his performance on the mound. But you have to admit, Doc was fun.
In that first game he got a win against the Astros, giving up only one run and striking out five. He was 19 years old. When I was 19, I was in college; I spent a lot of time partying and discovering new ways of having fun. Well, I guess Doc did that, too; only he was playing ball instead of going to school. And while he did all of that partying in 1985 he won 24 games. While doing all of that living it up, Dwight Gooden was a four-time all-star, Rookie of the Year and Cy Young winner, 6 seasons was in the Top 5 in wins, seven seasons was in the Top 10 in strikeouts. You get the idea. Hell, just look up his numbers for 1985, 24-4, 268 Ks, 8 shutouts, 1.53 ERA. All while partying enough to make Bacchus blush.
But I’ve gone way off track here. My point is that while I want to preserve the sanctity of the Hall of Fame, we need to also make sure that votes are weighted in favor of heroes like Dwight Gooden. The handicap that Doc was playing with was tremendous. And think about how great he was compared to the likes of Gary Gaetti, and Gary had God on his side. (I'm not sure you can really compare the two. It's just that Gary Gaetti has always made me chuckle.)
I’m just suggesting that this be looked into. What have we got to lose? Let’s face it; there are some lean years ahead, so at least the guys who get in could be entertaining. Maybe Doc's whole career on the mound wasn't HoF worthy. But his ability to drink, snort, and screw was; and I think voters need to remember that.
I’ll put it this way. Would you rather belong to a club that included Dave Chapelle or Pat Robertson? Exactly. I rest my case.
I would like to thank the 17 voters who saw fit to cast a ballot for Dwight Gooden. Doc Gooden blazed a trail of glory for the Mets. From his first start on April 7, 1984 all the way to his final start . . . well, um, okay, so maybe the final eight or nine years weren’t as memorable as the first eight or nine years – at least not for his performance on the mound. But you have to admit, Doc was fun.
In that first game he got a win against the Astros, giving up only one run and striking out five. He was 19 years old. When I was 19, I was in college; I spent a lot of time partying and discovering new ways of having fun. Well, I guess Doc did that, too; only he was playing ball instead of going to school. And while he did all of that partying in 1985 he won 24 games. While doing all of that living it up, Dwight Gooden was a four-time all-star, Rookie of the Year and Cy Young winner, 6 seasons was in the Top 5 in wins, seven seasons was in the Top 10 in strikeouts. You get the idea. Hell, just look up his numbers for 1985, 24-4, 268 Ks, 8 shutouts, 1.53 ERA. All while partying enough to make Bacchus blush.
But I’ve gone way off track here. My point is that while I want to preserve the sanctity of the Hall of Fame, we need to also make sure that votes are weighted in favor of heroes like Dwight Gooden. The handicap that Doc was playing with was tremendous. And think about how great he was compared to the likes of Gary Gaetti, and Gary had God on his side. (I'm not sure you can really compare the two. It's just that Gary Gaetti has always made me chuckle.)
I’m just suggesting that this be looked into. What have we got to lose? Let’s face it; there are some lean years ahead, so at least the guys who get in could be entertaining. Maybe Doc's whole career on the mound wasn't HoF worthy. But his ability to drink, snort, and screw was; and I think voters need to remember that.
I’ll put it this way. Would you rather belong to a club that included Dave Chapelle or Pat Robertson? Exactly. I rest my case.
posted by Exiled Doctor at 10:46 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home