Word: gooden
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...baseball pitcher whom not even New York City can enlarge or exaggerate stands atop the hill and the heap at 21. Without counting the mound, which is also situated about ten inches above the rest of the field, Dwight Gooden in just two major league seasons has risen like an illusion of a fastball to a height somewhat loftier than 6 ft. 3 in., and a level nearly beyond imagination. When Sandy Koufax says, "I'd trade anyone's past for Gooden's future," that includes Walter Johnson's, Grover Cleveland Alexander's, Bob Feller...
...slugger with an eternally simple view of life (especially New York living), but a profound knowledge of athletic gifts (and the pleasures they afford). "If I could pick somebody to be," says Mickey Mantle, "that's who I'd be." He knows there is a wonderful ride ahead. "Dwight Gooden...
...game winner in more than 30 years? Or Orel Hershiser, 27, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in his third season already a millionaire? All of them have realized in a short time things that have eluded good pitchers over long careers, and one of them is more than special. Gooden is not alone among men, or even among Mets, just among pitchers. On their own hooks, All-Stars Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez are entitled to dream of the pennant, as long as Dwight dreams...
...dreams. "Kids are always chasing rainbows," says Johnny Vander Meer, 71, a local resident, "but baseball is a world where you can catch them." While he had a losing record overall with the Reds, Cubs and Indians, Vander Meer pitched two consecutive no-hitters in 1938. As a craftsman, Gooden puts him in mind of Ewell Blackwell; as a hard thrower, he recalls Van Lingle Mungo. "But no one I ever saw was the thinking pitcher at a young age that this kid is now." Owing to a wisdom that has comforted him for almost 50 years, Vander Meer...
...speaking of great NL pitchers, there's always Mr. Gooden, owner of a 24-4 record and a 1.53 ERA last year. But perhaps the most amazing stat of Dr. K's '85 campaign was accomplished in his last nine starts. Ten points if you can identify that feat...