Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Dwight Gooden Is Just A Man

When I was a high school, "Doctor K" captured my imagination.  When I was in college, his fall from grace shattered that memory, but his willingness to accept responsibility and subsequent years of sobriety allowed me to trust him again.  Then came his exile.  I felt little except sadness for wasted talent. 

I watched him time and again try to recapture his once-unlimited potential, and his magical night in 1996 should have been ther moment where his life changed.  It didn't.

Later on, I met Dwight Gooden.  A courteous and warm man shook my hand, and we chatted about our kids and mutual acquaintences.  It is that man -- and his family -- that I pray for tonight.  The 19-year old with the classic motion and lightning in his right-arm left us a long time ago.  It is the man that remains. 

No matter how angry, disappointed or apathetic you might be about "Doc" right now, it is Dwight Gooden, an ordinary man with very real problems, whose life and whose family's future is at stake here.  Try to remember that when your first instinct is to judge, condemn or joke.

When I heard what happened on Tuesday morning, I thought about the man.  Maybe you could too.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Murray Chass: MILLER NOT IN HALL BUT IN VINCENT BOOK | Baseball Digest

I've always had a mixed reaction to anyone calling for Marvin Miller's induction to the Hall of Fame. Perhaps it's because I firnly beleive that while he has made the players' lives better, I am unconvinced that this has made the game better for the fans in any way.



Monday, March 1, 2010

Jimmy Scott's High & Tight: The Monte Irvin Interview | Jimmy Scott's High & Tight

A great interview of Gotham legend Monte Irvin by my good buddy, Jimmy Scott...

How often do you get to speak with somebody who's 90-years old? Maybe you're fortunate enough to have a grandparent of family friend who's been around the block since 1919. But if you love baseball, how many times do you get to speak to somebody, or hear somebody, talk about baseball in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s? And then, how many times can they say, "I played back then." Not too many. That's why we're especially fortunate to have Monte Irvin still around.