The Higher They Got The Harder They Fell...

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/469267p-394951c.html

Dwight "Doc" Gooden is being let out of jail on Thursday. He spent seven months in the can following testing positive for cocaine and violating his parole. This was the latest in a series of ups and downs that have followed both him and Darryl Strawberry since their careers peaked in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series. Maybe it is because I am a die-hard Met fan, but the story of these two players is as interesting to me as any over the past 25 years.

Both players were selected in the first round of the Amateur Draft by the New York Mets. Strawberry was the number one overall pick in 1980 and Gooden was picked number five overall in 1982. They hype for each player was incredible, especially Strawberry. He was touted as the "Black Ted Williams" as a high schooler in Los Angeles. He was called up to the Mets early in the 1983 season. The Mets at that point were a down trodden franchise. Strawberry provided the first glimpse of hope that the fans saw since the team traded Tom Seaver back in 1977. Strawberry did not disappoint in his first year, winning Rookie of the year honors.

Gooden reached the Majors in 1984. As a 19 year old rookie he dazzled the National League. He won 17 games and set a rookie record by striking out 276 batters in 218 innings. He made the All Star team and gave the Mets their second consecutive Rookie of the year winner. These two players had the potential to be all-star caliber players for another 15 years. These were the guys that the Mets could build a potential dynasty around.

In 1985 Strawberry made his second consecutive All-Star game and also his second consecutive 20-20 season (20 HRs and 20 SBs). Gooden meanwhile had one of the greatest seasons by a starting pitcher in Major league history. He went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA with 16 complete games and eight shutouts. The Mets finished second in the Eastern division to St. Louis, winning 96 games. Going into 1986 the Mets were the favorites to win it all with their two young superstars front and center.

The Mets cruised through the regular season in 1986 on their way to 108 wins. As a result of this success, many people did not realize that the progress of their two young stars seemed to stagnate a little. Gooden's ERA rose by more that a run, but was still very impressive at 2.84. His strikeout total though was the lowest of his short career thus far. Strawberry had similar statistics of his previous seasons, but was not showing the improvement you would like to see in a young player. In addition, both players did not perform well in the postseason. Strawberry batted under .250 and had 18 K's in 13 games. Gooden had an 0-3 record with an ERA over 5.00. Despite this, the Mets won the World Series and lived up to the high expectations that was placed on them from the beginning of the year.

That 1986 Mets team was notorious for two things. Winning and partying. Players such as Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dykstra, and many others became known for their partying as much as their playing. There are numerous stories such as Tim Teuful, Bobby Ojeda, Ron Darling, and Rick Aguilera getting arrested in Houston after getting in a fight with off-duty police officers. In addition, this team was in New York City at a time of tremendous excess. There was alcohol, drugs and women wherever they looked. For two young athletes like Strawberry and Gooden this was something that was not easy to adjust to. This is a quote from Strawberry concerning being called up to the majors, "When I first came up to the big leagues, a veteran player laid out some lines of cocaine for me. He said, yeah, this is what we do in the big leagues. So I did some coke and was like WOAH, man... Yeah, this IS what we do in the big leagues."

There were rumors through out the 1986 season that Gooden and Strawberry were into drugs. No one in the organization confronted them directly, instead they tried to pretend it was not happening and ignore it. The first sight to the world of their problem was when Gooden did not show up to the ticker tape parade following the game 7 victory over the Red Sox. It was clear that he was too hungover to make it, but there was really no excuse. Following the 1986 season the Mets traded Kevin Mitchell who many in the organization felt was a bad influence on Gooden and Strawberry. This was a misjudgment on the part of the Mets officials. These three young, black players were all friends and partaked in similar activities, but Mitchell was not the one influencing the others. Gooden and Strawberry had drug habits of their own and it was clear now that the Mets would trade one of their so called "influences" before confronting their stars directly.

Prior to the 1987 season Doc Gooden failed a drug test. He tested positive for cocaine and checked himself into rehab. He did not make his first start for the team until June. The team team suffered numerous other pitching injuries and fell short of the playoffs. Strawberry meanwhile had possibly the best year of his career with highs in HRs (39) and AVG (.284). He was a 30-30 man and many thought was finally reaching the potential that everyone had heaped on him years before.

Gooden and Strawberry each had good years in 1988 and the Mets made the playoffs for the second time in three years. They were huge favorites in the NLCS against the LA Dodgers, but lost in seven games. It was clear at this point that the veteran leaders of the 1986 champions (Gary Carter, Hernandez) were over the hill and the young players needed to step up and lead. Gooden and Strawberry never met that challenge. In 1989 when the team was attempting to take the team photo, Strawberry got into a fist fight with Hernandez. Hernandez, while his skills were diminished, was still very well respected on that ballclub. This was a public sign of the private strain that Strawberry was feeling as a part of the Mets. Gooden was injured much of the 1989 season and the Mets once again finished out of the playoffs.

The 1990's began as the Strawberry/Gooden era with the Mets ended. Longtime Mets manager Davey Johnson was fired midway through the 1990 season with Buddy Harellson replacing him. Gooden and Strawberry both had good years as the Mets won 91 games and finished second in their division once again. Strawberry was a free agent at the end of the year and everyone knew he was gone. The Mets had enough of the rumors and his moods, even with his production. He had enough of the Mets executives and the media. He left and signed with the LA Dodgers to become the highest paid player in baseball. He was an all star his first season in LA, but his career floundered after that. He had constant trouble with drugs and the law and found himself out of baseball midway through the 1994 season. He signed on with the Yankees midway through 1995, sent five seasons with them and played a secondary role in four World Series titles.

Gooden was with the Mets until 1994. He had a record under .500 his last three seasons and was suspended for a year from Major League Baseball in 1994 for tested positive for cocaine once again. Like Strawberry, he ended up signing with the Yankees in 1996. One of the greatest moments of his career happened on May 14, 1996 when he pitched a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. He bounced around a few teams until finally retiring in 2000. Both Strawberry and Gooden have suffered with drugs and relationships since their retirements. They also have each spent portions of time in rehab and jail.

When Strawberry left the Mets as a free agent following the 1991 season he was on pace for a Hall of Fame career. He was 28 and a seven time all star. He has almost 300 HRs and over 800 RBIs, both Met all time franchise records. While his first season in LA was positive, his career took a nose dive after that. He got more involved with drugs and things around him crumbled, from marriage to baseball. It was difficult to watch him when he came back with the Yankees. He showed flashes of that remarkable power hitter he once was with the Mets and the fans loved it. He still had that unique upper cut swing and that tremendous presence at the plate that made fans halt what they were doing when he came ot the plate. He was an older player though, who still had something left, but missed out on what could have been the best years of his career.

Gooden left the Mets under different terms. He tested positive for cocaine early in the 1994 season and was suspended for one year. Gooden never reached the standards that he set for himself with that legendary 1985 season. In the same respect though he had 100 wins before the age of 25. In addition to his off the field problems though, his arm began to break down in the 1989 season. He missed much of that year and part of 1991 as well. He struggled his last two seasons with the Mets and he was never quite the same. The explosive fastball and biting curve that he once featured became a distant memory. His mind would not handle the cocaine, and his arm could not handle his violent delivery. For that one season though, he would always be the best pitcher in the game.

Strawberry and Gooden represent a infamous an infamous part of Mets history. The dramatic rise to greatness in the mid 1980's, the unfulfilled expectations after 1986 and the shut of rock bottom in the early 1990's. Strawberry finally returned to Shea Stadium this past summer to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1986 Champs. He wore a Mets jersey and received a thunderous ovation from the fans. The fans had welcomed him back after 15 years. Gooden meanwhile was sitting in a Florida penitentiary. One can only hope that he will receive his welcome back to Shea this season and receive the same treatment as Strawberry. The fans are ready and hopefully he is as well.

Books about Gooden/Strawberry and the 1980's Mets. They all provide great stories and info if you are interested in this topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Brawling-Bimbo-chasing-Championship-Baseball-Uniform/dp/0060507322/sr=1-1/qid=1163079844/ref=sr_1_1/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/High-Tight-Dwight-Gooden-Strawberry/dp/0679448993/sr=1-1/qid=1163079896/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Amazin-Miraculous-History-Beloved-Baseball/dp/0312309929/sr=1-3/qid=1163079928/ref=sr_1_3/103-9123841-6865450?ie=UTF8&s=books

Random Knick Ish

• Looks like if the Knicks are going to make anything of this season they are going to have to start by winning on the road. The Garden fans are not treating the team well (which is deserved), so it may be easier for them to win on the road early in the year than at home. The fans will come around if the Knicks earn it.
• Larry Brown got $18.5mm in his settlement with the Garden/Knicks. Considering what he was asking for ($50mm), it is clear that he had some significant wrongdoing in this divorce as well. The entire blame can't go on the Knicks.

STKAFI