the Informer

He could have been the greatest pitcher ever. His 98-mph fastball, along with a devastating curve, sent batters home looking perplexed at what force of nature they had just encountered, and how the 6-foot-2 man-child could possibly be 19 years old.

Dwight Gooden, possibly the greatest enigma in baseball history, was arrested early Monday and charged with multiple crimes, including driving under the influence of drugs and endangering the welfare of a child. Gooden’s five-year-old son was with him in the vehicle.

While Gooden’s arrest is hardly shocking considering his history of drug abuse, the most recent accusation is not only a harsh reminder of what the once-in-a-generation talent has become, but also what he once was.

In 1984 Gooden joined the New York Mets as a 19-year-old flamethrower and quickly established himself as special athlete. The Tampa, Fla. native won Rookie of the Year, was the youngest All-Star ever, shattered the rookie strikeout record and won 17 games with a 2.60 ERA. The following year, Gooden led the league in wins (24), ERA (1.53), innings pitched and strikeouts (268) en route to winning his only Cy Young Award.

After two seasons and amassing nearly 500 innings before his 21st birthday, Gooden was already being called a Hall-of-Famer and possibly the greatest pitcher in a generation. It seemed too good to be true, and it was.

Following the Mets 1986 World Series Championship, Gooden began his decline, first with off-field issues, which soon drastically influenced his on-field performance. In December of 1986, Gooden was arrested for the first time in his career, however his problems didn’t end there, as he entered a rehabilitation center five months later.

Gooden would be arrested four more times throughout his career and into early retirement, mostly for drug and alcohol related offenses. After winning 19 games in 1990, he failed to record more than 13 wins in any later season, although Gooden did throw a no-hitter pitching for the New York Yankees in 1996.

For a man who had unmatched talent, this recent mishap may actually be an all-time low, even for someone who spent seven months in prison four years ago. The most troubling aspect of this story is that Gooden was apparently clean, and for a long time. According to the New York Daily News, he said last year he had been sober for three-and-a-half years.
While Gooden is hardly the first star athlete to wreck his career with drugs and alcohol, his story should be a reminder of how easily such a talent can be thrown away. Gooden had it all by the time he was 19 years old, but almost 30 years later, he’ll likely be heading to prison based on his previous history.

For far too few years Gooden was the biggest attraction in the Big Apple, creating an event-like atmosphere for every start as he dropped jaws of fans and hitters just as fast as his blazing fastball flew across the plate and into the record books. His performances lit up Shea Stadium, but since then he has only lit the lights of police cars.