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Sunday, April 08, 2001

Wrote John Greenleaf Whittier better than a century ago: "For of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: It might have been."

Wrote Jon Heyman of Newsday last week in writing Dwight Gooden's farewell:

"The shame isn't that we will never see Dwight Gooden pitch again. It's that we haven't seen the real Dwight Gooden in a long, long time."

	GOOD, WILD AND UGLYBox score lines of the week: Good: Hideo Nomo, Red Sox, Wednesday 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 11 Ks in 3-0 victory vs. Baltimore Heck, GM Dan Duquette is probably more thrilled with the fact that for the first time since 1997 a Red Sox starting pitcher other than Pedro Martinez threw a shutout. Wild: Jim Edmonds, Cardinals, Wednesday 5 AB, 3 R, 3 H, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs in 13-9 loss vs. Colorado Only 13 home runs had ever been hit into the upper deck in Coors Field. Edmonds hit two in one game. Said Denny Neagle, who surrendered the first, a 482-foot shot in the first inning: "When you give up one that far, they're kind of fun to watch sometimes." Ugly: Matt Morris, Cardinals, Thursday 3 IP, 11 H, 10 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K in an 11-2 loss vs. Colorado Good thing 159 games remained to forget this season-opening series for the St. Louis starters at Coors Field. Morris, Darryl Kile and Andy Be es allowed 26 runs (22 earned) in 102/3 innings for an ERA of 18.56. The Guy In The Stands

You really didn't expect Dwight Gooden to retire without another frothy round of what-a-wastes and what-a-shames and what-ifs, did you?

So set 'em up, verse-tender. Another shot of lament at the bar of regret.

For the past decade we've known him as an aging journeyman, stumbling on reputation from the Mets to the Yankees to the Indians to the Astros to the Devil Rays and back to the Yankees. Winning 81, losing 71. A sojourn wrapped around long layovers on the disabled list, suspended list or in assorted rehab centers. He won World Series rings with the Yankees in 1996 and again last season, but The Guy In The Stands wonders if 20 years from now we will exclaim in surprise: I didn't realize Doc Gooden was on that team!

It almost makes us forget, in much the same way we've forgotten liesure suits and the Bee Gees, that this is the same Doc Gooden (same body, same name, anyway) that by 19 was National League rookie of the year in 1984, by 20 had a Cy Young on his mantel, by 22 had a World Series ring on his finger and by 25 was the youngest pitcher in history to 100 victories.

And he didn't just win, by God, he won with power and panache.

"We brought 27 Ks with us every game. Just in case," Dennis Scalzitti, the originator of the K-cards in Shea Stadium, told the Newark Star-Ledger.

Future Hall of Famer. No doubt.

Just one problem. The future.

The life of a celebrity in New York. The drugs. A bum arm. Mostly the drugs.

After averaging 30 starts per season from 1984-90, he averaged just 20 from 1991-2000. Ten starts per year. Doesn't sound like much. Enough, though, that it will keep him out of Cooperstown. Those 10 starts per year, based on the first seven years of his career, equate to 52 wins he snorted away. At least 52. They're the difference between the 194 wins he retired with and the 240-plus that would have made him first-ballot material like contemporaries Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux.

Don't believe The Guy?

Gooden's career winning percentage, dragged down as it has been by the Lost Years, is still .634 (194-112) -- easily better than all but one starting pitcher immortalized in Cooperstown in the past 20 years (list follows).

• Pitcher---(Record)---Pct.

1. Jim Palmer---(268-152)---.638

2. Juan Marichal---(243-142)---.631

3. Tom Seaver---(311-205)---.602

4. Bob Gibson---(251-174)---.591

5. Steve Carlton---(329-244)---.574

6. Catfish Hunter---(224-166)---.574

7. Don Sutton---(324-256)---.559

8. Ferguson Jenkins---(284-226)---.557

9. Don Drysdale---(209-166)---.557

10. Gaylord Perry---(314-265)---.542

11. Phil Niekro---(318-274)---.537

12. Nolan Ryan---(324-292)---.528

What's more, his 2,293 strikeouts is 38th all-time. Again, in spite of the Lost Years. With those extra 100 starts he'd have retired in the top 15.

And be a sure thing for the Hall.

Now, at most, he's a maybe. Jack Chesbro (198 wins) and Dazzy Vance (197) made it. But there are more ex-pitchers in Gooden's victory range like Jack Stivetts (203) and Bob Friend (197) who did not.

Why does The Guy keep hearing Marlon Brando -- "I coulda been a contender" -- in the back of his head?

Mel Stottlemyre was pitching coach with the Mets from 1984-93 and witnessed Gooden's rise. He is also pitching coach with the Yankees and witnessed Gooden's final spring in which he could not beat out a guy named Darrell Einertson for the final spot in the New York bullpen.

"The two things I'll remember are the great years he had over there," Stottlemyre said.

"Then, I'll be like everybody else and wonder what might have been."

He's their Bush

Rather than feeling rejected by President Bush for choosing to throw out the first pitch at Milwaukee's Miller Park Friday instead of PNC Park tomorrow, Pirates faithful should be grateful. No home team in which the President of the United States threw out the ceremonial first pitch has ever gone on to win the World Series. Of course, until 1973, they were doing the honors for the Washington Senators. For the record: Only two teams -- the 1925 and 1933 Washington Senators -- even made it to the Series out of 55 home openers attended by the First Fan.

Silence of Japan

A question arose after Hideo Nomo's no-hitter vs. the Orioles Wednesday night in Camden Yards: Does the superstition of not talking to a pitcher in the process of throwing a no-hitter hold true in Japan. The answer: Yes. So much so, in fact, that in a roundabout way Nomo didn't even talk to himself. How's that? Nomo translator Cheng Lee admitted afterward he avoided talking to his boss. "There's superstitions in baseball wherever you go," Lee reports.

Positive thinking

Twins Manager Tom Kelly is doing his part to punch a hole in the woe-is-us tendency of small-market franchises. He told his players they will be fined if he hears them talking about payroll or other small-market subjects. Of course, with a league-low payroll of $24.35 million this year, players might have to run tab until payday.

And on the flip side

Maxim, a men's magazine, has dedicated this season to poking fun online at the World of Fantasy League Geekdom. Where ordinary Rotisserie leagues reward achievement, "Fallacy Baseball celebrates those who fall on their ass," writes Fallacy guru Larry Dobrow. Serve up a grand slam. Win points! "Rewarding failure: It's the American way." The Guy can see the headline now: S -- berry caught snorting coke in Hourly Delight motel with transvestite hooker on final night of season; wins pennant for Team Drunk-n-Stupid.

Series of the week

Yankees (3-2) at Red Sox (2-2 before last night): Friday-Monday (April 16), Fenway Park ... First of 19 games between the two in this season of the unbalanced schedule. What a way to begin: Pedro Martinez (0-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Roger Clemens (1-0, 3.24 ERA) in Friday's opener. ... Teams split 12 games in 2000.

This 'n' that

The season opened last Sunday in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Major League Baseball is reportedly looking into playing games in Australia and South Korea in coming years. ... Did you know that Balvino Galvez once played for a team named the "Brother Elephants" in Taiwan? After wearing that name across your chest, you'd think a botched infield drill wouldn't have seemed so bad. ... The Indians' streak of consecutive sellouts at Jacobs Field ended at 455 Wednesday night. During that time, they drew 19,324,248 fans to the Jake. ... After the Mets placed pitcher Rick White on the DL this week: "It's like being up for manslaughter. It's a place you never want to be." ... How fitting: Carlos Perez, whose mood swings are often otherworldly, got the opening night start for the Class AAA Las Vegas (Area) 51s Wednesday. ... The Giants signed former Pirates pitcher Dan Serafini (2-5, 4.91 ERA in 2000) to a AAA contract this week.

Shot and a jeer

Shot: March 20 came word that Pirates pitcher Kris Benson and wife Anna had given a revealing look inside their bedroom to Penthouse magazine. March 23 came word that Benson would miss the opening of the season with a strained ligament in his right elbow. Does this mean he has had to use his left hand to activate the "record" button on his VCR?

Jeer: Veteran reliever Jesse Orosco, 43, opted for his release from the Dodgers last Saturday rather than accept a minor-league assignment. He says he was promised a spot in the bullpen if he was healthy. said Alan Meersand, Orosco's agent: "This type of treatment of a respected veteran player like Jesse underscores why [Dodgers GM Kevin Malone's] reputation has been eroding among his peers."

Steve Ziants can be reached at sziants@post-gazette.com