Baseball Appears to Be Fun Again for Gooden

NEW YORK â€”  Dwight Gooden says he is having fun again.

He looks that way, too. One year after drug rehab, the Mets right-hander is again master of the game he loves. He’s throwing his curveball for strikes, striking people out, and even sneaking an occasional bunt down the third base line.

When Gooden takes the mound, he becomes boss. No more bluffing pickoff throws to second base. Now he just comes at the hitter, and usually gets him. For the first time since 1985, Gooden looks like a special player instead of just a good one.

“Late ’86 and last year, it wasn’t fun anymore,� Gooden said, sweating from a Shea Stadium workout. “And if you’re not having fun at something, you’re not going to be at your best or performing the way you should.

“There are a lot of distractions but I’ve learned a lot about myself the last couple of years. The game is fun again whether I’m pitching great or not pitching good at all. I’m enjoying myself and the game.�

Gooden, 23, has opened 1988 with four straight victories and a 2.77 ERA. Such numbers bring dreams of 1985, when Gooden went 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA. But those dreams may not help him, especially when they start sounding like demands.

Nothing he can do will stop questions. When he loses, people wonder what’s wrong. When he flirts with a no-hitter, as he did for 5 1-3 innings against the Phils Wednesday night, he hears comments he can recite by heart.

“‘That’s the Gooden of old, that’s the Gooden of old, you threw the ball like you did in ‘85,�’ he repeated. “I ignore it. It’s aggravating. You get tired of hearing it but there’s so much you’ve got to live with because of what happened.�

By now, baseball fans know what happened. On April 1, 1987, an April Fool’s Day that wasn’t funny, the Mets announced Gooden had tested positive for substance abuse. With millions of fans aware of his fall, Gooden entered the Smithers Institute in Manhattan, and missed two months of the season.

“Being away from the game, just being in there for 28 days, there was a lot of time to yourself,� Gooden said. “You learn a lot of things about yourself. Just coming out of there knowing what I want out of my life made my job a whole lot easier. Being away from the game with an injury is different. Being away from the game because someone says you can’t play, that’s when you realize how much the game means to you.�

Gooden now owns a 77-26 lifetime record with a 2.47 ERA. He’s adjusted his motion, but no change helped more than the one in his outlook.

“I remember ‘84, my first year,� he said. “All the travel, I used to get tired of all that. But now you look forward to it. Even coming to the ballpark when I’m not pitching I look forward to it.�

Now Met fans can look forward to him again. He can strike people out in double figures. He always brings the threat of a no-hitter. His curveball can freeze a batter so completely even fans in the cheap seats can sense his domination.

“The main thing, I just appreciate them being in my corner while I was down and the problems I had,� Gooden said. “If I let fans down, I apologize for that. The main thing is, be myself, have fun, give 100 per cent on the field, and stay clean for the rest of my life.�