This? This was the big deal? Doc wrote this (photo courtesy of the Post) and the Mets were wailing, “OUR WALLS! OUR BEAUTIFUL BLANK WALLS! YOU HAVE DESECRATED OUR BEAUTIFUL BLANK WALLS WITH YOUR NAME THAT MEANS NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, TO THE SACRED MEMORY OF THE BROOKLYN DODGERS WHO PLAY THEIR HOME GAMES AT WORLD CLASS CITI FIELD…oh wait, we were thinking of something else” over this?
Oh good lord.
The Mets have made good [1] on the Gooden signature, swearing they will remove it from the Ebbets Club (eyes rolling) with care and find a proper place to display it for the people and embellish it with the John Hancocks and John Hudeks of other Mets greats, perhaps (perhaps) aware that few have merited the appellation “Mets great” as Doc Gooden did when he was 1984 Rookie of the Year, 1985 Cy Young and 1986 World Series Champ.
I have Dwight Gooden’s autograph, incidentally. A friend with whom I worked in 1994 was in Florida on assignment and he took a very wide turn to visit Port St. Lucie. He parked his rental car and saw Doc signing for a small knot of fans. He whipped out a piece of motel stationery and asked him to make it out to Greg.
“That’s Greg with one ‘g,'” my friend said.
“I know how to spell Greg,” Dwight with one “g” reassured him.
So I’m all set in terms of Doc Gooden’s signature, but I’m glad another one will be in evidence. And if he ever wants to drop by and desecrate one of my blank walls, I’ll happily take another.