Are the Mets Cursed?

Here is an excerpt from my article on Rootzoo to find out. (The answer is Yes, I do. Even if I don't whole-heartedly believe it, there is overwhelming evidence in favor of it. Feel free to predict the rest of my life will be cursed if you are offended.)

New York Mets

The Curse: The Mets mishandling of Dwight Gooden

Origins: My friends and I have a theory that the Baseball Gods grant each generation of baseball fans a Natural---a person with superhuman talent. Early in the 20th century it was Babe Ruth. In the 50s it was Mickey Mantle. In the 80s it was Dwight Gooden. And at the beginning of this millennium it was Josh Hamilton. All of these players dealt with personal demons, whether it was alcohol abuse or drug addiction. Ruth and Mantle were able to largely overcome their troubles and went on to have legendary careers. The same cannot be said for Gooden and Hamilton.

 What separates Doctor K and Mr. Hamilton is that Gooden showed he could perform at a historic level at age 19. Hamilton was struggling with injuries in the minor leagues at that age.

 Gooden was a comet. A phenomenon you may only see once in your lifetime. He was blessed with a laser fastball and a curveball that defied the laws of gravity. He began his career with the Mets in 1984 at age 19. Gooden went 17-9 that season, earning the 1984 NL Rookie of the Year award. Gooden led the league in strikeouts (276) earning him his nickname “Doctor K.” His 276 strikeouts were the most by any pitcher under the age of 20 in modern baseball history.

 The ’84 campaign was merely a trailer for the big flick.

 Dwight Gooden’s 1985 season was one of the greatest in sports history. En route to the 1985 NL Cy Young award, the 20-year old Gooden compiled mind-boggling statistics. For the love of Roy Hobbs, look at Doc’s 1985 season! He won baseball’s pitching crown, winning 24 games, striking out 268 batters, and pitched to a 1.53 ERA---the second-lowest Earned Run Average by a pitcher since 1920. I repeat: he was 20 years old! Gooden's September of '85 was arguably the greatest month in the history of pitching. In Gooden's five starts that month, he won three, lost none, and tossed four complete games. Doc pitched 44 innings that month. He allowed 0 runs, and struck out 39.

 Unfortunately for Gooden and the Mets, Doctor K’s career had peaked at age 20.

 The 1986 Mets were one of the great teams in baseball history. Their 108 wins were tied for the most by any National League team since 1909. The Mets would go on to win the ’86 World Series in one of the most thrilling playoffs in the sport’s history.

 The incredible play of the team overshadowed the beginning of Gooden’s drug addiction. Virtually all of Gooden’s statistics worsened. Even more suspicious was how Gooden began profusely sweating during his starts. He looked uncomfortable and unnatural on the mound. Come playoff time, Gooden failed to amp up his game. Despite a stellar NLCS, Gooden went 0-3 in the postseason, getting rocked in both of his World Series starts.

 The origins of the curse of Dwight Gooden can be traced to the Mets victory parade following their World Series championship. Gooden was a no-show on the day of the parade, with the Mets saying he “overslept.” It would be revealed years later that the Mets had covered for the star, as Gooden had gone on a cocaine binge the previous night. During the ’86 offseason, Gooden was arrested for disorderly conduct in Florida. Rumors swirled that Gooden was falling deeper and deeper into substance abuse.

 Those fears were confirmed when Gooden tested positive for cocaine during spring training in 1987. The Mets did nothing to punish Gooden for his actions. Over the next seven years Gooden struggled with drug addiction and legal troubles. In 1991, Gooden and two teammates were accused of rape, though the alleged victim never pressed charges.

 Gooden hit rock bottom in 1994. Doc was 3-4 with a 6.31 ERA when he tested positive for cocaine again. While serving his suspension, Gooden tested positive AGAIN. He was suspended for the 1995 season. The day after receiving his full-season ban, Gooden was found in his bedroom with a loaded gun to his head. Doc’s tumultuous tenure as a Met had reached its conclusion.

 While Gooden was, of course, personally responsible for his drug addiction, the Mets did nothing to punish Gooden. They were far more concerned with Gooden returning to his 1985 form than helping their ace beat his demons. When you allow a gift from the Baseball Gods to go to waste, you are bound to be cursed.

 In addition to their hands-off approach in treating Gooden’s drug problem, many people feel the Mets set Gooden up for failure by overworking him as a young pitcher. In 1983, Gooden threw 191 innings in the minor leagues, striking out 300 batters and walking 112. He was only 18. In his first three seasons in the Bigs, at the tender age of 19, 20 and 21, Gooden pitched 744.2 innings. It is estimated that Gooden had 15 games of throwing more than 120 pitches during his historic ’85 season. If a manager allowed his 19-year old pitcher to do that today he would be fired in the blink of an eye.

Best Example of the Curse: Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS

 It is hard to pick one example to illustrate the curse of Dwight Gooden. There are so many. I could have easily picked Mike Scioscia’s home run off Gooden in Game 4 of the ’88 NLCS. I could have chosen Kenny Rogers series-losing walk of Andruw Jones in the ’99 NLCS, or Timo Perez not running out Todd Zeile’s hit off the top of the wall in the 2000 World Series. And of course, I could have picked either of the Mets September collapses the past two years. Instead, I chose the worst loss of my sports-loving life (you’re off the hook Doug Brien).

 The 2006 Mets were the best team in baseball. They dominated the National League, winning 97 games and capturing their division by 12 games. All they were missing was a legitimate Number One in their rotation.

 On the day of the trade deadline, rumor had it the Mets were on the verge of acquiring Roy Oswalt from the Astros. As the 3pm deadline approached, word broke that Duaner Sanchez had injured his pitching shoulder in an early morning taxi accident in Miami---the Curse of Dwight Gooden at its finest. The Mets had to abort the Oswalt deal as they scrambled to find a setup man for Billy Wagner. They hastily traded starting right fielder Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh for Oliver Perez and reliever Roberto Hernandez. Although both pitchers would help the Mets, the team sorely missed having Nady’s bat in the lineup and his glove in the field.

 When the Yankees were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs (the only team Met fans feared), the Amazin's appeared to have an open path to a World Series title. The Mets swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, setting up a series with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Redbirds had won only 83 games during the regular season---the lowest win total by a team to make the playoffs in a non-strike shortened season since the '73 Mets and '05 Padres (hat tip to reader for correction).

 The teams would split the first six games of the series, setting up a decisive Game 7 at Shea Stadium on October 19, 2006. The game’s starting pitchers, Jeff Suppan and Oliver Perez, had combined for 15 wins during the regular season; a high-scoring affair was expected. 

 But that’s why you play the game.

 With the game tied at 1 in the top of the 6th inning, Scott Rolen faced Oliver Perez with one out and a man on first. Rolen crushed the first pitch he saw from Perez. It appeared the Cards were about to take a 3-1 lead.

 Endy Chavez had other ideas. The Mets wiry outfielder jumped as high as humanly possible, with his arm stretching over the wall like Michael Jordan’s arm in the last play of Space Jam. He made the catch, fired a perfect relay to the infield and doubled off Jim Edmonds at first base. Shea Stadium erupted like nothing I had never heard before. Louder than Todd Pratt’s home run. Louder than Robin Ventura’s Grand Slam Single. It was surreal a moment etched in the minds of the 56,357 in attendance.

 Unfortunately for Mets fans, the organization has been on a steady decline since Endy’s miraculous catch.

 Following the catch, there was not a single person in Shea Stadium who didn’t think the Mets would win that game. And when the Mets loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, that sentiment appeared to be on the brink of coming true.

 They would not score in the inning.

Then came the 9th inning. With a man on and a man out, Yadier Molina crushed Aaron Heilman’s first pitch changeup into the rainy New York night. There was nothing Endy could do about this one.

 Following the home run, I went into a state of shock. Everything went silent. I left my seat in the Loge Reserved, and walked out to the ramp on the concourse. I sat on a small ledge overlooking the Shea Stadium parking lot, doing everything in my power to remind myself of the triviality of sports. Convinced, I returned to my seat for the bottom of the 9th.

 Just when I had come to peace with the loss, the Mets led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Hoping for the Mets “Kirk Gibson” moment, Willie Randolph sent the injured Cliff Floyd to the plate. He struck out looking. Jose Reyes would then line out to center, followed by a Paul Lo Duca walk to load the bases with two outs for Carlos Beltran. The Mets center fielder saw three pitches. All three were strikes. Adam Wainwright’s devastating curveball and the Curse of Dwight Gooden were no match for Beltran as he struck out looking to end the Mets season.

 I don’t think I will ever recover from that night.