The Giants could not have had a more favorable opponent than the Falcons. They seem to be peaking at the right time. The situation seems eerily similar to their outrageous Super Bowl run. Of course, Giants fans are allowed to dream, but the Packers will most likely burst their bubble. They are more talented than the G-Men and they will be rested and refreshed. I guess Coach Coughlin won't be run out of town. His detractors will have to put up with his old-fashion ways for another year.
Last week my great-great nephew Yuri, almost five, had a ball rooting through the basement. He unearthed some interesting VHS tapes, among them Let's Go Mets and Doc, which I brought with me today with a specific customer in mind. I smiled when I saw Bob come limping along Bay Parkway, Mets hat atop his head. Of course, he purchased both. The one on Doc Gooden must be awesome. He was incredible his first two years in the bigs. His fastball was high octane and his curve was wicked. Unfortunately, he turned to drugs and was never the same except for brief flashes of brilliance, including a no-hitter when he was a member of the hated Yankees, or Skanks, as I call them. I was never more wrong about a player's character. Given that he was from a two-parent household, I figured he would keep his nose clean. I thought his homey, Darryl Strawberry, would lead a troubled life, especially post-career. And yet the Straw Man seems to have become a good person, while Doc continues to find trouble.
While working on the trading floor, rumors, financial and otherwise, were a big part of the culture. One day word had it that Gooden and Strawberry had been pulled over by a cop, who discovered cocaine in the car in which they were riding. The officer, a Mets fan, let them go. I hoped it wasn't true. Given what eventually followed, it probably was. In Gooden's case, his troubles became obvious for the first time when he missed the parade celebrating the World Series victory in '86. Not even 25 at the time, his skills were in decline. Base-runners tormented him once they discovered he had no clue how to hold them in check. Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt said: "You can steal at will." And Gooden did not handle it well psychologically. He began throwing at hitters vindictively. I remember him plunking second-basemen Tommy Hearns square in the back in the midst of a Cardinals' rally. Doc and Straw should have been Hall of Famers, given their talent. I guess their histories prove it takes more than talent to get there.
Thanks Bob, and also to the woman who purchased several books for her little girl.
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