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Dwight Doc Gooden 3 Time World Series Champion on Bet Big Talk Loud Podcast

• Chris Hodge

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Dwight Doc Gooden 3 Time World Series Champion on Bet Big Talk Loud Podcast with your host Chris Hodge and JR.  

SPEAKER_02

Uh, welcome back to the Bet Big Talk Loud Podcast for Friday, May 22nd. What a great show we have for you. I am Chris Hodge, bandwagon jumper JR, decked out in the Knicks stuff.

SPEAKER_01

Come on, baby.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, man.

SPEAKER_01

Listen, I'm the first to admit it. You know, I have dogged out the NBA all year on this podcast, on the radio show. It sucks. The product is terrible. And then the Knicks make a run. I'm like, yo, play with basketball's fun, baby. It's back. It really is. It's my type of.

SPEAKER_02

I'm not saying anything. If the Knicks are up 2-0, I've seen them up 2-0 in the conference finals before. Albeit against that was against Michael Jordan.

SPEAKER_01

But this is a different animal. Watching them against the Cavaliers. It's like Cavs, they're having such a hard time. I mean, we were just talking about before we came on. I'm like, it's almost sad watching James Harden just get chopped up like a salad.

SPEAKER_02

I don't think it's sad. No, I don't, not even from a fan. Before I get to that, keep it here because we have Dwight Gooden, MLB legend, New York Met legend. Dwight Gooden will be on later in the show. And I'm really excited about that interview. Back to James Harden. When the hell has James Harden ever played defense?

SPEAKER_01

Never. Right, ever. So like and they are taking advantage. I mean, literally, just as soon as they see him over there, pick him, roll, put him on, but bing, bang, boom, points. I don't know why that hasn't been done in all of James Harden's career. Why are they not making any, like you even said when they were up 18-22 in game one, whatever it was? How do they not pull him? I know he got you there, but how do you not pull him and bring in another defender? Like he's being schooled. It is obvious what's going on. They are literally just zoning in individually on him, and they keep him in the game. So what are you doing? He plays zero defense.

SPEAKER_02

Here's my problem with the NBA, and I've been on record saying this a lot, right? You have superstar players. Luka Doncic is a superstar player. Love him. Austin Reeves is not a superstar, but Austin Reeves is a very good player, right? You had a guy like James Harden. You these guys have been hunted, hunted in the playoffs. When Dallas played Boston in the NBA Finals, they went after Luka Doncic. They didn't. Because Luka Doncic cannot play defense. And the Lakers in all their brilliance, now I know that Doncic got hurt and didn't play. It wasn't going to make a difference. Lakers fans, it wasn't going to make a difference. They weren't beating. They were not beating OKC. The game that everyone got hurt in for the Lakers, they were down by 40 against OKC. They weren't beating them. Maybe they don't get swept.

SPEAKER_01

I don't think they beat them, but I don't think they get swept.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, they lose in five. Gentleman sweep. Six. But you're a superstar offensive player, okay? And you can't play a lick of defense. OKC hunted Reeves. Dallas was uh Boston hunted Doncic when they were in the NBA Finals. Now the Knicks are hunting Harden. I don't believe you could be an NBA superstar. I don't give a fuck how many points you score.

SPEAKER_01

If you can't play a lick of defense. Not any. I mean any. It is so terrible. It's it's literally, he's just on the heels the entire time. Has no idea what to do. He knows how to switch off. He's really good at switching on. And then he gets eaten alive. I mean, it's it's just it's sad to watch, man.

SPEAKER_02

He's a really, really bad defensive player.

SPEAKER_01

Offensive player. One of the best of all time. And like we said, I don't understand. Like the coach interviewed afterwards, and they asked him, Why is he still out there? Well, he helped get us here. That's not good coaching. Agreed. If you see, he's getting chomped up. Agreed. I mean, especially when they were up 16, 18. You know what? Have a seat, man. We need you for the next game. We're gonna put everybody else out there.

SPEAKER_02

They went after him last night, too. But in game two, one of the most amazing stats that you'll ever see in a basketball game. In game one in the fourth quarter, the Knicks isolated James Harden on nine different defensive possessions. They scored 17 points on those nine possessions. That means they scored every time they had the ball, basically.

SPEAKER_01

Basically, they needed every one of those points to get back in that game and force overtime, too. They were there at 22 at seven and a half minutes.

SPEAKER_02

Last night the Cavs are in the game, uh, you know, a couple minutes into the third quarter there, and then the Knicks go on an 18-0 run. Cleveland came back, made it close, got to like within seven or eight, and then the Knicks pull away again. But it's when you got a guy that can't play defense, like James Harden cannot play defense.

SPEAKER_01

That's why I don't think they have a shot at being able to beat the Knicks in this series. I know you said you're not going to say anything, but I don't think they have a shot.

SPEAKER_02

So, and and the late great Kobe Bryant said this years ago when he did an interview with Tracy McGrady, and he said, Well, this is when uh James Harden was with the Rockets. Okay. And he said the way that James Harden is playing right now, like he has to do it to keep his team in games during the regular season, but the way he's playing right now will not translate to the playoffs. And James Harden has never translated to the playoffs. Never here's a guy that has played some of the most epically bad game sevens in history.

SPEAKER_01

History.

SPEAKER_02

Like epically bad. So bad. You know, he's bad. Um, we did before we get to the Western Conference, gotta say this, and uh be sure to keep it right here because we do have Dwight Gooden coming on. That interview will be sponsored by GirlsThat Gamble. And it's gonna be a great interview. Um, some tragedy hit yesterday, last night. Uh Kyle Bush, uh NASCAR legend, dies at 41 years old. And and first of all, that's just whenever anyone dies, it's terrible. Whenever anyone dies that young, it's terrible. But the the reports of it was um from a sinus infection that kind of just basically exploded when he was in, when he was doing a trial run. He he was he was in his um he was practicing a couple days ago, and he just like the sinus just seemed like it exploded.

SPEAKER_01

And because I I didn't see what the cause of death was. I thought it was something to do with somebody told me it was an aneurysm.

SPEAKER_02

No, it was something to do with his sinus and and man to one. NASCAR, obviously, Kyle Bush, his family, his wife and his children, man. Oh, terrible. What a legend, gone way too soon. And uh yeah, he's so good at what he does, too.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, I'm not a NASCAR guy, but there are certain guys that you know that are just superstars.

SPEAKER_02

So reading up on him, uh, you know, his brother's Kurt Bush, and that's his older brother. And maybe about 20 years ago, you know, Kurt Bush does an interview and he says, You think I'm good? Well, wait till you see my younger brother. Like this guy is just all world. So that is a terrible sports life tragedy. Uh, NASCAR, man.

SPEAKER_01

It doesn't happen in the car. That's the crazy thing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it was just terrible.

SPEAKER_01

Sinus infection. I get a sinus infection every year.

SPEAKER_02

It was those things could be dangerous. Those things could be really dangerous. And my wife texts me because you know how women are. My wife just texts me, she's like, man, this is just another thing to be neurotic about. Is your wife as neurotic as my wife?

SPEAKER_01

You can't talk shit. My wife is gonna, she's she's right outside the studio. She's listening to this? Yeah, we're not talking about wife-related.

unknown

You baby.

SPEAKER_02

My wife is a great neurotic.

SPEAKER_01

My wife is the greatest woman that listen. We talk very highly of our wives. We always have, right? My wife is a neurotic. This woman worries about everything. My wife doesn't worry about everything, but she's neurotic in every she has to be doing something all day long. It's nonstop. She's like a fucking pinball, dude. Like you hit it and it just ding-ding ding-ding ding. And if God forbid, you sit down because she's not. Oh, God. I hope she don't watch this episode. Uh listen.

SPEAKER_02

My wife, I mean, look, I have three boys. Um, my boys ages 26, 22, 19. So they're they're just going out. I know you have six kids. They're just my boys are going out whatever. You got there's no curfew to this. I don't care what time you come. My wife, man, if these kids are out at night, she doesn't go to sleep. She waits for them to come home. Now, the fuck of it is a couple of them might not come home. So now what are you doing?

SPEAKER_01

It's the opposite in my house. My wife is like, yeah, they're fine. And me, I'm like, I just want to know if they're coming home. So I'll give them a shout. Hey, yo, I go to sleep. You come, or even a text. Are you coming home tonight? I got one son that doesn't say shit, right? Like, you you've met him. Um, really don't say much. They don't say anything. And and he'll go, he's got his girlfriend in Pennsylvania. He lives in New York, his girlfriend's in Pennsylvania. Been together two years. Beautiful girl. I'm very happy for him. But he just ups and goes. He doesn't tell me, hey, dad, going to PAC in a couple days. Just it, man. Where'd he go? That's it. Where'd he go? Just gone. Call him. Hey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I'm in Pennsylvania. Well, now listen, you got all these apps on these phones that tell you exactly where they are. You know, yeah. I don't do that today. Easy pass. The 14-year-old I do it with because he's a fucking psycho. But uh, the rest of them, I've never done that.

SPEAKER_02

I remember one night I'm getting dinged on my phone from the Easy Pass, and I'm like, oh, I guess he's on his way to Philadelphia. It's just like Gothel's Bridge, uh, New Jersey turbine. I guess you're going down there. If you stay on 95, you go further down. Where are you really going? Just crazy. My son is in Atlantic City. What the hell's going on? Um, interesting story about tonight. Uh, obviously, game three, which I believe is still this series uh in the Western Conference Spurs and OKC Todd at one. I think it's going to be a phenomenal long series. Do you really? I do. I do. I think I think the Spurs of all playing into the hype of all the press and the game one and Lumby and No, well, Spurs got some injuries, but and this, I I've done nothing but piss off New York fans for for, I mean, with the Jets and Giants, my take was completely true. I'm getting some violent emails because I said the Knicks had zero shine. Zero chance. Zero chance. So the emails have been round two. You didn't even think they would get through round one. No, and I certainly didn't did not think they'd get through Boston in round two. They did not have to see Boston. They get Philly, but hey, they swept Boston. Oh boy. I'm getting some violent, violent stuff. Um, but that's fine. That's all part. It's all fun.

SPEAKER_01

I wanted to see it happen because I I knew that you were totally like cooked.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But yeah, look when you're right. It's the best Knicks team I've seen since the 90s, by far. In fact, I think it might be better.

SPEAKER_02

I think it might even be better.

SPEAKER_01

They be and it's only because they have the depth. They they have a bench like no one else in serious.

SPEAKER_02

They're playing well.

SPEAKER_01

And listen, hey, Jalen Bronson, if he goes and wins the championship. Oh, he he scored what, four points in the first half yesterday? He was he was doling out assists like crazy. He was nothing but 13 assists. Yeah. And then all of a sudden they need him to bring it on, and he hey, put that switch on and get rolling, man. Josh Hart shot the shit out of the ball last night.

SPEAKER_02

I don't even know if he missed a shot. But we go with the West, in terms of that, it is the first time tonight that OKC is an underdog in the playoffs. Unbelievable. For the last 33 playoff games.

SPEAKER_01

That's gotta be the hype of the media. I just don't see it on paper. I understand they just played. And yeah, I mean, look, for me, OKC was a laydown easy win on the road. I mean, excuse me, at home in game two. It's like coming off of the loss, there's no way they're gonna drop two at home. So being an underdog on the road is probably the right move to get 50-50 action, but it's not the right move for these teams on paper. Sorry, absolutely not. OKC's the better team. Uh San Antonio has got some injuries right now. There are some bad mismatches on the floor, but other than that, OKC's got more depth, better coaching, better just almost everything.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, but San Antonio has an alien. They do. They have an alien. Hey, like this guy, again, I hate that. Oh man, I hate that.

SPEAKER_01

The fact they hit that 30-footer in game one is what really set it off.

SPEAKER_02

I hate to keep going back to this guy, but I have to. This guy, LeBron James, and I say this guy. We always talk about it. I know, right. You're right. Right, we are. And he's a great, he does a great job at because listen, his basketball game is brilliant. Brilliant. I can't stand everything else about him. I mean, the guy goes on his podcast with Steve Nash and was like, San Antonio keeps getting lucky. Whenever they have the number one pick, they get these generational talent. I mean, first of all, what was Cleveland? Was Cleveland not lucky? You were a generational talent. I mean, you were one of these guys. Right? And then Cleveland got Kyrie Irving. Now you went and fucked it up. But you have got generational talents, generally in basketball, right? When those talents are out there, um, you know, San Antonio had three number ones. They had David Robinson, right? They got Tim Duncan and now they got Wembayana. Yep. Right? But it takes more, as LeBron James knows, it takes more than one generational talent to win.

SPEAKER_01

It does.

SPEAKER_02

So there's no luck. They did a good job of building their team. So the ping-pong balls drift. It happened to you. Whoa, wait, in 2003, or whatever you were drafted. It wasn't luck.

unknown

Come on.

SPEAKER_01

I don't know. The guy just drives me crazy. I can't stand him. I really can't stand him. It sucks too because he's such a great player. I mean, I I would like to like him. I actually, early on, very, very early on in his career before he started fucking talking, I I I bought one of the USA jerseys with his name on it. And so let me ask you a question.

SPEAKER_02

I might be asking the wrong person. It's no insult to you. You're not a you're not a basketball guy, even though you're decked out. So I would put the question to the internet as well. Like to everyone out there that listens to this to this podcast and and uh you know either likes it or doesn't like it, which is fine. That's that's fair. Um do you believe LeBron James has four titles? He had one with Cleveland, right? If he had just stayed in Cleveland for the duration of his career, like Kobe did with the Lakers, now Kobe won five. Do you think LeBron James would have at least four titles with Cleveland?

SPEAKER_01

If he just stayed the whole duration of his career with Cleveland, and was willing to work the numbers so that the team can put some talent around him? Which he did in Miami. Like he did do that. Yeah, yeah. Like he's just he's a lifer. Yes, I believe he has at least four. I agree with you. At least four. Because the East has always been weak. He would have ruled, ruled the Eastern copper would have been begging to come play with him. Yep. Right? So he wouldn't have to go move around and have so many moving parts three-way trades just to get what he no. They would have come. Build it and they will come, right?

SPEAKER_02

That's the part of that uh that is missed, right? LeBron is is an all-time legend. To me, he's number three all-time. Again, we'll get argument over that.

SPEAKER_01

Um I heard John Sally in a podcast yesterday. Uh, I don't know when he actually did the podcast, but he's like, everybody just assumes Michael Jordan's number one. Yes. He's like, but ask Michael Jordan who number one is, he'll tell you Dr. J.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. It is it is a great point.

SPEAKER_01

He's like, and I played with Michael. He's like, yeah, Michael was great. He's unbelievable, greatest player I ever played with, but not the greatest of all time. I wanted to grab him through the podcast. He's like, but he did make a good point, right? I mean for their time, right? For their time. So even for me, uh, you know, LeBron played during the same time that Kobe Bryant played. And Steph Curry. Right. Kobe Bryant was the better player. If I was making a team, I would have taken Kobe Bryant over LeBron James. Agreed. So 100 out of 100, by the way. And they played at the same time. So I'm not even gonna say he's the best of his time.

SPEAKER_02

Kobe in his prime, here, let's just blow it up now. Kobe in his prime was better than LeBron in his prime. That's just how I feel. Now, LeBron has the longevity. No doubt. Right? He has the longevity, he's gonna, and therefore he'll have the numbers, right? So, but it player for player, like, and again, you're just gonna look up the tape and not like this is bullshit. When they played in the all-star game, LeBron wanted nothing to do with Kobe Bryant. Nothing. Zero.

SPEAKER_01

He wanted nothing to do with Blockbuster with Black Mambo. How are you gonna do? You're gonna you're gonna make yourself look like complete garbage. If you get on him and you can't guard him, you're gonna get talked shit about for the rest of your career.

SPEAKER_02

Mambo was a bad man. He was a bad man. And he played defense. Oh, yeah. Oh. Oh, yeah. And wanted to. He wanted to shut down the other team's best defensive player. I feel like, so this is what a point I was getting to about five minutes ago with OKC and the Spurs. I feel like, you see, we live in this kumbaya type of world right now. We're like, just you gotta be not. I feel like these two teams genuinely do not like each other. No. Okay. And they're gonna be around in the Western Conference playing each other in the playoffs. Now, I don't know if they're gonna be the Western Conference finals because you don't know from year to year what the brackets look like, right? But these two teams are gonna be around playing each other in the playoffs, much like the Lakers and the Spurs were way back in the day, or you know, late 99 or early 2000s, on into the 2000s. I feel like these two teams are gonna be around in the Western Conference to play each other and they do not like each other. And I think that's good for basketball.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's gonna be just like back in football when you had either the Colts, the Patriots, or the Steelers in basically every AFC championship game for 15 years, they were going against each other. So, you know, same thing here. I think you're gonna have San Antonio, you're gonna have OKC in the West constantly. I mean, look, Golden State was taking over for how many years when they had Steph Curry, right?

SPEAKER_02

So So here's the thing about like Golden State played Cleveland in the finals seemingly every year, right? Yep. But there wasn't like there was this dislike. It was like they're all boys, like Draymond and LeBron, you know, hitting each other. Like uh, yeah, I know what you're saying. No, this is becoming real rivalry, yes, like yes, like you guys don't understand like when there's hatred, the fans like that. More like they love it in the NHL.

SPEAKER_01

There's been hatred. Or how about the Knicks and the and the Pacers? Hatred, hatred. Hatred. I would even say good only because the Pacers go all the way back to Reggie Miller and then you know. No, there was hatred. Let's not forget, you know, Halliburton with the choke.

SPEAKER_02

And then do what Reggie Miller did back in 1994, whenever that was '95. But you know, you had a brawl, Knicks Heat, where where Van Gundy was like for his life.

SPEAKER_01

That was great.

SPEAKER_02

But there was hatred. There was. And when there was hatred, it was good for the course.

SPEAKER_01

I agree. It definitely is a better thing.

SPEAKER_02

Like, like go back, go back years and years ago, Detroit and Chicago. Hatred. Hatred. They hated each other.

SPEAKER_01

But everybody hated Detroit.

SPEAKER_02

But Jordan says it, he said it in the last dance, which came out what five years ago. He said that hatred continues to this day. So they took the hatred from 88, 87, 89, whatever. You don't like each other?

SPEAKER_01

He goes, the hatred continues to this day. Come on. And that was that's what made it great. So you don't think Michael and Isaiah can sit down and have a meal together? I you know, I would love to ask them both if they have.

SPEAKER_02

I don't, I do not believe that Michael Jordan would ever go out to eat dinner with Isaiah Thomas. Ever. Ever. That's that that would be unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01

I could be wrong. I I've never talked to either guy personally. You know, one of the things I actually called you about, I was like, I couldn't believe the weight difference, right? Like I said, do you know how much, you know, everyone knows why you're 7'4, 236 pounds. Guy weighs about four pounds less than I do. All right, and I'm 6'2, and he's 7'4, right? So stick, right? We know stick. Shaquille O'Neal, yeah, at 25 years old, 7'1, 325 pounds. That's a monster. 10 years later, when he was playing for the Lakers in his mid-30s, how much did he weigh? I see, I don't I don't believe that number. I don't believe he ever got near four. Now again, I I looked it up and I could not get anything other than what Shaquille O'Neal himself said was that he was playing at 420 pounds.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean, if so if he said I've never heard that before. That's insane, man. Shaquille O'Neal is insane. To me, again, and this is no disrespect.

SPEAKER_01

The most dominant center to ever play the game, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_02

And now I started watching basketball in 85, 86. So any center I've seen, you know, uh Shaq, Elijah Wan, you know, Ewing, Morning, there were some good ones. Dwight Howard, you know, obviously David Robertson. So those are those are the guys that I saw. I never saw Bill Russell play, Wilt, Kareem. I never really saw them play in their prime.

SPEAKER_01

Shaq is. You're telling me if you put Shaquille O'Neal on Wilt Chamberlain, it'd be a problem. Wilt is gonna be okay. He's gonna score some points, but he's not gonna get inside. He's not gonna be able to hammer away. He's gonna have to shoot. Shaq was just the most is just gonna dominate. He's gonna jump. Just, I mean, that's an animal of a body. How are you getting him out of the way?

SPEAKER_02

The most dominant guy you've ever seen. Ever seen. You know, it's just there.

SPEAKER_01

He's no more distance. I think he underperformed in his career. He could have done more. He did great. He was amazing. But it's like the foot problems, I think, really.

SPEAKER_02

Well, the guy is a dinosaur, like in terms of his weight, like a brontosaurus. Brian, like, no, I'm gonna push back on that. Hey that that man did not underperform. I mean, that man because he could have been better. I mean, he was that good. Well, Kobe says that if he would have come into camp in shape, like like Shaq admittedly says he used uh the NBA training camp to get into shape and the NBA season to get into shape. But Shaq could do that. Shaq, you did listen, you threw the ball into the paint, you got two points.

SPEAKER_01

You got the point every time.

SPEAKER_02

God forbid, he hits free throws. Just don't let him go to the free throw line. Well, it's like Mitchell Robinson right now. Watching this guy. It's unbelievable. Shoot free throws. Holy shit. Just hack him. Yeah, so um interesting game tonight. I believe there's some hatred there. Uh San Antonio does have some injury concerns. Um, but should be a great game. Should be a great series. You know, we'll find out if the Knicks Cavs are going to be a series tomorrow night. You know, like if that, if the Knicks win that game, that series is over for all intents and purposes.

SPEAKER_01

I really do think they sweep them.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean, if the Knicks sweep them, that means they would be, they would be on an 11-game playoff winning streak, which is just insane. Insane. Which that that number, you would have never believed the Knicks would ever do that. Never. Oh man. Hey, listen, the Knicks are keep the mail coming, guys. Send it over. I got my boy Nick who's married to my cousin. Love this guy's text because I we fight all the time via text in terms of I'm always stop trusting the Knicks, bro. I'm always saying this to him, and he's texting me. You don't know what you're talking about. Look at like, you know, look what's going on. So, hey, I know Nick, he's a huge Knicks fan, so he's got uh two games left here to be really, really happy. All right, on over to the NFL. Who announced their Super Bowl location for 2030, which was going to be in a new Tennessee Titans stadium moving to Nashville. Yep. Um been a lot of talk about these international games. First off, do you like the international games?

SPEAKER_01

Listen, they don't they don't bother me. I I I do kind of want to see more fa I like I like seeing the the league grow. Okay. You know, bringing Australia into it, which I mean, listen, they got rugby there, they've got they they're big soccer fans. Uh I don't see why they wouldn't love American football. And I know that there's already a lot of fans in Australia that love American football. So um, you know, it bothers me as far as having to watch football at 9 30 in the fricking morning. Um and and it does feel like you're from Hawaii. Right, right. And it messes with, you know, servicing clientele and all that kind of thing. So it's a monkey wrench in that way. But no, I mean it list, I don't want teams out there, right? I I don't want teams out there. I don't think they would have a Ireland. Well I think that's kind of inevitable. It like ultimately what they're trying to do. Get enough fans built up where now you can have maybe a separate league and those leagues meet for international games. And so here's my pushback. When they love it when they love an NFL Europe, they had that already. That was that was what I was just getting a while ago. Doesn't matter, it didn't work. It didn't work at the time. Okay, but sometimes they're a little behind. Oh, I I get it. With the amount of games that have been played at Wembley and everything else overseas, I think it's really strange. I mean, look, it's Australia when they said it's sold out in 30 minutes.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, uh, listen, uh uh, there's a bunch of kangaroos and snakes down there. I don't understand. Who comes up with the idea to go for Australia? Not just snakes, bro.

SPEAKER_01

Look at those up in the trees and ah, it's nothing, mate.

SPEAKER_02

Listen, I draw the line at snakes. I can't I draw the line at snake. I'm not fucking with snakes.

SPEAKER_01

I don't care. You you you can email me, all you reptilian loving motherfuckers out there. You you you can you can go ahead and say, I hate snakes. Snakes and gators are one part of hate snakes. You're a part. I could deal with gators. I mean, snakes, spiders, out. Hate them all. They all need to die. All of them. All must die. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Um, snakes, man. I don't want to.

SPEAKER_01

When I was in Florida, I bought my first house at 22 years old across the street from Ed Smith Stadium where they were doing uh minor league baseball. And I hear a noise in the backyard, like, oh wow, there's somebody in my backyard, right? And at the time I had just become a gun owner. So I go out with my 45 and literally I'm like Sonny Crockett on Miami's face, calling out, I think there's somebody out there. Bro, there is a gigantic black snake intertwined into the fence like this. I screamed like a horror film, like a chick got a gun. I went running. My neighbor, thank God. Thank God. He was like, Oh, don't worry, I got this. He grabbed the machete and chopped that thing up. I was like, oh my God. I would have never known. No, no.

SPEAKER_02

You know there's that video of snakes. I forget what golfer it was. There was an alligator on a golf course, and one guy's walking up to the gator and he's like, oh shit, and he runs away from it. Another guy just casually walks up, smacks it on the tail.

SPEAKER_01

I'm the guy that's running the other way. Not me. Gators, you can zigzag, they can't catch it.

SPEAKER_02

I'll give um Doug Pike a shout out from KBME all the way down in Houston. This guy takes me golf and the guy's looking for alligators. I'm like, what the fuck are you doing? Why are you looking for them for? Like, what the fuck? Put me in the middle of this. Happy Gilmore. And listen, yeah, right. And you know, listen, I suck at golf, so I'm generally near the water. Sure. And I'm like, yeah, but I'm not hitting, I'm putting that ball right in the fairway. I'm hitting the ball from there. There's no gators coming.

SPEAKER_01

I lived in Florida for five years. I I've seen gators on the golf course. You gotta be gonna tee off with them five feet from me, but you don't go running from them. No, no, no. I want nothing to do with them. You know, I got a big monster in the pond in the lake that I lived on. That was scary because I had little kids and I was like, it can eat my children. Sure.

SPEAKER_02

Or my dog.

SPEAKER_01

Right. So we got to call somebody and have them wrangle them out of there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no good.

SPEAKER_01

But uh crazy. They're not that scary. I mean, only if you get close. Only if you get close.

SPEAKER_02

It's it's I want nothing to do with them. Um NFL, they just announced Nashville for the Super Bowl. So the next four Super Bowls are SoFi, well, it's the new stadium. So what Nashville is a party city. That's gonna be that's gonna be a great Super Bowl, I think. Um SoFi, Atlanta, Las Vegas, which you know, that's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_01

Still to me, that Atlanta looks unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02

Atlanta is a beautiful stadium. So there's the next four Super Bowls. SoFi, Atlanta, Vegas, and Nashville. So what that does is it's there's not a Super Bowl, which I know they're talking about, which I don't believe they will ever do, but that just means the next four Super Bowls are not in London. I don't think they can. Oh, they better not, dude. They can't. Oh, they can't.

SPEAKER_01

I didn't even think about that shit. It just made that spark in my mind for the first time. Oh my God. Can't do it. Can you imagine? Can't do it. Oh, that would be so wrong. Can't do it. You know, I've been to multiple Super Bowls. I ain't going to London to go to a damn Super Bowl. First of all, we'd have to watch it at what time in the morning? Get the fuck out of here. They would no, they would have to play it at 6 p.m. Outtime.

SPEAKER_02

What time would that be out of London?

SPEAKER_01

Who gives a shit? We're going to have people getting drunk at 10:30 in the morning and the eyeballs that are watching the Super Bowl at 6 p.m. on a front uh on a Sunday. Oh my god, they're not changing that.

SPEAKER_02

I hope not, man. No, I hope not. But uh, yeah, interesting things. Next week we're gonna do something very interesting on the podcast. We're gonna do um NFL throwback tournament. So a throwback jersey uh tournament. We got the 16 teams where you know with their classic throwback uniforms.

SPEAKER_01

Do you get to choose from all of their tournaments? No, we're gonna do it in brackets.

SPEAKER_02

We're gonna do it in brackets. It's gonna be interesting. So we're gonna do that on a podcast next week.

SPEAKER_01

Um do a tournament for its own, right? Like let's just say Giants. You do all Giants for the last 50 years, could do it, and pick their one best, the one that everyone agrees is their best against their best, right? And that would be a real picking random throwbacks, could do a couple different things with it. Some Tampa Bay Buccaneer jerseys that I would use, you know, for toilet paper. I mean some bad ones. Well, the creamsical one is is when they were the pewter. It was such a big deal. I was in Florida when they switched it over to Pewter. That was that was unbelievable.

SPEAKER_02

So uh keep it right here. We have Dwight Gooden coming on, MLB, New York Met Legend. It's gonna be a great interview. Again, that interview will be sponsored by GirlsThatGamble.live. No free picks. I mean, you you were kind of leaning towards Hoover tonight, but by the time they get this podcast, it'll be over. So it's not even worth doing it.

SPEAKER_01

You know I like OKC.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean, listen.

SPEAKER_01

Um give me a point and a half with Oklahoma City.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I'll take it. So by the time you get this podcast, that game might have already started. I'm not doing anything for tomorrow uh because we got some big stuff going on for Sports Investors Daily. Want to wish everyone out there um a very happy Memorial Day. Be sure to keep it right here. And for our portion of this, you can go and close it up.

SPEAKER_01

Guys, have a great weekend. Enjoy Memorial Day with the day off. Be safe, have fun, and let's go out there and make some money.

SPEAKER_02

All right, be sure to keep it right here for MLB Legend, Dwight Gooden. All right, back here on the show in New York Mets and MLB Legend Dwight Doc Gooden joining the BetBig Talk Loud Podcast. And this interview is sponsored by girlsdatgamble.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, my pleasure. Thanks for having me. Looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_02

So, listen, I'm sure you know this. Okay, there's only two people in baseball history 12 won a World Series with the Mets and won a World Series with the Yankees. So take me through. Like, what was the crazier fan base? Was it 1986 Mets or 96 2000 Yankees? Like, what fan base was crazier?

SPEAKER_00

Oh man, I tell you, um, 86 being my first year to experience something like that. We came so close in 1985, we won 98 games and got sent home because it was only two divisions at that time. So our fans were hungry because we were so close. I think man for man on that team in 85, we knew the next year being 86 was gonna be our year. I mean, getting to that point and winning at home, it was wild. I think I would say the 86 was probably more wilder and more fun. Not taking anything from 96. Um anytime you win the Russian series is great. But I think if the Yankees had already won so many times, and that was only the second time in Mets history, I would say 86. But Yankees, for me personally, being that was my first year with the Yankees, it was 10 years later, it was great. I had a no-hitter that year. Unfortunately, my dad passed away later that year. So that was a very emotional year for me. But they both were very special. Both fan bases are different in their own ways, but they have a lot of baseball knowledge, and the media has a lot of baseball knowledge, so it was fun. Both were very fun, but different.

SPEAKER_02

So I read a story about your no-hitter. Was it was that the last game that your dad ever got to see you pitch?

SPEAKER_00

Yes. Unfortunately, my dad had been on Dallas for 15 years, and his health was deteriorating. And the day that I pitched, I was supposed to fly home that day to be with my father because I was having open heart surgery the next day. I had my chicken to go home. But that morning I woke up, I felt like my father would probably want me to pitch. Because when I was a kid, he always talked about family comms first, um, your business, handle your business, take care of responsibilities. You gotta do those things. So I felt like he would probably want me to pitch. Not knowing that you know he's gonna happen. You never know when an oil is gonna happen. But um I called Joe Torre that day, told him I was coming in the pitch. He said, No, take as much time you need, go home, get your father when you're ready, you come back. The next call went to my mom. Um, she said, No, you have to be here. Your dad needs your support, everyone's gonna be here. I'm picking you up from the airport. I actually hung up on my mom because I was feeling guilty. And um, that's something you don't do, but I had to because the guilt. The first three innings of that game, I was standing in the walkway between the clubhouse and the dugout, sometimes tearing up, wondering if I made the right decision or not. Well, let's see my dad again, or what's going on, you know, is he gonna be okay? Not until the sixth inning when I realized I had a no-hitter. I was looking at the scoreboard to see what hitters were coming up, who I was gonna face. And you see, no runs, no hits, no errors. Your heart starts beating a little faster. Um, the anxiety kicks in, and I was able to put my dad's situation aside. Finish the game with a no-hitter, and when the team is carrying me off the field, as I'm pumping my fist, all I can think about is my bank gonna be okay. You know, a year before I was suspended from baseball. Early that season, I was taking on the rotation, not knowing if I was gonna get released or sent down. Unfortunately, David Cohn got the aneurysm. I got back in rotation, so all these different things are going through my mind, all the history at Yankee Stadium. So after that game, I got a ball in front of the game to take to get it to him the next day. Obviously, I didn't sleep. I get to the hospital, he's on life support, he had the surgery. The doctor told me that um he did watch the game. They found the game for him and he watched it, say he had a tear in his eye. After his, he never made it home, but the last game he saw me pitch wasn't no hitter, so I made it definitely on my special.

SPEAKER_02

That is that's an incredible, incredible story. And it always seems like there's incredible stories with no hitters, and you know, that was against Seattle, and that was a no-joke lineup. I mean, Griffith Jr., A-Ron, Edgar Martinez hitting the ball all over the field. But I remember when that last pop-out went to Jeter, man, Yankee Stadium, when that ball was in the air, even before it was so loud.

SPEAKER_00

Oh man, it was loud, and I remember that. And the thing that was amazing, like I think back in '95, I was suspended. I was at home watching the playoffs when the Yankees were playing Seattle. And to be honest with you, um, I was rooting against Jack McDowell's pitcher, right? And I knew the Mets wanted to cut ties, so I was rooting against him, hoping Seattle beat Jack McDowell. Not necessarily beat the Yankees, but beating Jack McDowell, and that would give me a chance. Because I wanted to say in New York, I want to make it right with the fans. And now here I am. Like you said, I found myself pitching against that lineup with the guys you mentioned that they had. And I just wanted to try to go get five, six centers because earlier that year I was taking out a rotation, it was already like my fourth or fifth start like in the rotation. And um never thought in my wildest dreams I would get to that point, especially at that time in my career. I I would have thought it was gonna happen, it happened in the 80s when I was with the Mets. Not that time in my career, but you know, I think the good lawyer was involved with that, no doubt about it. And it was a good way to turn my dad off.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, that's an awesome story. And and you know, if you look at baseball history, man, your 1985 season, that's as good of a season from a pitcher ever. I I want to give you a trivia question. I'm not sure you know this, okay?

SPEAKER_00

That's right. Okay.

SPEAKER_02

So we got the the pitching triple crown, right? Strikeouts, wins, earn run average. Right. In the last 60 full baseball seasons, there are only two guys that would have won a triple crown in both the AL and the NL for that particular year. More people have done it. But if you combine the AL and the NL for the particular year, only two pitchers in a full season would have won that triple crown. You are one of them. Do you know who the other one is? Um, I'm gonna guess Andrew Martinez. That's a good guess. I'll give you a hint. He didn't do it with the Mets, but at one point he pitched for the Mets. Um I'm I'm glad you I'm glad you don't know the answer to this. Johan Santana. Oh, Johan Santana. Oh, wow. Now Bieber did it, Shane Bieber did it in the COVID year. And by the way, your season in 1985 and Santana's season when he did it, and I believe in 2007, the two seasons aren't even close, man. Your season was insanely better. That 1985 year was a crazy year.

SPEAKER_00

That was crazy. I do know somebody gave me a trivia on um with the war, because they didn't have a war method, but my war was the highest since Beirut. How about that? In 2030, I mean um 1823, I think it was it, 1923 or something like that.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, your your 85 season, like you just touched on a few minutes ago. Like if you guys catch the Cardinals that year and and you're leading that rotation in the playoffs, man, you you're probably winning it that year as well.

SPEAKER_00

We could have won it. Yeah, because it's always like the hottest team, not necessarily the best team. And nothing away from Willie McGee at all, and I hate to say this because he's a good friend of mine, but in 85, I thought I should have MVP. Absolutely. I finished fourth with those numbers. But the next year, Clemens won MVP, and I had a better record than him, and Don Mowley finished behind Clemens, and he had a better year than McGee in um that year. So I don't get it. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

To this day, in any sport, Doc, I don't know what the MVP voters look at. I I really don't. I I don't know what the criteria is. I just think they just make it up as they go. Media stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Yep. A lot of that stuff. I mean, some of the media are good, but some of them have too much power, man, with the pins, especially with the Hall of Fame boat. Not Sammy, but like my nephew Gary Sheffield should definitely be in the Hall of Fame. Absolutely. I mean, come on. But the thing was, because he didn't get along with the writers and all that, it kind of goes against him. Same thing with George Steinbrenner. I think he should have been in the Hall of Fame. But I mean, a winner's owner all times out of any sport that he's not in. That's not right either. But some of these writers, I mean, they're good, and some of them are friends of mine, but a lot of them appear they got too much power and they're using their personal relationships to go against these guys. That's not right.

SPEAKER_02

No, and I don't know where you feel about this. My my personal belief, and I never played professional baseball, but I've watched a ton of it, right? Um, I think A-Rock, Bonds, I think all of these guys that were in the steroid era, I think they should all be in. What do you feel?

SPEAKER_00

I totally agree. I get a lot of crap from my some of my former teammates for saying that. But I'm with you because during our time, we don't know who was doing it, who wasn't. And we're sure there's some guys that are in there that 1,000% steroids. I mean, I'm not gonna name guys that throw them out there. I'm sure you probably know some of yourself, uh, being a baseball fan. And a lot of guys, if some of these guys tested positive that are in the Hall of Fame, and they said, Well, that list one's supposed to get out. Like um, David Ortiz, who's a friend of mine, I like him a lot. And I hate to say this, but he tested positive. And they said that list one is supposed to be out. Well, was it supposed to be out or not? He tested positive. Right. His first ballot. And I mean, come on. I think I'll put all these guys in because we don't know who was doing it, who wasn't, but I'm pretty sure some of these guys who are in the Hall of Fame was doing it. We don't know. So put them all in. I mean, at that time it wasn't illegal when it first started. And when McGuire and Sosa was on a home run chair and brought baseball back because that's his strength, they knew what it was going on, but that was to get the fans back. So I mean, come on, it's not right.

SPEAKER_02

That's the hypocrisy light. MLB embraced that whole thing in 1998. I mean, that was on every single day, you know, with them chasing it. So you're gonna embrace it and then you're gonna use it against them in terms of Hall of Fame and Hall of Fame votes. I just didn't never agreed with that.

SPEAKER_00

I totally agree. And you're gonna tell me, I mean, Aaron, in my opinion, best short shot they ever played. Nothing against Kyle Ripkin or Derrick Jeter. Best short shot they ever played. Very bottom for me. I mean, this guy. Yeah, 200 walks in 2000. If you don't walk 20,000 with his 100 home runs, Royal did not, you still gotta get the ball. I mean, that's still incredible. And even when he was the pirates, he was a hall of famer before he even got to San Francisco. And he had Roger Clemens. He was a hall of familiar boss. I mean, you got seven Sion. Think about that. Seven Sion. So you got some of the top players, two roles. And now you got Draft King and all this stuff in sports. T Rolls now in. Two years after T Rollers passed away, they're gonna put him in. So now I've said a couple years, he would be in. And probably somewhere down the road, they'll put these guys in after they pass away, which is not right. It should be in now and celebrate these guys now because they're the best in the game. They should be a celebrated.

SPEAKER_02

Man, I I completely I could not agree any more than that. I would put them all in as well. So, in your day when you were pitching with the Mets, man, when you took the ball and you walked to that mound, you there was an expectation that you were gonna throw seven or eight innings. Like, that was the expectation at the time. I believe in 1985 you threw like 277 innings. So, like, does it drive you crazy right now that when these starting pitches that are making all of this money take the mound, like the expectation is hey, just give us five innings. Like, does that drive you nuts?

SPEAKER_00

It do, but you know what, to be honest, like, okay, like in 85, I had 16 complete games out of 35 starts. You also had 20 games combined, well, I went nine innings, I had no decision. But the pitchers, like I say, make all his money, it's not right. But I don't blame the pitchers, I blame the assistants, the teams, because all this analytics and these numbers they throw out there, but you got more injuries now than these guys are throwing less. I mean, like some of these guys they're tipping their hat, like you mentioned after five minutes, they're tipping their hats. I would be pissed, they're slamming my hat if they took me out to five. So I don't get it. But two of the Mile League, these guys are taught in their train and go five, six inches, throw as hard as you can for as long as you can. To me, that's wrong because you take like a Greg Maddox or a Trump Lavin, today's era they probably wouldn't even be drafted because they didn't throw 95, 96. Everybody's looking at velocity and spin rate, which I think is great, but it's overrated. I mean, if a guy can change speeds, throw strikes, mix up the pitches, rebats speed. I would take that guy over a guy that throws 100 miles per hour, has no control and no breaking ball. Um, my nephew Gary told me once, and it makes sense. He told me he would rather face Nolan Ryan than Bob Toothbury. You remember Bob Toothbury?

SPEAKER_01

Sure.

SPEAKER_00

Imagine, I said, how would you rather face Nolan Ryan than Bob Toothbury? Because Nolan to 100, but we knew what was coming. Toothbury can throw any pitch at any time, whether it's a change up, flatter, curb or whatever, he would give me more trouble than Nolan Ryan because I knew what was coming. That's the same thing I think with these guys now. They're looking at velocity, and AI hate too, what drives me crazy. And I don't blame him because the big thing with velocity, these young pitchers, after every pitch, they're looking at the scoreboard, see what the velocity was. They have more concern with the velocity than making a pitch. So that's that's one of my pet pieces as well.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so baseball made a major change this year. I personally love it. I think it's great for the game. You're a legend, you tell me. Uh, the ABS. I mean, do you personally like that? Or you you would you have liked to have that in your era when you pitched?

SPEAKER_00

No. And I'm gonna tell you why. I'm I'm real old school. I think it's great as a fan. I love it. As a fan, I mean it's great. Even the pitch pitch clock is great. I love that. If I was a pitcher, I like the old school way where the umpire is calling a game. You find what is the strike zone, where he's calling, and you make the adjustment what he's calling, and then you just hope that he's gonna be consistent throughout the game. I think with the box, sometimes it takes away a little bit, and it's in the hitters' benefit because a lot of umpires might call that pitch down in a way, it might be off the plate a little bit, but you constantly know you're gonna get that pitch, and the hitters know that. So the hitters have to make an adjustment, but now there's really no adjustments to be made. Um, even to take it a step further, like not only um outfielders and infillers got these quarterback wristbands on, see a way to play guys in positions. So they're not learning, they're not teaching them because it's telling them everything to do. Um but for the like you mentioned, the ABA and the push box, I just don't like it because everything's in that box. It's like a computer game, a video game, I mean, it has to be in that box. And to me, that's the best set of hitters. That's the way I see it. So I might be a little biased to have a pitcher, but it's cool to have the umpires making the call.

SPEAKER_02

I love that. I don't remember what game it was. I think the Reds were involved where like an umpire got the call wrong like five or six straight times and the the crowd was going crazy. And I just I thought I thought that was I really thought that was phenomenal. I've been uh man, I've been a big critic of the umpires, man. I I I really have.

SPEAKER_00

So that's why I got it, I get it. I mean, I understand, I get it. Some um proud. I mean, but for example, like this one guy, I think, I think Bregman, I think was his name. Um, you might saw the highlights or something. I was pitching for Cleveland in '98 or '99, and I got tossed in the first inning. That's when Mike Hardrow got tossed after the first two pitches. So I didn't know until afterwards at this umpire, he likes being in controversy, right? Anytime it's controversy plays or it's a big game, he likes being in the middle of it. And that game, after two pitches, the starting game, right down the middle. He called both balls. Hard roll comes out to the mound, and his army will probably get tossed after two pitches. I ended up walking Darren Lewis. He's still second. Um, no more gossip parts hits the ball at the wall off me. Back in the home play. Close playing play calls me safe. Or then walk into the mound. I don't even look at the umpire. And he tossed me. I go, I just said in the up in game. And he tossed me. I said two batters in the playoff game. So with that with umpires, you don't like, but most umpires they're fair. Everyone didn't get umpire on the gum. You remember Eric Gregg?

unknown

Yep.

SPEAKER_00

Um 97. The Martiners are playing the Breeze and um he's calling. Now that's a bit much. I can get it. But for the most part, the umpires are pretty fair, I think. Ah, that's that that's a kind of you can't talk to them, you can't question them, and all that. That's a bit much.

SPEAKER_02

That's a fair answer, man. And that Cleveland game, wasn't that was that a playoff game?

SPEAKER_00

That was a playoff game. It's the Red Sox. I mean, I'm like, wow, two battles and he bust me. I'm like, damn.

SPEAKER_02

Two batteries. So now I I think I know the answer to this. All right. And I would give you what I believe my answer was after I ask you. I think I know the answer to this. Toughest batter that you ever had to face.

SPEAKER_00

So I would say Barry Barnes probably the best hitter I ever faced. He was the best out of it, but Shirley Davis gave me the most trouble. Really? Wow. Barnes by far is the best hitter ever faced. I mean, this guy was tough. But Shirley Davis gave me the most problem. I mean, back then, when he was with the Giants, I'm with the Mets. And even in my prime, I used to throw inside, knock him down, hit him sometimes, not to hurt him, but just try to tired him and then mild him. I made a mistake, he was gonna make me play. I made a tough pitch, he was gonna fight it off. And then even we went to the Yankees in 1999, I was with Cleveland, and you think I could not get this guy out because it is he just had a number. And I remember saying Chile about maybe like six or seven years ago at this golf tournament in San Francisco when I was talking to him, I said, Chilly, let me ask you something. What was it that you saw of me that I couldn't get you out? But then if we're calling out from triple A, this guy gets you out like nothing. He said, I just saw the ball so well coming out of your hand. He said, I knew what you're just gonna throw is up your hand and I can see where you had your ball. So, well, how come how could you see that in the Mexican city? He said, I can't speak to nobody else. I just saw the ball so well come out of your hand. Well, it made sense. And I said, that's it.

SPEAKER_02

Wow. I would have I would have guessed Barry Bonds, but I would guess if I asked that question to any pitcher, they would say Barry Bonds. I think that's the same bonds.

SPEAKER_00

That's like even like um like a Tony Gwen or Wade Box, you would think those guys be contact hitters with great hitters, would give him a lot of trouble. But I saw a stat the other day where Gwen only hit like 220 or something like that off me, which I was surprised. But you can't really strike this guy out. But it's just certain guys, you just you know, they just have the number, certain teams have the number, you just can't figure it out.

SPEAKER_02

That's amazing. Now, you know, bench clearing brawls were far more prevalent in your day than they are today. I mean, it was like you guys in 1986, you seem to be in one every couple weeks. Oh man, yes. Like, you got to go into a bench clearing brawl with that med Steve. Like, who you want behind you? What are the two or three guys you want behind you?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, that's easy. Sammy Mitchell, one Ray Knight, and Daryl Sprover.

SPEAKER_02

I love it, man.

SPEAKER_00

The thing was there's a pitcher on that team. You knew you got these guys behind you. But if you had to come in on a guy or hit a guy because he is your guy, you're not worried about it because these guys are ready at any time. We had a close team, and not all of us got got along all the time, but we kept in house. But we took the field, it was just one guy, I mean, one team for one beat. I mean, we were all together. And um, it was funny. Some of these guys, true story, they'll say, Doc, hit somebody there, let's fight. They'll tell me that. You know, like at least if you get five bits or something to win, then take somebody out. And then I have another story for you. Um, so it's been an unwritten rule, right? If a guy here says strawberry or Carl or Keith, I'm gonna hit your best guy, or I might hit two of your guys, or I might hit the pitcher. Or sometimes you might ask Yarrow or whoever, who do you want me to get for you? You know, you get this guy or that guy, right? So we played the Astros one game. Nolan Ryan was my idol. Him and Pete Rose, right? And um Nolan didn't like guys butting on him. So Wally Biteman, I didn't know Nolan the first hitter, this one first, still second, still third. They sound while he came up, Nolan hit him red in the ribs. So I said Wally comes there, I go, Doc, you don't get him for me, right? So I said, get who? He said, Nolan. I said, No, you gotta pick somebody else. So I gotta hit two, you know, back then with the so I mean I'm not hitting Nolan because I got a batch also. So me and Wally had a cover. He didn't like that too well, but you know.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, that listen, to me, that's a hard ask. Like you got nine guys in the lineup and you choose him.

SPEAKER_00

You don't pick Nolan out of all these guys. That's what I thought. I got a bat too. So I know, I mean, whether it's gotta be that game or the next game, it's gonna happen. I'll say I picked somebody else. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02

So with the wait, I mean, and the AL always had the DH, the NL just you know went to it a few years ago. Is it is it's just a different mentality for pitches now? Because you don't have to take the bat, right? You can go out and hit anyone and and and your teammate basically has to pay for it.

SPEAKER_00

That's right. It's totally totally different now. And only thing to that question, guys don't pitch inside enough, I think. Not to hurt anybody, but you have to, especially now. Everybody's got the elbow pads and they're bigger and stronger. You have to, like the number three, four hitters, you gotta pitch inside. Um, Aaron Judge, who's a good friend of mine, I've never seen him get knocked down. Oh, Tani, I've never seen him get knocked down. Even um in 24 when the mess was playing the Dodges in the playoffs. I mentioned I've got to pick inside hard. But what if we hit him? So what if you hit him? I mean, you hit him, you hit him. Right. This guy's a dodge on the plate. We got the big elbow pad on him, they're very comfortable. Guys are not doing it. But as you mentioned, now it's the DH, so it's no, I mean, but this guy's still gonna pitch his side. But if you do, you got no consequences. Y'all gonna come at you. I wish baseball was like hockey, where if a guy hits you and you're trying, let them fight for like for three minutes, let them just go at it for three minutes and then break it off. That's what I would do.

SPEAKER_02

I always thought I always thought it was great when and things like that, just police yourselves. Just police, right? Just police yourselves, and and that'll take care of that.

SPEAKER_00

Um that's the way it was in the 80s. Yeah, one of our guys got hit, you hit a guy, hey, now it's fine. Okay, now it's over with, let's get back to playing baseball. And the guy's like, I've I've seen Barry Bonds on a lot of his interviews talk about that, and you know, he says, if I hit a home off somebody, I'm probably gonna get hit, or somebody's gonna get hit. That's just part of the game. And they accept it, they understand it. Now, I mean, guys, they don't do it. And I don't know if it's because of the money they're making or the coaches, never play like a lot of these coaches, again, now the college, they're for analytics, they never play professional baseball, so they don't understand the mentality. They can teach you about how to throw balls and spikes and spin rate and velocity, but they can't teach you when you're in a fox hole what it takes to get out when you're struggling. I think something's going on at home. How are they gonna talk to you? Or curveballs not working. They that and their experience, so how they gonna tell you about it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that that's a great point. And just uh some stuff currently, obviously, about the New York Mets, right? So obviously they're they're through the first 50 games of the season, you know, very disappointing, right? For you know what they've spent, the fans you know expected much more. And and I I I'm really not I I feel like if someone gave me $380 million to spend, their expectations gotta be so high. And I never try to throw any any person in any walk of life. I don't want to ever call for anyone's job. I would never do that. The guy Stearns, I personally think, I personally think that he is the bigger problem other than Mendoza, you know, all the players. I think Stearns put together a very poor roster, especially for $380 million. Do you feel the same way?

SPEAKER_00

Oh man, so I met Stearns a couple of times, very intelligent guy. I understand that I like him. And I'm like you, I never want to see anybody lose their job or you know, go against him. And I'm a big Mets fan, obviously. I'm a man on online. I love the Mets and Nickies, but I'm a man at heart. I'm always gonna be a man. So I'm I'm looking at it, and the thing I don't understand, and it's just me. I don't know what happened behind closed doors or anything like that. But from a fan looking in, okay, Alonzo, you let Alonzo go. Homegrown guy, proven guy, really the only true power guy you have on the roster. Plays every day. He might not be the best if the player, but he's not allowed. So you let him walk. You bring in Polanco, who's a second baseman, but you put him at first. He never played first. You're trying to better the defense, I don't understand. But Shep, who's a great player, you bring him in, but you put him at third base. He's a shortstop or second baseman. I think he plays saying he never played third before. So you bring these guys in, great ball players, don't get me wrong, but you gotta play in opposition, but you're trying to make the defense better. Okay. Um none of this working. None of it's working. So it's easy to look at it roster now and say, I would have kept Pete, I would have done this, I would have done that. But I think it's just my opinion. I have no proof of anything. But Sergeant's coming from Milwaukee, he's probably accustomed to using, you know, I mean, dealing with a mid-market team. And then you come to New York, you can't rebuild, you can't depend on your farm system. Like with um, what's the guy? Um Carson Binge and um was it AJ Yorin? Yep. I'm saying that right. Yeah, you're just gonna be. If they went any other organization, these guys wouldn't be ready. I don't think they're ready. Me personally, even though binge is doing okay, but I don't think these guys are really ready. But you have to go with them because the best you have right now, they bring excitement to the team. But I think he used to dealing with like Midwest team, Milwaukee. Not as no expectations. He built a farm system, they have time to do it. But in New York, you're just gonna win right now. If you have an owner that has the punkets, he has the money, which is fine, but if you're not spending in the right places, it doesn't matter how much you have. It gotta be like we're here at Tampa, Tampa, they don't have money, but they're on the top of the AOE's. Right. Form system, bringing the right guys in, you gotta spend the money on the right players, the right system. So something has to be done. I mean, going to the ballpark, I love going to the ballpark. I like the players, I love Mendoza, I love the management, but it's no fun, to be honest with you. It's not fair to the fans as well, you know, because the prices, season prices, season ticket prices keep going up. But like last year, you didn't make the playoffs, so you got to address that thing. And I'm sure I'll probably get a lot of heat for the same one fan. I'm just voicing my opinion because I care. I want to see the men do well. Like, you gotta make some changes, man. And even the pitching staff, you got two or three guys that are there, but the rest of you guys, you gotta do something. I'm sorry. Something's gotta be done. Next year, I don't know what free agents are coming out, but I want to see them put a team out there that's been proven and that fits. I mean, like, even I mean, it's seeming like I'm knocking a team. I guess I am, but I'm not doing anything. I'm looking at it as a fan. Even with Nemo and um Simeon, that deal, you could have put Blanco at second, kept Peter first, and kept Nemo in that field. He's a proven hitter. That's what I would have done, me personally. Because these guys are proven and playing New York. Everybody can't play in New York. I've witnessed that. I played with guys that didn't fit in New York, you know, it just didn't fit. You gotta make sure that McDonald's right. It goes further than just looking on the back of a baseball card where you're dealing with players coming to New York. It's not Pittsburgh, it's not Minnesota. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02

No, and and listen, and and I might take a lot of heat for this, and this is this is nothing against Pittsburgh, this is nothing against Milwaukee or any cities like that, right? But like, man, if you lose game 56 in Milwaukee, no one cares, right? Every single game in New York for the New York Mets and the New York Yankees, there's stories written about it. And through one one, through 162. And to your point, a lot of people can't handle that. So when you got a guy that you know can handle that, why the hell do you let him go?

SPEAKER_00

Exactly. I agree. I agree with you a thousand percent. A thousand percent. That's the guy you gotta keep. And his personal affiliations with us guys, you gotta put that aside. I think the true management, the true managers, coaches, whatever, you gotta put that aside. Best thing I say with that, like don't worry. We had honest Rodriguez by an eighth. That's a manager I have respect for because Aaron, you know, he's a Hall of Fame player before the steroids stuff came out, but he was struggling, so he put him eighth. Those are things you have to do. It's about winning. You gotta forget about pride and hurting God's feelings. You gotta do what's right for the organization to win.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. And I personally think the Mets screwed up last week or maybe a few days ago. I don't know how you feel about this. You know, from the 1986 team, your jersey's retired. Um, strawberry and Hernandez's jersey's retired. Gary Carter's jersey is not retired for the Mets. And then they give it to Nick Morabito, I believe it was, for one game. I mean, I personally think Gary Carter's number should be retired. I think I know he's deceased, but I think that would be phenomenal for his family. I'm sure you feel the same way in regards to that.

SPEAKER_00

1,000%. So again, oh I'm again, I'm just voicing my opinion. You ask for my opinion, I'm gonna give it to you, right? So I feel my personal feeling, part of the numbers should be retired. Okay, Hall of Fame player. No, he didn't go in the Hall of Fame as a Met. Hall of Fame player. We do not win the World Series at 86 without Gary Carter. Clutch catcher, veteran catcher, we had a young staff, myself, Sad Fernandez, Ron Darling, Rick Ariguelera, with the exception of Bob Wahida, we had a young staff. And Gary was a clutch hitter, he was one of the he was a co-captain on the team, a leader on the field, leader off the field. We don't win without him. So, and again, it's just me. And it might seem it might offend some people. Not like with my number being retired, he might say, oh, you can't send your number retired. Yeah, it is, but again, I'm about the organization first, the fans, I care about that. I'm a fan. So, and it's nothing against Carlos Tuck Run. But okay, I don't think he's a Met a Matt Hall of Fame. Well, his number retired. He's going in as a Matt Hall of Famer, I get that. He had a great career, he should be in the Hall of Fame. But I feel like if you're gonna retire his number, Carter number should be retired. It's just me. Even I would go as far as Mike Piazza. I think Piazza is a Dodger. Sorry, that's just my opinion as a Dodger. But his number's retired, he should be in the Hall of Fame. I mean, you can argue that, but if his number can be retired, Carter missed New York. Piazza number one in New York. Carter did. That's what it's all about winning, right?

SPEAKER_03

Sure.

SPEAKER_00

So Carter numbers should be up there, and then they gave Carter number out. I wasn't right. I was a slap in the face. I'm sorry. I wasn't right. I mean, I know they're changing it now, but the damage is dumb.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I don't know why. Like, is there no one in the organization that when they're making this jersey up for this kid and they're like, yeah, you know, we might not want to do this. Let's give him a different number. Like, how do you screw that up? That that's just me as looking in like to a great Met player. Like, to me, like you said, it was disrespectful.

SPEAKER_00

Totally disrespectful. I don't get it. And the thing is, now that kid gotta wear that number, he's gonna catch a lot of heat, also, and it probably wouldn't have been his fault. I'm sure he didn't actually that number. I mean, maybe let's give it to him, maybe it's a mistake. No, no, I take that, but it could not have been a mistake. I'm sorry. Everybody, even guys born in the the um 2000, they know Gary Carter went a number. Anybody affiliate with the Mets or the Fender Mets, they knew who won number eight. And there's no way that number should be handed out. Even if you don't retire, you can't hand it out. Tell you a quick story, like nothing will be. So I made the team, like in the spring training in 84, I won number 64, right? When I made the team, when we go to the ballpark to work out in New York, they got a jersey hangout with number 35 on it. So Charlie Sanders, equipment manager, I said, Charlie, can I have number 16? He said, No, kid, just be happy on the team and get back out there. So Frank Castan, who was the general manager, he had told me, I don't have any problems with anybody or anybody giving me a hard time to come see him. So me like a little kid, I ran into Frank's office. He said, Frank, I want number 16. Somebody has 16, but Charlie said I can't have it. Came down, he said, Charlie, give Doc 16. So he gave me 16, but he wouldn't do my laundry for like three weeks, right? I saw a pitchable ball. But the reason he didn't want to give me 16 was because he was good friends with Lima Zilly. Lima Zilli was the last guy to wear 16. But it wasn't retired, and Lee Mazilli definitely won the album prayer of Harry Carter. But I had to fight to get that number. That's why I get number 16 because of Frank Cash and May trying to give it to me. But then this kid they called up and they just handle number eight.

SPEAKER_02

That's a that and and so many you you are just on this 25, 30 minute podcast, man, you've told stories that are great. I and I I think it'll it'll resonate with a lot of people. I'm gonna ask you one more thing because you know you you've dealt with a lot in your life, man. You you came up, you you grew up in Tampa Bay, right? And nothing against Tampa Bay, but the Tampa Bay life versus the New York City life, completely different. Completely different. Totally different, totally different. So you come up, you make your first start for the Mets as a 19-year-old teenager. You're in the biggest city in the world, and you come up a superstar. Did anyone in your life prepare you like for what the difference is going to be like from dealing with in Tampa Bay to being a star, a star in New York City. Were you prepared for that at all?

SPEAKER_00

Not at all. I was a year and a half out of high school. Um pitched, I think, nine games in Keen Sports in the same roof ball. I went to Littsburg, Virginia, which is no comparison to New York as you mentioned. Um, from now to AAA for two weeks, sprain training, and I made the team. And see now, and I'm not justifying anything, any problems, anything I had, I I wear that. So when I get to New York, I make the team, and when you get there, they say, okay, we'll see you guys tomorrow. Luckily, Ed Lynch was the pitch on the team, he took me with him to never find his place and got me situated. Other than that, I wouldn't know where to go. Where today's age, you make the team, they give you threes at a hotel, and then they have relatives that help find you a place. So they have a place already in place for you to go to. You learn to, and then now, especially after I made the All-Star team my rookie year. I mean, I had a one-bedroom apartment in Port Washington, and uh strawberry can verify this. It used to be media trucks outside my house, fans parked outside my house, fans outside waiting for me to come outside and get autographs. You can't go to the mall. The things a kid you that did, 19 years old, you can't do. You can't go to a mall, you can't go to movies, you can't go to a restaurant. So you just in your house, and the only fun I was having was on the road. And so you had to learn anything on your own, and then you go to the city for the first time, you get caught in the limelight. Yeah, they'll give you all this fun, but at the same time, I got caught on, I got turned on the drugs, alcohol, women, all this stuff thrown at you. Like you mentioned, coming from Tampa, shy guy, quiet. Now you turn on all this, and everybody's pulling at you, everybody wants you. You don't know who's really on your side or who just wants something for you. So you're going out there and then fast forward to 85, that was just ridiculous. I mean, once the year I had and everything that was going on, and the ballpark was fun, but at home, to be honest with you, the only fun I had was on the road because uh everything else. And when I told my family and my kids and friends, that's the one year, and they look at me and laugh, but that's the one year I can imagine what Michael Jackson went through his whole life. Or is the attention and everything else? Because it was just like that. It couldn't have been reverse. I mean, you couldn't go anywhere. If I'm going shopping, they had to shut down the store. I want to go to the restaurant, they had to grab me through the bike door and put this like little engineer tables off for that year '85, that's what it was. It couldn't go anywhere. And that year, to tell you how it was, uh, it seems weird that I'm talking about myself and the you know, the um the uh what's saying the excitement and everything that I had and the popularity that I had, but it's true. Where Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls, I mean, that um was gonna do a commercial together in '85. Nike wanted to fly him to New York to see me, but he broke his leg, so they didn't want him to fly. And then the Messenger won't be flying, they go to Chicago, so we never got to do a commercial. But you imagine Michael Jackson, the big, I mean, Michael Jordan, the biggest name in the sports, but they were the Nike wanted him to come to me instead of me going to him.

SPEAKER_02

That's amazing. And I think how big it was. And so you at the same area, when you guys win your championship, the Giants win their championship in the NFL, and and you're the host of the Mets and the City, and Lawrence Taylor is the and Lawrence Taylor tells a story like he played at North Carolina. Like he comes up to New York and he's like, what on earth? And he's a superstar. And he said, Man, they prepared me how to rush a passer, they prepared me how to do all this stuff. They did not prepare me how to deal with New York City.

SPEAKER_00

No, you can't. And just say he's from he's coming out of college, almost coming out of high school. Yeah, I don't know if you remember the dining club in the city. Um, remember one time uh one of the players on the team, I'm not gonna say his name, we say, You went tonight, I'm gonna take you to the city. I was 20 years old then, it's 85. You take me to the city, and I mean you're talking about bottles, interests, singers, all everybody's there, and everybody knows where I am. I don't know where these people are. A lot of them, there's no cell phones, no social media. It was just free for all. And when I said that, it was just everything goes, and it was okay. And I got caught up. I'm I'm you know, and they told me they should joke around, don't eat the apple, just get a slice of the apple or get a bite of the apple. But me, I'm trying to eat the whole apple. I got caught up, got caught up in it, and that's what all the problems started happening. It just escalated, you know, higher and higher each year.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, man. Well, Dwight Gooden, thank you so much for joining some time here on the Bet Big Talk Loud Podcast. This was one of the best interviews we've done. We've had Marshall Falk on. We have had some big names, but this is one of the most fun interviews that I've had. I thank you so much for spending some time with us.

SPEAKER_00

My pleasure. Thanks for having me. Anytime you want me, I'm here, brother, and keep doing a good job. I appreciate you.

SPEAKER_02

All right, Dwight, thank you so much. My pleasure. Thank you. All right, that's gonna wrap up this edition of the Bet Big Talk Loud Podcast for Friday, May 22nd. We sure hope you enjoyed that interview with MLB legend, Dwight. White Gooden. I thought that was really informative and fun, and he told some great stories. So I hope you guys enjoyed that. Everyone out there, enjoy Memorial Day weekend. Hope you guys stay safe. Have some fun. And we'll catch you back next week on the Bet Big Talk Loud Podcast.