Goose Gossage has made headlines over the past couple of days thanks to a pair of tirades regarding his dissatisfaction with and perception of where the sport of baseball is heading. Many are writing him off as an insane old kook, but here's the thing - he did have some valid points.
If we're going to break this down completely, it's obvious that a lot of what he said was inappropriate and/or downright wrong. However, under all of the f-bombs and insults, he did manage a salient point or two.
Let's analyze Gossage's valid points and outlandish assertions.
What Goose got right
-"Ryan Braun is a f---ing steroid user. He gets a standing ovation on Opening Day in Milwaukee. How do you explain that to your kid after throwing people under the bus and lying through his f---ing teeth? They don't have anyone passing the f---ing torch to these people."
I mean, is there much to argue there? When Braun was accused the first time he vehemently denied it and made his accusers look like deranged conspirers. Then he got caught again and accepted a plea bargain from the MLB. Someone like that should not be applauded.
-On Bryce Harper: "What does this kid know? This kid doesn't know squat about the game, and [has] no respect for it ... We fought for everything these players are getting. So let me tell Bryce Harper something: go look at the history, figure it out and quit acting like a fool."
A bit over the top, but he has a point here too. I'm sure back in the day a player like Bryce Harper would not have been liked by the old school players. He's viewed by some as a selfish and attention-seeking star, and that wouldn't fly amongst some or most of the big dogs back in the day. Harper told the media not to "sell him short" regarding a future $400 million deal, which pretty much just says it all.
I'm not going to say back in the day you'd get your a-- kicked for saying that, but back in the day you'd probably get your a-- kicked for saying that.
Harper, compared to players of the past, has also been coddled since coming up as a young prospect. He was on the cover of magazines as a 16-year-old and was the most hyped player, perhaps of all-time. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft and received a $6.25 million signing bonus, which is more than many old-timers made in their entire career.
So yes, it makes sense as to why Gossage would say Harper "doesn't know squat about the game." Because that's comparable to someone saying a spoiled trust-fund baby doesn't exactly have a grasp on what reality is.
Harper is certainly a knowledgeable guy and his comments about the state of baseball, in my opinion, were positive, but Gossage's frustration is not completely outrageous considering it's probably hard for him to accept, just as it is for a lot of people, that a 23-year-old is one of the faces of the sport of baseball after playing in just 510 career games.
-"The game is becoming a freaking joke because of the nerds who are running it."
No, that comment at face value is not what he got right. But he's got a point about the invasive role analytics is playing in the sport nowadays. Do we really need an equation for everything to determine how good a player is? Yes, in some cases, absolutely. Advanced statistics such as WAR, UZR, ERA+ and others can really help us determine how valuable and efficient a player is.
But should that be the philosophy of an entire organization?
Old school guys believe that's the mark of a bunch of 'nerds' pulling the strings. Such a statement in this day and age would probably force some politically correct group of people to accuse you of committing an atrocity, but Gossage's statement rings true once you get past the lack of eloquence.
Think of all the teams that heavily rely on analytics. According to ESPN, the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays are "all-in" with analytics. The Astros and Rays have never won a World Series; the Cubs haven't won one since 1908. The Yankees and Red Sox have had bad stretches of baseball in recent seasons (the Yankees missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in '13 and '14 for the first time since '93 and '94 while the Red Sox, despite winning a World Series in '13, have finished last in the AL East in three of the past four seasons and have made the playoffs just once since 2009). Before the 2013 season, the Pirates hadn't made the playoffs since 1992 and they haven't won a World Series since 1979. The A's began their successful sabermetrics formula in the early 2000s and have been competitive under Billy Beane, but they haven't won a World Series since 1989.
The Indians are the Indians and the Cardinals are the Cardinals.
All in all, the overconsumption of analytics doesn't bring home championships. Additionally, the "true" analytics teams (those who don't have the financial resources to buy top free agents) almost never win (although they've done a good job of competing). The Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals and Cubs may be regarded as "analytics" organizations, but at the end of the day, they can sign any player they want in free agency and fill voids with money.
There needs to be a balance, as with anything else.
What Goose got wrong
-"Bautista is a f---ing disgrace to the game. He's embarrassing to all the Latin players, whoever played before him. Throwing his bat and acting like a fool, like all those guys in Toronto."
A disgrace to the game because he threw a bat? I mean, I get that his action violated the famous "unwritten rules," but Bautista is regarded as a genuinely nice person. Heck, the guy follows me on Twitter and he doesn't even know who I am.
The slugger has never been associated with those who have, in the past, compromised the integrity of the sport, so Gossage is wrong here. Bautista is great for the game of baseball and positively represents the Latino players of the present and past. He works hard, he plays to win, he is a passionate individual and he loves what he does.
We'd be lucky to have more Bautista's in the game.
-"[Pitch counts] have been created from the top, from their computers. They are protecting these kids. The first thing a pitcher does when he comes off the mound is ask: 'How many pitches do I have?' If I had asked that f---ing question, they would have said: 'Son, get your ass out there on that mound. If you get tired, we'll come and get you.'"
The style of pitching has changed since baseball's inception. Cy Young used to pitch complete game shutouts every day and wouldn't even need a rest. That was back before guys were hurling 100-plus mph fastballs and snapping their wrists when throwing nasty sliders.
Pitchers now have different motions that are much more accentuated in various ways. Obviously there are a few exceptions to the rule, but think about how many kids start throwing sliders and curveballs at a young age. You don't think that has an effect on the long-term health of their arms, Goose?
Throwing a baseball is an unnatural motion - the UCL is not supposed to thrust forward in that direction, especially not countless times with such great torque. Nowadays there are more pitchers throwing harder than ever and putting more stress on their arm. Tommy John surgeries have increased exponentially for a reason, and it's not because of pitch counts.
-Gossage didn't say this, but he implied that his "time" of playing was, and will always be, better than the current time.
Everybody is going to say this for as long as life goes on. "Your generation is so soft." "Your generation is ill-informed." "When I was growing up (insert blah blah blah)." Just because Goose played during a time when players made less money and were viewed as tougher, hard-working men doesn't mean that generation of players was better than any other subsequent generations.
At the end of the day, people are people. No small faction should represent an entire generation or a group of individuals as a whole. Think about all the crap millennials have gotten over the years. For what reason? Because someone once saw a music video of a bunch of kids smoking pot and skipping school? Or because an overwhelming majority of that generation simply had a different upbringing and, thus, had a different outlook on life?
Times change. People change. And it's not always for the worse. And once that's understood and accepted, it's a lot easier to see how Gossage's comments were, somehow, simultaneously valid and preposterous.
