Goose Gossage is mad at everything

[DuWayne Steurer]

http://espn.go.com/newyork/mlb/story/_/id/14943065/goose-gossage-rips-jose-bautista-toronto-blue-jays-nerds-ruining-baseball

 

Goose Gossage hates bat flips, nerds, Buster Posey, and Ryan Braun

 

 

Also, Goose is apparently incapable of formulating a coherent thought without swearing 45 times.

[502 to Right]

Get off my lawn!

 

Was the first thing I thought when I heard his comments earlier today.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Get off my lawn!

 

Was the first thing I thought when I heard his comments earlier today.

 

 

"Old man yells at cloud" was what Deadspin labelled the article they had about it.

[gregmag]

This makes me like Ryan Braun more, for the same reason I love batflips. I like people who play baseball however a grown man who wants to be called "Goose" thinks is the wrong way.

[dlk9s]

"Hi! I'm Goose Gossage. You might remember me from my role as old, white man."

[RobDeer 45]

Classic old man stuff.

[Patrick425]

Yes, I'm old, just turned 50 this week. So maybe it is age and I just grew up in a different time period. I'm not totally against celebrating. The Bautista bat flip was in a huge game at a huge moment, so not that up-in-arms about that. However, I do agree with the Lombardi philosophy of "act like you've been there before". I just think professionals should act like professionals. Clearly I'm in the minority on this and the current generation is more appreciative of the grandstanding.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Yes, I'm old, just turned 50 this week. So maybe it is age and I just grew up in a different time period. I'm not totally against celebrating. The Bautista bat flip was in a huge game at a huge moment, so not that up-in-arms about that. However, I do agree with the Lombardi philosophy of "act like you've been there before". I just think professionals should act like professionals. Clearly I'm in the minority on this and the current generation is more appreciative of the grandstanding.

 

 

I can appreciate the different perspective on that. (I'm 41, fwiw), but I get that the game is changing. It doesn't bother me at all.

 

What really got me is his "------ nerds are ruining the game" with an F bomb or 3 in every sentence. His insistence that you have to have played the game to be in an administrative position is a strange, antiquated notion that I simply don't get. Not only will I say I don't agree with him, I'll just say he's wrong, and move on.

[Patrick425]

Yes, I'm old, just turned 50 this week. So maybe it is age and I just grew up in a different time period. I'm not totally against celebrating. The Bautista bat flip was in a huge game at a huge moment, so not that up-in-arms about that. However, I do agree with the Lombardi philosophy of "act like you've been there before". I just think professionals should act like professionals. Clearly I'm in the minority on this and the current generation is more appreciative of the grandstanding.

 

 

I can appreciate the different perspective on that. (I'm 41, fwiw), but I get that the game is changing. It doesn't bother me at all.

 

What really got me is his "------ nerds are ruining the game" with an F bomb or 3 in every sentence. His insistence that you have to have played the game to be in an administrative position is a strange, antiquated notion that I simply don't get. Not only will I say I don't agree with him, I'll just say he's wrong, and move on.

 

 

Yeah, I definitely don't agree with him on that either. Baseball, more that most other sports, has always been a game of stats. That's one of the reason's I fell in love with it to begin with.

[JohnBriggs12]

Not saying if he's right or wrong, but the game itself was much better when Goose was in his prime and you didn't see each team fan a dozen or more times every game against average pitching.

[monty57]

Some misdirected anger. The rule changes he's upset about aren't because of "nerds," but because players make lots of money in guaranteed contracts and the owners don't want to pay that player to sit on the disabled list.

 

The "nerd" influence is on how teams are constructed. It has caused some players to alter their approach, but from a "nerd" point of view, you'd be happy to see the opposing pitcher hitting more of your batters, as it raises OBP.

 

This isn't "old white guy" (which combines both racism and agism, by the way), but more the feeling that seems to be permeating a lot of society: I'm mad about something I don't really understand, and I'm going to blame everything on the thing I'm mad at. Rather than trying to understand the issues, just say "it's their fault," learn a few bullet points, and yell them really loudly.

[Ennder]

Yes, I'm old, just turned 50 this week. So maybe it is age and I just grew up in a different time period. I'm not totally against celebrating. The Bautista bat flip was in a huge game at a huge moment, so not that up-in-arms about that. However, I do agree with the Lombardi philosophy of "act like you've been there before". I just think professionals should act like professionals. Clearly I'm in the minority on this and the current generation is more appreciative of the grandstanding.

 

 

Its kind of funny, I agree with you in general but I think the Bautista bat flip was probably the worst all year long. Not only was it showing up the pitcher it was uncontrolled and violent and could have easily hurt someone. I'd have tossed him from the game.

[StearnsFTW]

http://i.imgur.com/91sn32Q.jpg?fb

[StearnsFTW]

Not saying if he's right or wrong, but the game itself was much better when Goose was in his prime and you didn't see each team fan a dozen or more times every game against average pitching.

 

 

The athletes today (including the pitchers) are so much better, that the comparison isn't even there. The game is vastly superior now, in my opinion, just because of the ungodly athleticism displayed. Not to mention the influx of players from Latin America and Asia has really bumped the talent level.

[fondybrewfan]

Harper made some good comments. It is weird that celebrating is frowned upon in only baseball. In every other sport you are really free to show as much emotion as you want and no one really gives a crap. Baseball is kind of weird that way and I don't understand why that is. Not all baseball since everything I have seen or heard from the Latin American leagues makes me believe it is more accepted outside of this country.

[FVBrewerFan]

Another old man here. I don't agree that nerds are ruining the game at all. If a player is good enough, he's going to play. Doesn't matter what is used to evaluate him, so that argument doesn't make sense to me.

 

I don't like the celebrating, I'll admit that. But if it stopped where it is right now, I'm fine with it. My concern is slippery slope, and it gets more and more pronounced every year. Like the NFL when guys started pulling Sharpies and cell phones out of their socks.

 

MLB could go the same route, and I don't want to see that. I'm all for showing emotion, but I don't want to see every player have their HR "thing" or pitchers have their personal strike-out "thing."

[AKCheesehead]

The entire thing read like a drunken rant. I don't necessarily disagree with every notion he had, but his delivery neutered his stance. I'm waiting for some other Hall Of Famer to point out: "Hey Goose, back in my day, athletes didn't drop multiple bombs in interviews."

[3and2Fastball]

It is a good article, interesting to read and I think the conversation is good for Baseball. I don't think it is quite so simple as to Gossage being "right or wrong" on every topic he is bringing up, I think there's plenty of in-between there and as I said it is a good conversation to have.

 

Speaking from the standpoint of a youth Baseball coach (I coach both a 13U Travel Team and am an assistant on a high school team) I do see a generation of youth players who seem a little entitled and who have to be pushed more to have a work ethic and who are prone a little more to mimic the antics they see on TV. I am 50 years old for what it is worth.

 

I do not feel like MLB players should be held up as role models, by the way. That was a mistake that way too many in my generation made. MLB is a sport, obviously, but it is also a billion dollar entertainment industry. The players call it "The Show" for a reason. And the players who make it to The Show are the elite of the elite. I've attended Baseball workouts and practices featuring MLB utility players that is just mindblowing how good those guys are when you are standing next to them on a field. A player like Elian Herrera (just as an example), his talent is absolutely staggering, unbelieveable.

 

When you see 12U B Team kids grandstanding and doing batflips because they hit a 200 foot pop-up HR off of some kid throwing 50 mph, that is just ridiculous. And it is up to coaches like myself to teach these kids the right way to play.

 

I think if you are good enough to make it to MLB you have earned the right to do what you want on the field within the context of what the current crop of MLB players says is OK. They still police themselves

[jerichoholicninja]

I'm not even going to bother reading it as I don't care about what he's complaining about. Times change, society changes, people change. Get used to it. I'm sure that Rogers Hornsby or Honus Wagner would have had few nice things to say about the way Goose and his generation played the game.

[TURBO]

Yes, I'm old, just turned 50 this week. So maybe it is age and I just grew up in a different time period. I'm not totally against celebrating. The Bautista bat flip was in a huge game at a huge moment, so not that up-in-arms about that. However, I do agree with the Lombardi philosophy of "act like you've been there before". I just think professionals should act like professionals. Clearly I'm in the minority on this and the current generation is more appreciative of the grandstanding.

 

I'm right there with you, having turned 50 myself this year... I think it is a generational thing for sure.

[StearnsFTW]

I just actually read it. My God does he come off like an idiot. Swear a little more, Goose. It really adds credibility.

[hawing]

Yes, I'm old, just turned 50 this week. So maybe it is age and I just grew up in a different time period. I'm not totally against celebrating. The Bautista bat flip was in a huge game at a huge moment, so not that up-in-arms about that. However, I do agree with the Lombardi philosophy of "act like you've been there before". I just think professionals should act like professionals. Clearly I'm in the minority on this and the current generation is more appreciative of the grandstanding.

 

I'm right there with you, having turned 50 myself this year... I think it is a generational thing for sure.

Can we start a BF.net "50 in 2016" club? Because I'm in it too - two weeks ago yesterday - and Jimbo also got in earlier this week.

 

Oh, right...this is about Gossage. Dude needs to cuss less if he wants me to take him seriously.

[sveumrules]

Not saying if he's right or wrong, but the game itself was much better when Goose was in his prime and you didn't see each team fan a dozen or more times every game against average pitching.

 

How many pitchers do you think cracked 90 MPH in Goose's day? 95MPH? 100 MPH?

 

Average fastball velocity in 2001 was 89.9, in 2015 it was 92.1. Roll that back another 30 years to when Goose debuted and I'd guess the average fastball was probably under 85 MPH.

 

The funniest thing to me about Goose's comments are his complete lack of self awareness. He is a reliever in the Hall of Fame. If the game had never changed from the "good old days" of pitchers being real men and finishing what they started there never would have been a need for shutdown relievers in the first place and his soapbox would be non-existent.

[Thurston Fluff]

Yes, I'm old, just turned 50 this week. So maybe it is age and I just grew up in a different time period. I'm not totally against celebrating. The Bautista bat flip was in a huge game at a huge moment, so not that up-in-arms about that. However, I do agree with the Lombardi philosophy of "act like you've been there before". I just think professionals should act like professionals. Clearly I'm in the minority on this and the current generation is more appreciative of the grandstanding.

 

I'm right there with you, having turned 50 myself this year... I think it is a generational thing for sure.

Can we start a BF.net "50 in 2016" club? Because I'm in it too - two weeks ago yesterday - and Jimbo also got in earlier this week.

 

Oh, right...this is about Gossage. Dude needs to cuss less if he wants me to take him seriously.

 

I would like to take a moment to say I hate all of you who think turning 50 this year old. I would shake my fist in your general direction if it wasn't for the phlebitis. I used to be more against that sort of thing but have mellowed on it. Age does that I guess. I would much rather have players act up a little and have some fun than watch a bunch of tight arsed (I'm old I can use that word) gentlemen play the dry emotionless game people Like Gossage pine for.

[JackNicholson1974]

I don't understand the "act like you've been there before" crowd.

 

As a kid we played for fun, we enjoyed the game. It wasn't work or s job.

 

As fans we are paying to be entertained.

 

Somehow when we turn 50 (as evidenced by this thread) we expect a 20-something year old kid who is still playing this game for fun to act like an accountant who just finished a tax return after hitting a home run that entertains and causes 40,000 people to lose their minds in celebration.

 

Get over yourselves. Sports are fun.