Gossage speaks in Reno

RENO - At age 54, former major league baseball reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage still looks like he can throw the heat.

Still fit and still sporting the fu manchu moustache that stirred fear into the hearts of opposing batters, Gossage was in Reno Wednesday as the guest speaker for the annual Bobby Dolan dinner, the major fundraiser for the University of Nevada's baseball program.

Gossage, though, is best known for his unusual nickname of "Goose." In his first year with the White Sox, a teammate referred to Gossage as a goose because of the way the hurler would stretch his neck out to read a sign from his catcher.

Gossage spent 23 years in the Majors playing for nine teams. His journeys took him from Chicago in 1976 to Pittsburgh and eventually west to San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle and San Diego in his later years. He played for the Yankees in the late 1970s when the Bronx Bombers dominated the American League and won a pair of world championships. During his career, Gossage saved 310 games and compiled a 124-107 record in 1,809 innings. He appeared in nine all-star games and led the American League in saves twice.

Although Gossage's statistics rank near the top for relief pitchers during the 1970s and 80s, the Colorado native was recently bypassed for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, fellow reliever Bruce Sutter, who earned his fame as a reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals, did receive the necessary number of votes to enter Cooperstown.

The oversight still rankles Gossage who was 54 votes short of the minimum number needed.

"I was happy for Sutter, but I was hoping we would go in together," he said.

Gossage, though, thinks his chances are better now since Sutter was elected.

Gossage said relievers during the twilight of his career were used more extensively, especially in pressure situations. Managers would normally use starting pitchers for most of the game and then bring in a reliever for the last two or three innings.

Gossage said comparing relievers from his playing days to today would not be a fair analysis. For example, he said relievers usually come in for an inning and are dominant night after night. He used the Dodgers Eric Gagne as an example of a premier reliever who can dominant teams on a regular basis.

Gossage, though, said the real credit should now be given to the setup pitcher or the middle reliever who has a tougher role. The former all-star said it now takes three pitchers to do what one reliever did 30 years ago.

Gossage began to see a major transformation of the bullpen from his first days on a Major League team to the day he retired in 1993. Perceptions of the bullpen pitchers was not good prior to the early 1970s.

"The bullpen was a joke. The old starters usually went there," Gossage said.

His second manager, Chuck Tanner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, decided to assign Gossage to the bullpen even though Gossage was a starting pitcher for the White Sox for two seasons.

"I was happy to be there. I came to love the bullpen," Gossage said.

The perception of relievers began to change. Fading away were memories of aging hurlers who mopped up games; instead, fans began to recognize relievers as important closers who either make or break teams. Some relievers became folk heroes to their fans.

"Rollie Fingers had success with those great Oakland ball clubs," Gossage remembers.

Famous for his handlebar moustache, Fingers filled a important role as a reliever during a three years span - 1972 to 1974 - when the A's won three consecutive World Series.

Gossage, though, competed in two World Series.

He said his most memorable year came during the 1978 season when the Yankees won the fall classic. However, the Yankees had to face Boston in a one-game playoff to determine the American League East because both teams were tied for first place.

The Yankees had taken a one-run lead into the last inning at Fenway Park, but Boston was threatening the Bronx Bombers. With two runners on and two out, Gossage faced the legendary Carl Yastrzemski.

"I was never so nervous in my life. We were playing one game and the loser goes home," he said.

The night before, Gossage had envisioned pitching to Yaz in a critical situation. Now, the dream had come true. The first pitch Gossage threw was low for a ball, and the second screamed down the middle of the plate for a strike. On the third pitch, Yastrzemski popped the ball up to third baseman Graig Nettles.

"After the game I went into the clubhouse, and there was total chaos," Gossage said.

Gossage bemoans the offensive power shown by many players. He still follows the teams and how current players fare. He still prefers a close game where pitchers make a difference.

"True traditional baseball people like to see tight one-run games," Gossage said.

Yet, after being away from professional baseball for almost 13 years, Gossage still retains that sparkle in his eye when people ask him about his career or the sport.

"I still love the game," he said.

And he still remembers his career as if he were pitching in the World Series only yesterday.