Rich "Goose" Gossage was one of the most dominant relief pitchers of his era and played for one of the most volatile teams in baseball history - the New York Yankees of the late 1970s and early 1980s - and he will be in Monroe on May 11 as th
Rich âGooseâ Gossage was one of the most dominant relief pitchers of his era and played for one of the most volatile teams in baseball history â the New York Yankees of the late 1970s and early 1980s â and he will be in Monroe on May 11 as the celebrity guest at a fundraising banquet celebration hosted by the Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball League.
The event will be held at the Waterview Inn on Route 34 in Monroe. A limited number of tickets go on sale today (Friday).
The Goose â who will be flying in from Colorado and signing Babe Ruth League baseballs â is just one of many guests and attractions scheduled for the banquet. WLAD radio personality Bart Busterna will be the master of ceremonies while Quinnipiac University head baseball coach Dan Gooley will be a guest speaker.
Gossage, known for a blazing fastball, pitched for nine teams in his 22-year career â the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners. In the 2003 edition of Historical Baseball Abstract, author Bill James ranked Gossage as the third-best reliever in baseball history.
Gossage debuted with the White Sox in 1972 and retired in 1994 after one season with the Mariners and finished with 124 career wins, 1,502 strikeouts and 310 saves ⦠16th on the all-time list (and 10 ahead of Hall Of Fame inductee Bruce Sutter).
From 1977 through 1985, there may have been no more dominant relief pitcher in baseball than Gossage. Arguably, his best seasons came in 1977 with the Pirates (11-9 with a 1.62 ERA and 26 saves) and 1978 with the Yankees (10-11 with a 2.01 ERA and 27 saves) but he had a career-high 33 saves for the 1980 Yankees (who captured the American League Eastern Division title but lost to the arch-rival Kansas City Royals in the AL championship series), a career-high 13 wins in 1983 (the Yankees finished third in the AL East that year behind Baltimore and Detroit) and a career-low 0.77 ERA in the strike-shortened 1981 season.
In that eight-year span, Goose compiled 227 of his 310 saves with a stunning 2.09 ERA. He also whiffed 793 batters in that period.
Gooley coached Jeff Bagwell, who became a superstar with the Houston Astros, and Turk Wendell, who pitched for the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Cubs. Last year, Quinnipiac defeated UConn and the Phillies in an exhibition game and two of his players were signed by the Seattle Mariners. Coach Gooley has nine Connecticut players on his roster this year, including three from Bethel, Trumbull and Shelton.
A ticket for the banquet, which includes dinner, beverage and dessert, costs $20. If any tickets remain on the night of the banquet, they will cost $25. Children under 5 years old are free, but only children with paid admission are eligible for door prizes.
There will also be a silent auction with numerous memorable items to bid on, a raffle, door prizes, a trivia contest and an audio/video presentation.
Items at the silent auction include memorabilia autographed by current major leaguers Randy Johnson and Tom Glavine, and sports legends Yogi Berra, Tom Seaver, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Palmer, Tony Gwynn, Rod Gilbert, Joe Frazier and Gossage. Some other auction items are box seats to see Barry Bonds play the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, New Jersey Nets tickets, a night at the Dana Holcombe House and dinner at local restaurants.
For an additional $25, Gossage will autograph a Babe Ruth baseball (only one autographed ball is allowed per ticket and Gossage will not be signing any other items).
To purchase a ticket, go to the Newtown Babe Ruth league web site at www.newtownbaseball.com. Tickets can also be bought after picking up a flyer with reservation instructions at one of five local locations â Newtown Parks and Recreation Department, Bagel Delight, Olympia Sports, Coachâs Deli or Dr Henry Gellertâs office.
The banquet will run from 7 to 9:30 pm and all proceeds go to the betterment of the Babe Ruth Baseball League. The monies will be used for improving fields and improving the experience for all of Newtownâs baseball-playing youth.