COOPERSTOWN – On the day Goose Gossage said he was “blown away” walking with legends at the Baseball Hall of Fame, the newest Hall of Famer offered these words to Joba Chamberlain and other young Yankees: Cut the antics and start acting like Yankees.
When Gossage was asked about Chamberlain’s fist-pumping celebration, he fired a high hard one at the youngster yesterday.
“There’s no place for it in the game and I will stand by that, and I love Joba Chamberlain,” Gossage said.
What’s not to love? Chamberlain brings energy and excitement. But enough is enough, said Gossage, who received a personal two-hour tour of this special place conducted by chief curator Ted Spencer. Goose even swung Babe Ruth’s bat and was simply overwhelmed at the history and research.
This was a day of class, honor and respect for the game. Gossage, who will be inducted on July 27, grew misty-eyed talking about those who taught him how to play baseball the right way. As he spoke in the Plaque Gallery he had the Babe looking over his shoulder. He said today’s young players are not being taught the right way.
“I was with Joba in spring training, he’s a great kid, but no one is passing the torch today,” Gossage said. “Guys taught me when I broke into the big leagues. I didn’t say two words all year. Now the team is full of young guys, they feel more comfortable. They can do anything they want to do because they have that comfort zone. There was not that comfort zone. I was treated like a rookie for two years. Just sit there and be quiet.”
The Yankees and Joe Girardi have said this is a case of “Joba being Joba.” He is not showing up the opponent because he is not looking in the other team’s dugout during party time, but Gossage said the other team is watching and this is not helping Chamberlain or the Yankees.
Cleveland outfielder David Dellucci criticized Chamberlain last week after the right-hander struck him out and fist-pumped. Dellucci homered in his previous at-bat against Chamberlain.
“I guarantee you they are fired up in that other dugout when they see Joba doing that stuff,” Gossage said. “Also, that takes a lot of energy to do all that fist-pumping. That puts a lot of stress on your shoulder.”
Gossage also pointed to Melky Cabrera and his celebratory ways.
“The jumping and the high-fiving, (ex-Yankee teammate) Roy White brought up a great point to me the other day when we were in a charity golf tournament,” Gossage said. “Roy said, ‘Did you see Melky jumping up and down, doing the pirouette and all? That’s not the Yankee way.’
“It’s not the Yankee way,” said Gossage, who will wear a Yankees cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. “We just don’t act like that. If you want to do that, go somewhere else, let other guys act like that.”
Gossage said it was wrong for baseball to suspend Kyle Farnsworth after he threw behind Manny Ramirez’s head.
“This whole thing of protecting hitters and money has controlled that,” he said. “They wanted to put more offense in the game and to me they’ve gone completely out of their minds.”
The increased offense changes the historical parameters, Gossage said.
“Maybe 600 is the bench mark now for home runs,” he said. “The 500 Home Run Club was the most sacred club of all time and I hate to see the history of the game being changed and manipulated.”
He also noted that Seattle’s Richie Sexson, who charged the mound and hit pitcher Kason Gabbard with his helmet, should have been suspended a month.
“That ball wasn’t even close,” Gossage said. “You drop that ball down and it’s a strike. You want to go play T-ball and be soft.”
Goose Gossage is not soft. It’s good to see a hard-line Hall of Famer.