I was listening to Howie last night and I heard him say – paraphrasing here – that the excitement of deGrom starts has surpassed those of Dwight Gooden circa 1985.
No.
Absolutely not.
I couldn’t believe HOWIE of all people said this. Had Wayne said it, I’d be like well Wayne is young and doesn’t know better. Howie definitely knows better. But it sounds like he believed it, and I don’t see how that’s possible.
When Gooden pitched, the stadium rocked. Like actually physically rocked. Gooden owned this town in a way that very few have….maybe Jeter did circa the flip play…..and there’s one other individual I can think of and that was…
HARVEY DAY.
I am aware most of the fanbase doesn’t remember 1986 now, but you guys DO remember Harvey Day, right?
As great as deGrom is, as possible as it is that he’s the second greatest Met of them all, as probable as it is that he’s the second best Mets pitcher of all time, as lovable as he is, as low key as he is….ask yourself, do you feel HARVEY DAY excitement on deGrom day? The answer is of course no.
And now trust your elder that maybe one time Matt touched the excitement that Gooden did every 5 days for a few years there.
So I am not sure what Howie was thinking. Many things have changed…the stadium design, the crowds are smaller, the splintering of everyone’s attention across modern media, baseball not mattering the way it once did…all those may be true, and none of that has anything to do with deGrom’s greatness. deGrom just does not command the attention of the city that Gooden did, or even Matt Harvey did.
deGrom Day more exciting that Gooden in his Prime? No way Howie.
And before I get misconstrued, a reminder that I am the one that coined the phrase The One True Ace, so let’s not act like I don’t like deGrom or think he’s great. It’s David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. I can like all the songs, but the band rocked louder with Dave.
UPDATE: Howie responded via twitter:
Who said surpassed? Were you at the game? We’re talking about the vibe in the ballpark from the people who were there. From the ovation he received when his name was announced in the starting lineup to the buzz with every pitch it was every bit the event.
— Howie Rose (@HowieRose) June 22, 2021
As I wrote back, perhaps I misunderstood what Howie said, and no I was not in the park last night.
