Doc Gooden made his debut 30 years ago today

[Houston]

I was at that game. I was a senior in high school and I worked at the Dome.

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/71220258/thirty-years-ago-dwight-gooden-made-his-first-start-for-the-mets?partnerId=ed-8058453-658620023

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

I had forgotten he had made his debut against the Astros.

[HudsonHawk]

I remember seeing Gooden pitch in high school.  We were in awe.  He remains to this day, the best high school pitcher I've ever seen.

[Mr. Happy]

I remember seeing Gooden pitch in high school.  We were in awe.  He remains to this day, the best high school pitcher I've ever seen.

I saw Lee Arthur Smith pitch for Castor. He pitched a long time in the big leagues. He was untouchable in high school.

[Duke]

I saw Lee Arthur Smith pitch for Castor. He pitched a long time in the big leagues. He was untouchable in high school.

I saw Dave Clyde at Nelson field in the state championships.  I remember a TV reporter asking how he had improved his control so much  between his junior and senior year and he said "I worked at it".

[Houston]

I remember that pre-game vividly. My job was as a "runner" and I distributed stats to the media in the press box and took the lineup cards from both dugouts to members of the press as they ate in the Lunching Pad inside the Dome. Duane Staats worked with Gene Elston and he was scrambling around because he knew nothing about Gooden and didn't know what he was going to say on the air. I was very shy and a baseball nerd, so even though I had memorized all of Gooden's stats from the year before in Class A ball, I thought if I told him, he'd think I was a know-it-all. Instead, I helped him do some quick research, even though I already knew the numbers. I was 17 at the time.

[HudsonHawk]

I was 17 at the time.

Not much younger than Gooden.

[juliogotay]

I remember that pre-game vividly. My job was as a "runner" and I distributed stats to the media in the press box and took the lineup cards from both dugouts to members of the press as they ate in the Lunching Pad inside the Dome. Duane Staats worked with Gene Elston and he was scrambling around because he knew nothing about Gooden and didn't know what he was going to say on the air. I was very shy and a baseball nerd, so even though I had memorized all of Gooden's stats from the year before in Class A ball, I thought if I told him, he'd think I was a know-it-all. Instead, I helped him do some quick research, even though I already knew the numbers. I was 17 at the time.

Cool story. How did you get that job?

[JimR]

I remember seeing Gooden pitch in high school.  We were in awe.  He remains to this day, the best high school pitcher I've ever seen.

David Clyde is mine. I saw him at Nelson Field too. It was a night game. I went down to the "bullpen" to watch him warm up and thought the kid who caught him deserved a medal or hazardous duty pay.

[Houston]

Cool story. How did you get that job?

I was the editor of my newspaper at Madison High School and they liked hiring aspiring journalists for those jobs. Back in those days, the Astros had high school press conferences where they'd only invited teenage reporters to interview players, coaches, etc. Only two or three other guys and I consistently attended, so that's how they got to know me. I don't think they do things like that now.

[BUWebguy]

Back in those days, the Astros had high school press conferences where they'd only invited teenage reporters to interview players, coaches, etc. Only two or three other guys and I consistently attended, so that's how they got to know me. I don't think they do things like that now.

They had one of those during the offseason of my senior year of high school, the only year I spent on our newspaper's staff. Each school could send one reporter and one photographer. Our sponsor chose me to go because she knew of my Astros love; I remember Shane Reynolds, Todd Jones and James Mouton being the players they made available.

[Houston]

They had one of those during the offseason of my senior year of high school, the only year I spent on our newspaper's staff. Each school could send one reporter and one photographer. Our sponsor chose me to go because she knew of my Astros love; I remember Shane Reynolds, Todd Jones and James Mouton being the players they made available.

Pretty cool experience, huh?

[Lefty]

Kelly Wunsch for me.  I'm still not sure I saw the first pitch until the catcher tossed it back to the mound.

[Houston]

I saw Andy Pettitte pitch when he was at Deer Park, but I remember a guy on that team named Jett Miller (IIRC), who was the stud of that staff.

[BUWebguy]

Pretty cool experience, huh?

It was.