Every baseball fan knows Goose Gossage as one of the great relief pitchers of all time. But in his amazingly rich memoir, Gossage reveals that he is also one of the best--and funniest--writers in sports. Wisecracking, warmhearted, endlessly entertaining, Gossage has a million hilarious stories, and in The Goose Is Loose he tells them all with incomparable wit and style. Goose Gossage's major league career commenced inauspiciously in 1972 when the skinny twenty-year-old kid from Colorado nearly decapitated Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks. Twenty-two years later, the Goose--a veteran of nine ball clubs--had become a legend himself: a dominating relief pitcher whose live fastball registered at the upper limit of the radar gun. But Goose also emerged as a genuine character with his trademark Fu Manchu mustache, unflinching stare, and the ecstatic shouts of "GOOOOOOSE!" that greeted him whenever he took the mound. Now Gossage recounts the highs and lows of those twenty-two incredible years. Here are his encounters with legends like Ernie Banks, Dick Allen, Mickey Mantle, Carl Yazstremski, Nolan Ryan, and Ken Griffey, Jr. Here is the story of how the Goose became a hot property at the age of twenty-six, only to stumble badly when he started playing with the Yankees. But Gossage bounced back and rose to the heights of Yankee stardom during the wild and crazy "Bronx Zoo" years of the late seventies and early eighties. It's all here. Shower fights with Cliff Johnson; the running feuds with Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner; the big move from the Yankees to the Padres; the notorious "beer in the clubhouse" showdown with Padres owner Joan Kroc; the constant antics with fun-loving teammates like Terry Forster and Thurman Munson. Baseball's lore, gossip, and salty tales come alive with an insider's savvy and a stand-up comic's flawless sense of timing. What a piece of luck for readers and sports fans alike that baseball's unrivaled relief pitcher should also have perfect aim as a writer.
The sight of hulking reliever Goose Gossage staring over his Fu Manchu was only a little less menacing than the high cheese he would uncork in the next motion. In 22 major-league seasons, he regularly led fellow closers in intimidation. That's why the caricature of him smiling on the cover of his autobiography is so jolting. But it's a fair reflection of what's inside.
Gossage, it turns out, is a pretty genial fellow, funny and fun-loving, a clubhouse prankster as fast with an anecdote as he was with his heat. But like the extraordinary pitcher he was, he also knows how to change pace, and his out pitch in The Goose Is Loose is his willingness to break the code of the locker room by telling tales and naming names. Some of his stories carry more sting than a fastball to the ribs. If you wonder why there was no love lost between him and Yankee skipper Billy Martin, look no further: "My first one-on-one encounter with [him] at spring training in 1978 set the tone for my disastrous debut as a Bronx Bomber. When Martin gave me an order that I refused to follow, friction surfaced immediately and never went away." The order? To bean Texas Ranger rookie Billy Sample in the opening exhibition game. Martin was adamant. "He was as vindictive as a Mafia don." Gossage was equally adamant in refusing. He wouldn't hurt another ballplayer or fight someone else's battles. Martin would never forget, but Gossage gets the last word in.
Gossage is equally forthcoming in his lack of appreciation for Jose Canseco, Ricky Henderson, Bobby Valentine, and the John Birchers he played with in San Diego. On the other hand, his respect for Chuck Tanner, George Brett, Thurmon Munson, and Sparky Lyle--Gossage took the incumbent Cy Young winner's job--is clear. Still, the fun of The Goose Is Loose is the way Gossage goes in for the kill. If he demurred at plunking them from the mound, he has no such reservations on the page. --Jeff Silverman
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Liked the Goose better before I read the book:
First off, I was a Sparky Lyle fan growing up in New York, so I was never much of a Goose fan. But as a die-hard Yankee fan, I felt compelled to read the book as I knew little about Gossage other than the fact that he was a hard-throwing power relief pitcher that had a good tenure in New York and whined for years about not being voted into Cooperstown...until he was finally voted in last year. After reading the book, I now also know he liked to hunt, liked to drink hard and party hard, and couldn't wait to... more info
A rich memoir from one of baseball's all-time greats:
Goose Gossage was one of the most dominating pitchers of his era. In his autobiography he talks about how he rose from a kid who was afraid he was going to decapitate Ernie Banks to the most feared reliever in baseball. Goose touches on his most memorable moments, including his locker room brawl with Cliff Johnson and the "No beer in the clubhouse" fiasco in San Diego which involved a very public run-in with Padres owner Joan Kroc. He lovingly looks at Thurman Munson and his great appreciation for him... more info
Entertaining read by one of baseball's biggest intimidators!:
The first thing you think back on when his name comes up is the word respect. All hitters had it. Goose Gossage was feared because you didn't crowd his home plate, then he struck you out, then he picked up the save! He was the pitcher every manager looks for. He'd brush you back, sometimes twice, just like he did with Willie Horton, if that was what it took to get respect. He recalls memories of former teammates such as altercations with Billy Martin, or the fond memories of the late Thurman Munson. He... more info
The Goose is Loose is great reading!!!!!:
I loved this book! I was pleasantly surprised by some of the sensitive passages of the book. If you are a big Yankee fan this book is just right for you. A good companion to the Sparky Lyle book "The Bronx Zoo" or Graig Nettles' book "Balls". Goose writes honestly and often hilariously about his baseball experiences. I was especially moved by the passage about Thurmon Munson. If you loved the 1977-1981 Yankees, this book will refresh your memory of what it was like to be a Yankee fan in that era. I... more info
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