A few months have gone by without Rich Gossage making any disparaging statements about a ballplayer from the modern era, and if you’re like me, you were concerned for Goose’s well-being. As it turns out, however, he’s doing great and flashed his resentment-filled form during a Thursday appearance on ESPN NY 98.7. From ESPN’s Andrew Marchand :
“Are we going to reward these guys for cheating?” Gossage asked Michael Kay and Don La Greca on ESPN New York 98.7. “Even though he was found innocent, it was because of the bad testimony. No one believed (Brian) McNamee and (Andy) Pettitte kind of changed his thing, ‘Did I really hear what he told me.’ “
“O.J. Simpson, did you believe he didn’t kill those two people?” Gossage said Thursday.
Gossage also wants Congress to release the list of 104 names from the anonymous 2003 player survey. Although it would break civil liberty rights, Gossage is in favor of finding out who used steroids and who didn’t during the anonymous testing period.
“Release the whole list and let’s get it out there on the table and see who tested positive for these things,” Gossage said. “I saw bat speeds of Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. Mark was a great teammate. I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate when I played out in Oakland.
“Jose Canseco, I lockered next to him. Canseco is the only guy who has come clean. Like him or not, he is telling the truth. These guys lie, lie, lie and lie. Roger, I think, is in the same boat. I think there is validity to him using and absolutely not do they belong in the Hall of Fame.”
I have an issue with commentators declaring that Clemens was found innocent. There is a large gap between innocent and not guilty with the burden of proof on the prosecution. Can’t we just declare him mostly guilty?