European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday. April 23,1988 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary words from the Wiser in new York a colleague slapped ate Ikon last week when he said you know who the Best interview is in the met clubhouse it s Dwight i thought about the Flat voice and the averted eyes of a couple of years ago but my Friend convinced me there was a different Gooden these Days. A couple of Days later i was in the new York in icks locker room after a costly loss to the Chicano bulls. The Only player sitting in front of his locker was Patrick Ewing whom i remember for monosyllabic answers since he was a freshman at George town. Minutes after the game. Ewing had ice on his Knees and had every reason to be tired to the Point of silence. In 3 Rush i asked Ewing about the great game Michael Jordan had just played. Smiling and making Eye Contact he talked a oui How Jordan was elevated to another level and he talked about the kicks chances to make the playoffs. In exhaustion and defeat he carried himself like an old pro. Thinking about the metamorphosis of Gooden and Ewing. I went out to Shea stadium wednesday night to watch Gooden try to snap a two game losing Streak for the new York mels. He already had a 3-0 won lost record in this Young season. Before the game i slopped to talk to elder slates Man Darryl Strawberry age 26, about the pressures of being Young and talented coming to the big City with its Media swarm trying to live up to potential on the Field. Strawberry was sitting in a Corner autographing baseballs. He has had his share of controversy this Spring. Jiving Wilh provocative in Alcmenia about four teammates and his manager. When a former team mate Rafael Santana Wai temporarily benched after a damaging error. Strawberry critic cd Billy Martin starting a verbal feud of which a have surely not heard the last on the recent Home i no Oraw Berry had been a Mensch on and off the Field on monday night he had fouled off half a dozen pitches from left hander Brace Ruffin before slapping a hit to left Center Field and legging ii into a double a gorgeous time at Bat. When i talked about Ewing and Goodwn maturing As athletes As human beings. Strawberry smiled. I Don t know Ewing very Well he hid. With Doe you can Ell. He s most definitely growing into Las year Gooden spent a month in rehabilitation after testing positive for drug use and the process did not Stop the Day he walked out of the Smithers Center. Nobody can guarantee he will not backslide. The struggle is Day by Day. Kim have a lived a big part in his life Straw Berry Laid. A comes of a Point when a person is Happy with himself. He s been through a lot. He appreciates himself. Sorrel lines hink people Don t take the trouble to understand our status being in the limelight at such a Young age. You can t judge a Young Man at 21. You re still a kid at heart nothing prepares you for it Fame is special in the world. Once you Are in the situation of being out in the world there arc different expectations. You re so Young. You have to know yourself what you can do in your career. Don t let other things destroy wednesday night Gooden tried to Stop a hard grounder with Bis ban hand and survived. He nearly beat out a Beautiful bunt to Mike Schmidt at third base. He had a no hitter into the sixth inning. He gave up a two run Homer to Schmidt. He insured his Victory with a solid two strike two run single up the Middle. And he struck out 11 batters in his first nine inning Complete game of the season As the mets beat the Phillies 6-2. Afterwards Gooden seemed capable of handling anything at least for this Day. He does t like the continuing dialogue about whether he has lost velocity from his first two marvelous seasons. I Don t think i regained nothing or lost he said. I Felt pretty Good last year and 19rd. Loo. About those first couple of years i try not la think about it. I wish it would go to he did not mind admitting he had been aware of the no hitter. He said after the third inning. 1 slur cd pitching each Batter Lough. But Ortr they got a hit. T re Lii a i did t have to strike each taller out. I the ground Ball on his Bare Handa bad thing to do he said but you Don t have Lime to somebody joked that Gooden s four runs batted in Shis season were More than All of the Baltimore Ori Oles had. Gooden smiled and said diplomatically. Now you re pulling it on the docs he think about i no hitter i think about it All the Lime. It takes a lot of Luck to Tell you the when the Media hordes began to Park up. 1 said you re pretty comfortable with All this Gooden smiled Ond said my first year in baseball there were Only one or two reporters. My Taco and year t go to the triple a playoffs Here were four or five. When 1 tame up in 19s4, i never Law so Many people. One game i go knocked out in the third inning and i left without talking to the press. The Noii Day. Rusty staub and George Foster came Over and said. Hey you should be Man enough to Mick around every Fame i s just a Mailer of learning your of maturing. There s still things you have to in am. I m Only 23." we forget How Young they Are we fans we writers. We forget How hard it is to grow up to Start 3 career even in anonymity. The least we can do is notice when athlete team to foul off pitches on the Field when they learn to be a Little selective in life running for his lost son Stew co Florou fresh off to Manlyn. By Dave Stehl stall writer Raf Lakenheath England Steve Coltman walked with a slight Limp wednesday the Small Price of monday s Boston Marathon his 11 the. These Days there is nothing remarkable about a 40-year-old school teacher crossing the finish line at the John Hancock building in just Over three hours. Indeed 82-year-old John Kelley ran his 57th 26.2-Milcr there in just Over four hours. But Kcal Ley and most of the 6,000 other runners plodding through the new England streets monday were not shouldering the Burden the Lakin health elementary school teacher has carried the Pas two years. A week after the 1986 Marathon. Coffman an sex Marine came Home to his wife Mary Ann and 2-year-old son. He had i ninth Boston behind him and ahead of him was a baby his wife Mary Ann was expecting in two months. Bui four Days after that run an airman on temporary duly from Beale fab calif., with too much to drink met Coffman his the month pregnant wife son and a Friend in a head on car crash. There was a broken cheekbone. But that was not As bad As his collapsed lung. He had stitches but they would not affect his running like the busied Colla Honc atop his 5-fool-9, 145-Pound lanky Frame. The real pain and the ailing one deep Down inside was from his stillborn son Steve or. That would Hurt the most. This monday it still was not 3i in was Back in april 1986, and before said the Del Roll born Coffman Back Al Home a Little More than 4g hours after the race s finish. Coltman has entered much of his life around the Patriot s Day run and world s oldest annual Marathon. U is More thaa just a race. Last year it was a goal thai seemed Oul of reach. But Steve Coffman went Back. He naked training a Tew months after the Accident plodding through the memories and a mile or two Al first braced up and nursing a bad lung. The stamina or i Don t know the att Burn or in t Back yet he said. I m working on it. It will this year he said lie was stronger than last. Mil 3 22 Lime still put him ahead of most finishers. But by the time he hit the famed Heartbreak Hill at the 20-mile Point his hoped for seven minute Miles were closer to eight minutes and he knew he was not going to beat his goal of three hours. I think i still hold Back from going Al
