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#Dwight Gooden on if 1986 Mets could have handled MLB coronavirus rules

#Dwight Gooden on if 1986 Mets could have handled MLB coronavirus rules

August 6, 2020 | 10:15pm

Dwight Gooden started laughing, and kept laughing.

After he began his answer, he started to laugh again.

The question, posed by The Post, asked how the 1986 Mets World Series team — notorious for its partying and antics off the field — would handle the current MLB landscape.

“We probably would’ve all opted-out before it started,” Gooden joked.

After the Marlins’ coronavirus outbreak, the league has tightened its safety protocols and has deployed officials to monitor players on each team. The new rules prohibit players from leaving the team hotel other than traveling to and from the ballpark.

“I think, honestly, it’s tough, especially when you have young guys and they’ve been locked down for a long time — for four months or whatever — and then you finally go on the road and are around your teammates, going to these nice cities,” Gooden said. “It’s very hard for them, but that’s where the discipline part comes in. To be honest, I think our team, even though we were known as a wild bunch — we did like to have fun, there’s no secret around that — I think we probably would’ve been OK. I’d like to believe we would’ve done OK.

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Doc GoodenChristopher Pasatieri

“Our guys, even though we liked to have fun, we had a lot of guys who loved the game of baseball. That was our No. 1 thing and foremost was baseball. We loved baseball and we had a lot of knowledge. I think it definitely would’ve been a challenge, there’s no doubt about that, but I would like to think we would’ve done OK.”

If he were to play in a shortened season like 2020, Gooden said he would treat every appearance like a crucial late-September start, since every game means more in the standings. Currently, he sees Mets ace Jacob deGrom doing just that.

“There’s more pressure on him than the rest of the guys because every start that he takes is a big start — it’s almost as if he has to win his games for the team to have a chance to compete,” Gooden said. “That brings more pressure and when you’re the top guy, the opposing hitters, they’re heating up for you. They know the night before, they’re going to face you, so their batting practice is a little different, their mindset is a little different than when they’re facing a No. 4 or 5 guy. The scary part is that it seems like he’s getting better and better every year, which almost seems impossible, but it does seem that way to me.

“The thing I like about him the most is his mild demeanor — guys score runs, guys make an error, he doesn’t change his facial expressions on the mound. He just goes out there and does his job.”

As part of the Mets’ alumni program, Gooden did a virtual visit with Braemar at Wallkill, an assisted living facility in Orange County and took questions from residents for more than an hour. With strict visitation restrictions due to COVID-19, administrator Jennifer Hovnanian called Gooden’s virtual visit a “rainbow” for the residents.

As someone who has struggled through personal adversity, Gooden was able to relate.

“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine going through something like that. I’ve had my share of difficulties at times, and someone has always been there to cheer me up when I needed it most. This is just my way of giving back. I know what pain feels like. I know pain when I see it. Even if just for a moment, if I can bring light to them, cheer them up for a moment, I feel humbled and very blessed to do that. It’s my way of giving back to them because so many people have supported me and been there for me through my ups and downs as well.”

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