Goose and goslings Photo courtesy Korbman & Co.
April 03, 2008
Unlike the batters he faced down during his Hall of Fame career, Goose Gossage was a hit with the 350 fans at the fifth annual Sports Nite Out, sponsored by United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey. The event was held March 26 at the Hilton Parsippany.
Gossage was surrounded by fans of all ages, including those who were not yet born when he pitched for the New York Yankees during the team’s revival in the early- to mid-1970s.
Harris Nydick, program cochair with Henry Gebel, said the event “was a great opportunity for fathers and sons to come out and hear a great message from Goose.”
Gossage, who began his career as a starting pitcher with the Chicago White Sox in 1972 before becoming an award-winning reliever, spoke about the need to adjust to life’s changes.
“How the game has evolved is kind of how people’s lives evolve,” said Nydick, who was accompanied by his teenage son. He was particularly moved by Gossage’s response to a 14-year-old’s question about people who had told the right-hander he would never accomplish his goal of being a major leaguer.
“Don’t listen to what people say,” Nydick recalled Gossage saying. “Keep studying hard, keep playing hard…. You have to live up to your expectations, not any expectation that anyone else has put on you.”
For Nydick and his contemporaries, Sports Nite Out afforded the opportunity to reminisce about the Yankees’ return to glory in the mid-1970s. Nydick was 15 — the same age as his son is now — when the Yankees won the World Championship in 1978 after more than a decade of mediocrity. “I remember all that stuff as it was yesterday,” he said.
He was also pleased by the number of younger people in the audience. “Having the kids come out is great for a lot of reasons,” Nydick said about those whose parents are already involved with federation and those who have not yet come to the party.
“They see what federation is all about, some of the different programs we support, and some of the things we do. I thought for the people who are involved, it’s great to show them…what kind of organization their parents are supporting.”
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