The Goose Is Loose

by Rich Gossage, Russ Pate

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.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Autobiography

352 pages, Hardcover

First published February 29, 2000

About the author

Rich "Goose" Gossage

Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage (born July 5, 1951) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During a 22-year baseball career (from 1972-1994), he pitched for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. The nickname "Goose" came about when a friend did not like his previous nickname "Goss", and noted he looked like a goose when he extended his neck to read the signs given by the catcher when he was pitching. Although otherwise known as "Rich" in popular media, to family and friends he is "Rick".

Reviews

[Matt Tooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going off memory here. 3.5 stars seems more accurate.

[Chris Schaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of a certain age and into the sport of baseball, many names come to mind...Pete Rose, Reggie Jackson are among the more elite. There are some other names we may know or have heard about....this book is about one of the stars of baseball yesteryear....Goose Gossage.

This is a great book that captures the spirit of the Major Leagues during the 1970's and 80s...Goose came up through the majors on the Chicago White Sox and eventually also played for the New York Yankees and other teams before retiring in 1995. You read about different players that you might have idolized or seen play over those years.

All in all a great book that's a glimpse into Baseball's past.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of memories/stories in chronological order. It doesn't read super smoothly but it was a very quick/easy read. I thought it was neat to hear some of the 'inside' stories of baseball.

[Andrew M · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far is a really good book