But Doc's just one of many Bear role models for Newark kids to admire: There's also the manager,Tim Raines, who once bragged about dropping 40k on coke and filling his pockets with it before games. Or the always noble Carl Everett, who was charged with beating his kids in 1997. Or Rickey Henderson, who...Well, you get the idea.
Gooden joins independent Newark Bears as senior vice president[SI]

But this being the Mets, the solution will be more complicated than necessary. The section of wall on which the autograph is written will be removed, placed under Plexiglas and relocated to a different part of the stadium. On Sunday team public relations representative Jay Horowitz had said that Gooden's signature — which was scrawled on a wall near the Ebbets Club restaurant at the behest of an employee — was to be painted over. But that was before Mets fans got wind of it and started complaining. And due to recent occurrences in the NL East standings, these people are ill-tempered to begin with.

"We've listened to our fans on this," Horwitz said. "The last thing we want is for them or Doc to be upset. We just didn't want everyone to think it was OK to start writing on walls all over the stadium."

He added that the Mets plan to procure similar autographs from other popular ex-Mets such as Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza and Mookie Wilson and display them around the concourse.

Of course NY Daily News commenters are receiving the news with joy and aplomb.

• This is the most ridiculous organization in NY. I thought Dolan was bad. Everything they touch turns to cr@p. I just wish I hadn't become a fan when I was young, because no matter what I have to root for these guys. — jesuswalks Apr 21, 2009 10:59:16 AM

• I have a question, why the green seats? Who's idea was that? why not blue like one of the met colors. — yanksin08 Apr 21, 2009 11:12:34 AM

• The Wilpons are p.i.s.s.i.n.g me off with this disconnect with fans and team. I don't know what else to call it. — The Masked Marauder Apr 21, 2009 11:25:22 AM

• This just in....Wilpons are pressing charges against Doc Gooden for Grafitti. His tagging the citifield wall is a parole violation. — kingbenny on Apr 21, 2009 10:44 AM

Write On! Mets Decide Not To Erase Doc Gooden's Name At Citi Field [New York Daily News]
Dopey Mets WantTo Erase Dwight's Citi Autograph [New York Post]

It seems Radomski has a story about every baseball player he's ever met. He has a new book out—which I haven't read—that provides a little more background about the many players he claims he sold steroids to over the last 20 years or so. And in the media blitz that has accompanied the book launch, a couple of new claims have come out that didn't make it into the Mitchell Report or the grand jury testimony at Roger Clemens' trial.

First, Radomski claims that while he was working in the clubhouse for the New York Mets in the 1990s, Dwight Gooden twice asked him to take urine tests on his behalf and Kirk obliged. Was Kirk snorting cocaine too, because I seem to remember Doc not doing so well on those tests? Gooden's response: "LOL." (It was a text to ESPN. No confirmation on whether he literally laughed out loud.)

Radomski also says he sold steroids to David Justice and then politely drove him to the airport, which seems impossible, because I believe David was about 195 soaking wet. Justice's response was a little more detailed—he calls it "a bald-faced lie" and says he has never even met Radomski. Plus, David Justice can drive himself to the airport, thank you very much.

I don't think anyone has ever really been comfortable with the fact that almost all steroid accusations are built on the word of some very unsavory characters—Radomski, Brian McNamee, Jose Canseco, Victor Conte—but that doesn't mean they aren't true. On the other hand, the guy is trying to sell books so what's another unverifiable rumor between friends?

Radomski says he took urine tests for Gooden [Newsday]
GOODEN DENIES RADOMSKI CLAIM [NY Post]
Justice, Gooden fire back at Radomski [ESPN]
Kirk Radomski says book doesn't contradict Brian McNamee's Roger Clemens testimony [Daily News]

We wish Gooden good luck with his re-entry into society — might we suggest getting together with an old friend and telling some old war stories? — and hope he can stay clean, if just so our memories of him aren't diminished even further than they already have been. Gooden, by the way, is 41 years old, a figure that astonished us; he's actually younger than Kenny Rogers.

Gooden Ready For Release From Prison Thursday [USA Today]
Life Lessons With Darryl Strawberry [Deadspin]

Someone just sent us this picture, and we don't know where it's from, who took it or what the circumstances were around it. But, somehow, it made us extremely sad. Man. That could have been Whitey Ford, Ted Williams and Joe Louis hanging out right there. Oh well.

(UPDATE: The photo is from Always Amazin', a Mets blog. It's an archived New York Daily News photo.)

Now, we're not saying that athletes catch breaks in this regard — particularly Gooden, whose ability to avoid jail time is even impressing O.J. Simpson right now — but when we die, we want to come back as an athlete. We will be able to roam the countryside, pillaging like a freaking madman.

Oh, we're also told that Gooden wore a navy suit with a purple shirt, making sure he met the new, controversial felon dress code set down by David Stern.