A few weeks ago, I penned an article about Dwight Gooden. I believe he belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Cooperstown, NY is about 200 miles due north of Shea Stadium, where Gooden started for the NY Mets. Cooperstown is about 1300 miles from where I was standing last week, Gooden’s High School alma mater – Hillsborough High School, Tampa, Florida.

I was in Tampa, FL last week for ABF Freight and took the very short drive from my work location over to Hillsborough High School. Due to classes being in session and the fences secured/locked, I didn’t get a chance to go onto the field or even explore any of the grounds. I parked in an adjacent parking lot behind the field and school and took a few photos. Not complaining, I was just psyched I had the opportunity to check it out.

And I found out that not only Gooden attended Hillsborough, but also a long list of NFL, NBA, and MLB stars. One in particular that jumped out was 500 HR club member and former Major Leaguer and the nephew of Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield. What a minute, why isn’t Gary Sheffield in Cooperstown? Mmmmm, I may need to research that one.

It was a really cool Hillsborough High School experience there in Tampa, FL. Despite the perimeter fence was locked all around the field, I still got a glimpse of the field that helped spawn the careers of many professional baseball players – Billy Reed Field. Home of Big Red Baseball was the sign most frequently seen around the dugout, backstop, and bleacher area of the field. Overall, another very cool Tampa baseball experience, High School baseball home of Gary Sheffield and his famous uncle, Uncle Doc Gooden.