A few months back, after the 2025 Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame inductees were announced, I began to ponder why Dwight Gooden was not a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I wrote an appreciative fan, stat packed blog about why Gooden should be in the Hall of Fame and was really happy how the article turned out. Later in January, I traveled to Tampa, Florida for work (ABF Freight) and was determined (time permitting) to find Gooden’s High School baseball field at Hillsborough High School. I accomplished that and came home satisfied that I had at least stood 50 feet or so from where Gooden dominated his Florida peers of his Tampa High School career.

Fast forward to earlier this month. I received an email about my Gooden article from host and founder of Neon Jazz/Famous Interviews, the one and only Joe Dimino. Here is an excerpt from Joe’s email that caught my attention – “Dwight Gooden was a childhood hero of mine and I have quite a story about him… I will give you a call and fill you in.” That phone call happened later that afternoon and lasted nearly 30 minutes – all Doc, all 1980s baseball, all positive, all productive. Joe invited me to speak on his podcast and share my views on whether Doc Gooden should be a hall of famer and teased a possible national campaign to follow the podcast. Here is how the podcast turned out. I know you will love the content, how us “old-timers” got our stats back in the day, and why Joe and I feel strongly about a Gooden to Cooperstown reality in the near future.

It was a great honor to speak with Joe about Dwight and his place in my baseball world. And I am super excited that Joe has now started that national campaign with an online petition to help get more attention to Dwight Gooden getting into Cooperstown’s National Baseball Hall of Fame. Sign and share, please, if you are so inclined. I did and I hope you will too. Here is the link: Dwight Gooden should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

And for more great interviews and podcasts by Joe Dimino, check out his contact information here:

Joe Dimino, Host & Founder of Neon Jazz / Famous Interviews
http://theneonjazz.blogspot.com
www.joedimino.com