Written by Demetrius Bell at SBNation.com
Bryce Harper’s comments concerning the current culture surrounding baseball have really struck a nerve with many figures in the game. From players like Sergio Romoexpressing disagreement with the reigning National League MVP’s thoughts on baseball’s unwritten rules to guys like Carlos Gomez backing up Harper’s comments, it’s clear that Harper’s opinion has sparked an interesting conversation around the game. Unfortunately, this also caused Hall of Famer Goose Gossage to unleash his opinion on the matter, and it’s a bit of a mess.
Gossage has had multiple chances walk back the wild things that he’s been saying in public, and so far he’s refused to do so. In fact, he’s doubled down on it! In an interview on Friday with ESPN Radio Chicago (h/t to CBS Sports), Gossage claimed that Harper “doesn’t know squat about the game” and implored him to “look at the history” and “quit acting like a fool.” The ‘history’ that Gossage was talking about was the work stoppages that his generation went through that ultimately paved the way for players to make the money that they’re making now. It almost seems as if he’s wistful for the days of labor wars between MLB and the player’s union. The fact that we’re currently in the longest period of labor peace since collective bargaining began is something that should be unilaterally praised, and yet Gossage nearly found a way to defend the old days of labor strife in his efforts to run down Harper.
It’s an extremely bizarre situation, and it’s also unfortunate because the comments just reek of jealousy and bitterness towards one of the most inevitable occurrences in not just sports, but life as well — change. Expecting baseball to remain the same as it was decades ago is foolish, and even though Gossage has earned the right to his opinion thanks to having a stellar Hall of Fame career, he still doesn’t have immunity from people like Jeff Passan calling him out on his outlandish statements. This will keep on happening as long as he continues to rail on about Harper and players of Harper’s ilk.
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