Follow the link to see the whole story and a picture of a former Appleton Fox who is up to election.
Two years ago, with a similar class of first-timers on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, Bruce Sutter was finally ushered in as the first pure reliever elected to the museum on Main Street in Cooperstown, N.Y.The baseball world will find out next week if the same thing will happen to Rich "Goose" Gossage, one of the premier closers of his generation and on the ballot for the ninth time.
"I don't think anybody did it the way I did it," said Gossage, who garnered 71.2 percent last year and missed by just 21 votes. "Power against power. There was no messing around. All those strikeouts I had, none of that is padding. Just about every one of them meant something because the game was on the line."
Gossage was an Appleton Fox when the team was an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. In 1970 -- as an 18 year old, Gossage was 0-3 with a 5.91ERA in 10 games (five starts). The following season, Gossage returned to Goodland Field and racked up a record of 18-2 with a 1.83ERA. He made 25 appearances (24 starts) and pitched 15 complete games with seven shutouts.
He is already in the Appleton Baseball Hall of Fame. Cooperstown should be calling the Goose on Tuesday.
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