By John Kekis, AP Sports Writer "My dad always said, 'You're going to play in the big leagues some day,' " Gossage recalled. "I pooh-poohed that.

By JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Friday, July 25, 2008 5:43 PM PDT ∞ Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, left, gets a kiss from Padres closer Rich 'Goose'

By PJ Harmer Rich "Goose" Gossage will headline the 2008 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which is scheduled for 1:30 pm Sunday at the

By Jack Etkin, Rocky Mountain News - Rich "Goose" Gossage helped the San Diego Padres reach the World Series in 1984 for the first time.
Photo by Stephen Dunn © Getty Images
h, I was thinking about calling him,' " Brett said. "Jeff said, 'He's doing an interview now. We'll call you back in five minutes.' So he calls me back in five minutes and says, 'Hold on for one second.' Jeff says, 'Hey, Goose, somebody wants to say hi to you.' He didn't know who it was.

Goose Gossage will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. Finally. It only took a decade. And that's for a pitcher who was one of the most dominant relievers in the history of the game, and along with Bruce Sutter in the National League, redefined the art of closing baseball games.
Gossage threw his last pitch in 1994, yet had to wait for Cooperstown to come calling. Sutter had a similar wait.
on Citizen Patriot | Kalamazoo Gazette | Muskegon Chronicle | Saginaw News

John Kekis AP COOPERSTOWN, NY - As a kid, Rich Gossage's dreams never matched those of his father.
Associated Press Rich "Goose" Gossage will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday.
day when he is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It's hard to believe Rich "Goose" Gossage will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
It's hard for me to think of Gossage's career and not think of him on the short end of some late-inning, monster matchups. Gossage, as we've seen on video for years now, served up two of the biggest memory-making homers in baseball history. There was Kirk Gibson's three-run shot for the Tigers in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series. And who can forget the "pine tar" home run he served up to George Brett?
son Class of 2008 enshrined in Cooperstown this year. Gossage isn't bothered by the amount of time it took to be honored as a dominant player of his era.

By WBNG News Fans will celebrate the induction of former pitcher Goose Gossage into the Hall of Fame Weekend. Some are looking to bring a new game to town

With Induction Weekend upon us, The Roundtable reflects on the best parts of heading up to the Baseball Hall of Fame for such an event.
by The Roundtable (Senior Writer) 3 comments
t. Yet, every year, thousands of people descend upon the tiny village at one time or another to visit what can only be called Baseball Mecca.

By Danielle Sessa July 25 (Bloomberg) - It took nine years for Rich ``Goose'' Gossage to get enough support to be voted into the baseball Hall of Fame and be recognized as one of the greatest closers in history. He says the wait will make his induction this weekend sweeter.
``I tried not to get excited when the vote came around every year,'' Gossage, 57, said in an interview on Bloomberg Radio's ``On the Ball'' program. ``I can't imagine it feeling as special as it did having to wait nine years as if I had gotten in on the first ballot.''
ent of the votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to be enshrined.

By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com PITTSBURGH - As Rich "Goose" Gossage sits just three days away from being enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, anecdotes about his playing days are being recollected all across the baseball fraternity.
Pirates manager John Russell joined in on the storytelling on Thursday. Russell played against Gossage, but he also caught him in 1991 when both were with the Rangers.
on everything he had to do to win. He was such a competitor."

COOPERSTOWN, NY - Tom Hanks had it wrong. There IS crying in baseball. Just ask Goose Gossage.
The sad day in 1977, when he packed up and left Chuck Tanner and the Pittsburgh Pirates behind, he cried. Like a baby.
had to get my stuff because I knew the Pirates weren't going to sign me. Their offer wasn't even close.

By John Grupp Pirates manager John Russell played with and against Rich "Goose" Gossage and talked about Sunday's Hall of Fame inductee.

By TIM MARCHMAN | July 25, 2008 When Goose Gossage is officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this Sunday, it will be a wonderful

"There is no dancing, except for celebrating big plays." - "Dancing With the Stars" champion Jason Taylor after his introduction as the newest Redskins player
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stripped of his title for doping?

By RALPH ROUTON During the summer of 1994, Rick "Goose" Gossage was turning back the clock, one more time. At 43, he still was earning his keep in Major