Baseball History Podcast

Richard Atley Donald, nicknamed “Swampy”, was born August 19, 1910 in Morton, Mississippi. Donald was the Yankees’ number-four or -five starter for most of his career. He was blessed with the support of New York’s tremendous offense and sparkling defense, but was also a good pitcher in his own right.

Dwight Eugene Gooden, nicknamed “Doc” or “Dr. K”, was born November 16, 1964 in Tampa, Florida. Gooden’s career must be thought of as a “what could have been” story. When he was just 25 years old, he had won 100 games, and had his eyes set not on the 300-mark, but 400. Unfortunately, his bouts with substance abuse ruined what would have been a Cooperstown career, and by the mid-1990s, he was battling just to stay in organized baseball.

David Francis Dravecky was born February 14, 1956 in Youngstown, Ohio. He was a consistently effective starter and occasional reliever for the Padres for over five seasons and the Giants for two.

David Christopher Justice was born April 14, 1966 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The left-handed Justice showed over his career that he could hit for average and power, run the bases and occasionally save a game with a leaping catch over the wall. He used his big bat to win over fans in Atlanta, Cleveland and then New York.