Gooden Returns From Funeral To Find Jewelry Stolen

His voice was strained. He spoke in broken sentences, pausing often to clear his throat or catch his breath or collect his thoughts.

But when asked about the past two weeks in general and the last 48 hours in particular, Dwight Gooden didn’t hesitate.

“This is probably the lowest I’ve ever felt from a depressing point of view,” Gooden said by telephone Sunday from his mother’s home in St. Petersburg, Fla. “I am emotionally drained.”

Gooden’s grief is still intense, his sadness still profound two days after the funeral for his father, Dan, who died 10 days ago. More than 1,000 people attended, including George Steinbrenner, Bob Watson, teammates Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez and Ruben Rivera and ex-mate Gerald Williams.

But for Gooden, anger also burns inside him after the shocking discovery that more than $30,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from his home during Saturday’s ceremony.

Among the missing items is a gold medallion Gooden received on the one-year anniversary of his entrance into the 12-step program that helped him come to grips with his drug addiction.