Cops seek Gooden
NEW YORK – From a loyalty of love and blood, Yankees star Gary Sheffield has done everything he can for his troubled uncle, Dwight Gooden.
But Tuesday night, as the pitching legend became a fugitive from justice, Sheffield said the time had come to admit enough is enough.
“I’ve pretty much done everything possible that you can do,” Sheffield solemnly said before Tuesday night’s game at Yankee Stadium. “It just comes to a point where you just have to let him go through what he’s got to go through.
“Sometimes, it’s in God’s plan for us to back off and let him do it – because the family’s tried everything.”
Gooden’s latest scrape with the law arose when he allegedly sped away from a drunk-driving arrest in his hometown of Tampa, Fla., early Monday.
Gooden, 41, was apparently so intoxicated when he was stopped that he left the stunned cop holding his driver’s license, police said.
Nearly 48 hours after giving police the slip, he was still a wanted man.
Sheffield spoke plaintively of Gooden’s private torment with substance abuse and other problems, and how he has tried to help his uncle – ultimately to no avail.
“I’m sure everybody has someone in their family that has a problem, whether drug-related or whatever,” Sheffield said. “And he happened to be the one. It’s just one of those things where he hurts, I hurt. When he’s dealing with this, and he’s not in the right frame of mind, then I get really concerned.”
When he heard that Gooden was a fugitive, he tried calling him at several numbers – but could not find him.
“He’s still MIA, a fugitive from the law,” said Tampa Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. “At this point, he’s in a lot of trouble.”
Cops called Gooden’s mother, Ella Mae, and the Yankees, but no one has heard from him.
Police said a cop spotted Gooden weaving in and out of the lane and pulled over his 2004 BMW in south Tampa at 2:40 a.m. Monday.
The retired Yankees and New York Mets pitcher had glassy eyes and slurred speech and fumbled for his driver’s license before handing it to the police officer, cops said.
But when the cop asked him to perform a sobriety test, Gooden balked.
“I’m okay,” the troubled ace said. “I’m not getting out of my car.”
The cop asked him again, but Gooden threw him a curve and zoomed away – leaving behind his license. Police didn’t chase the ex-athlete for fear of causing an accident.
Gooden already is awaiting trial on a domestic-violence charge stemming from an altercation with his ex-fiancee in March. Now he faces a felony charge for fleeing from cops and a DWI charge – and things will only get worse unless he turns himself in.
Manager Joe Torre said he was saddened by the news and still hopes Gooden can bounce back.
“I’m sure he wishes he could turn the pages back,” Torre said. “Doc’s a nice man. It’s too bad.”
“I feel very sorry for him,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said.
The Bombers issued a statement saying Gooden left a front-office job with the team last spring. Sheffield said he understands why the job didn’t work out.
“You got to do the right thing and live a certain way and do the things that are required. And if you’re not doing it, you can’t be expected to be working for somebody,” Sheffield said.