Mets Change Course, Will Preserve Gooden's Autograph

Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden’s impromptu autograph will be preserved after all.

Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz told the New York Daily News Monday night that the Ebbets Field club wall where Gooden signed his name on a blank wall will be “removed from the club, preserved behind Plexiglass and moved to an undisclosed area at Citi Field that is more accessible to all fans.”

The Mets initially informed Gooden Sunday night that they planned to remove all traces of his signature by the time the team returned home from a three-day road trip at St. Louis on Friday, but the team changed its mind following a backlash from fans.

“It’s a brand new building, whether it’s Doc or any other player, it wasn’t meant to write all over the walls,” Horwitz told the Daily News. “We are going to celebrate our history, but this wasn’t the right way to get that started. If we allow this precedent, people will be writing all over the stadium.”

Horwitz also told the newspaper following the team’s change of heart that the Mets plan to procure similar autographs from other popular ex-Mets such as Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza and Mookie Wilson and display them around the concourse.

“We’ve listened to our fans on this,” Horwitz said. “The last thing we want is for them or Doc to be upset. We just didn’t want everyone to think it was OK to start writing on walls all over the stadium.”

Gooden, 44, described the course of events: “One of the guys that worked there asked me to sign one of the walls, so I did it. It wasn’t like I was walking around with a sharpie in my pocket.”

The autograph included his status as the 1984 NL Rookie of the Year, the 1985 Cy Young Award winner and a 1986 World Series champion.

Gooden added: “I didn’t do anything intentionally for the Mets to get upset. I was just doing it for the fans. I don’t see what the big fuss is. Honestly, I don’t.”

The former Mets star returned to Shea Stadium for last September’s closing ceremony, following an absence from the spotlight since his pro baseball career had been derailed by substance abuse.

“Last year when I came to say goodbye to Shea, the ovation the fans gave me made me want to come around more, but when things like this happen, it makes me feel like maybe the Mets don’t want me around,” Gooden told the newspaper. “Maybe I shouldn’t be, I don’t know.”