Heat: My Life on and Off the Diamond

by Dwight Gooden, Bob Klapisch

Dwight Gooden's early years with the New York Mets were golden -- he was the youngest winner of the Cy Young Award in baseball history and led the New York Mets to one of the most dramatic World Series victories in 1986. Dwight Gooden -- a.k.a. Doc or simply Dr. K -- had a fastball that hitters just could not beat. But Gooden's fall was as quick and dramatic as his rise. By 1994 he had twice been suspended from the league for drug abuse, plunging him into a vicious cycle that threatened his career and, ultimately, his life. Today, Dwight Gooden is back in the big leagues. Heat captures Gooden's poignant road to recovery, and how it culminated in his second World Series ring with the New York Yankees in 1996, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Yankees club. During his fourteen years in the big leagues, Dwight Gooden has seen plenty. Heat brings to life the glorious world championship baseball through the eyes of one of its most popular and talented stars.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Baseball, Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 1999

About the author

At nineteen, DWIGHT "DOC" GOODEN became the youngest starting pitcher in MLB history. His 98-mph fastball earned him Rookie of the Year and Cy Young accolades, and led the Mets to victory in the 1986 World Series.

Reviews

[Richard Kenneth Conde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this autobiography by Dr. K (Dwight Gooden's nickname) almost a decade ago. In my grade school years in the mid 80s, I was a big NY Mets fan. They were a phenomenal team that was one of the most consistent in terms of winning. The NY Mets' zenith was 1986, the year the team won the World Series Championship in a memorable 7-game series against the Boston Red Sox. The key to the Mets consistent winning ways in the mid80s to the latter half of the 80s was their awesome pitching staff, in particular, their starting rotation. The NY Mets had Bobby Ojeda, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, and their ace of aces, Dwight Gooden also known as Dr. K during that time. Everything was sky high for Dr. K until everything came crumbling down.

This book covers Gooden's childhood, his teenage years, and redemptive years in his late 20s when he received an unbelievable second chance by NY Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner. You get all the highs and lows in this one. An interesting part is during his rehabilitation years between being suspended from baseball from his last year with the NY Mets, and his MLB return as a NY Yankee. He had an encounter in the seedy part of town in his hometown in Florida, where he and a couple of recovering addicts were face-to-face with dangerous negative elements of the drug culture in that area, to bring back a fellow recovering addict who fell off his recovery. If it didn't work out, on that particular night, Gooden would have been another homicide statistic because of drugs.

The thing I came away with from the book, is the actual explanation by Dwight Gooden himself on his no-show during the 1986 World Championship ticker tape parade and City Hall celebration. His explanation is an eye-opening revelation for Mets fans, who will no doubt shake their heads. Another part of the book that I liked is Gooden's quiet moments with former Mets team mates. It's great to read about those former players and their stories outside of the game of baseball. It definitely adds to their colorful characters.

[Scott Breslove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, not a great book. Almost interchangeable with High and Tight, while High and Tight was Gooden and Strawberrys stories interwoven, Heat was Goodens story centered around his no hitter with the Yankees. Heat started about the same time chronologically as High and Tight, but ended later, including Docs career with the Yankees and a season with the Indians. You could read both books, but I'd say you only really need to read one to get a clear picture. Unfortunately for Heat, I read High and Tight first, and that probably affected Heats rating.

[Tom Gase · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little better then I thought it would be and is a good autobiography on one of my first favorite baseball players - Dwight Gooden. I like how it tells the story of his life - which often had difficult times with alcohol and drug addiction - along with his baseball career. The book weaves in and out of a certain game he pitched as a Yankee in 1996 as his father fought for his life in a hospital. While talking about this certain game (I won't give away what happens) Gooden also discusses coming up as a New York Met and the quick success he had winning the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and World Series in his first three years - all before the age of 22. The book also discusses his time with the Mets from 1987 to 1994 but goes through those years fast. The book ends with Gooden discussing his time pitching with the Cleveland Indians. A quick read at 225 pages or so that I finished in about two days but really enjoyed. There is some brutally honest stories (the Kevin Mitchell cat one is crazy along with a few Darryl Strawberry ones) and is a must for New York Mets' fans.

[Paul Vann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book I read that has a good flow, and makes me laugh and cry, that's a 5⭐️

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were times when I wanted to say "Would you like a little cheese with that whine?" while reading this. Was it the sense of entitlement that comes from being a superstar athlete? I don't know. But since I watched Doc Gooden at the height of his career, I thought I would feel more sympathetic to him than I did while reading this book.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book offering an insider's view of some great Mets and Yankees teams. I found Gooden to be a believable storyteller.