CARD
Score chose to go ahead and put "Goose" on the card, unlike Topps did, calling him "Rich."
Also, what the heck is that big green blob in the stands behind Gossage? It looks like someone dressed up like an ear of corn for Halloween.
STAT
To demonstrate the changes in how relief pitchers are used, check out this list of pitchers appearing in at least 1000 games since 1901. I ranked them by IP. Ignore Eckersley since he started over 300 games. Hoyt Wilhelm and Gossage pitched far more innings than everybody else, despite appearing in just about the same number of games. Even with nearly 100 starts, Jose Mesa isn't close.
CAREER
What can be said about Gossage's career? The guy is in the HOF already, the first HOFer we've seen in this update set. I think it's interesting how much people forget about the late part of his career. He had an off year with the Cubs in 1988, but then finished up strong with good years in San Fran, Texas, Oakland, and Seattle. His K/BB fell off quite a bit at the end, but his ERA was better than league average in all those years but one.
At the risk of sounding old, I loved the days of Gossage pitching 2+ innings for a save. He was dominant! Chicago was lucky enough to have Goose pitch on both sides of town. I loved his White Sox cards. Those old red pinstripe uniforms were the best.
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