Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry end feud, attend Mets opener
Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and John Franco talk during the Mets' season opener against the Atlanta Braves on Monday, April 3, 2017 at Citi Field. Credit: Twitter
Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry have ended their public feud from last summer and attended Monday’s Mets opener together at Citi Field.
Gooden posted a picture of himself with Strawberry and former Mets closer John Franco on Twitter, and Strawberry retweeted it.
This came a day after both Gooden and Strawberry turned to social media to say they’re no longer at odds. “Life is too short for madness,” Gooden wrote on Twitter.
Gooden, reached by phone, declined to comment. Strawberry hasn’t returned messages seeking comment.
The two former Mets stars from the 1980s feuded last August when Strawberry publicly accused Gooden of a drug relapse. Gooden denied it at the time, then said during a surprise appearance at Mets spring training that he no longer was angry with Strawberry.
“Maybe one day we get together and talk, but right now’s not the time,” he said.
Clearly, that has changed.
In Strawberry’s Instagram post Sunday, he wrote, “Truly grateful for awesome friends bringing me and Doc Gooden back together talking about the real friendship and what life is all about . . . Today was real healing for me and Doc.”
Jim Baumbach is an award-winning investigative reporter at Newsday, where he has worked since 1998. He spent two decades in the sports department, where he covered every professional team and league, including events such as the Super Bowl and World Series.
