Golden Goose

Congratulations to Rich "Goose" Gossage for become the newest member to be enshrined in Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Gossage was announced Tuesday as the only candidtate on this year's ballot to be selected.

Gossage began is illustrious career in 1972 with the Chicago White Sox, and finished in 1994 while pitching for the Seattle Mariners. Over that span, Gossage compiled a 124-107 record and accumulated 310 saves and 1502 strikeouts. He was a 9-time All-Star, finished in the top 10 in Cy Young Award voting five times, and in the top 10 in MVP voting twice, according to baseballreference.com.

Gossage becomes the third premium reliever since 2004 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In '04, Dennis Eckersley was voted in, and two years agon in 2006, Bruce Sutter was welcomed into the Hall.

"Goose" received 466 total votes, or 85.8% of the votes in 2008. Former Red Sox great Jim Rice missed the call to the Hall by mere percentage points. A nominee must acquire at least 75% of the votes cast in order to be inducted - and Rice garnered 72.2% of the votes. Andre Dawson was a close third with 65.9%.

Gossage's career took him all over not just the country, but the world. He pitched 5 seasons with the White Sox, before spending a season in Pittsburgh with the Pirates. In 1978, he signed an unforgettable contract to play for the New York Yankees. And he would remain there until 1984, when he played for the San Diego Padres. 1988 took him back to Chicago, with the Cubs. After a year with the Cubbies, he split 1989 between the San Francisco Giants and a return to the Yankees. He then spent 1990 playing in Fukuoka, Japan. 1991 saw a return to the States, as he signed on with the Texas Rangers. He then spent the next two seasons with the Oakland A's, before retiring with the M's in 1994.

So Gossage was well traveled - but all of those miles sure paid off, as he now reaches the highest plateau a player can reach...the Hall of Fame. His name is now synonomous with the likes of Tom Seaver, Sandy Koufax, Ted Williams and other incredible players to grace the game.