GOODEN HOPES FOR LESSONS FROM PRISON

Former Cy Young Winner Is Trying To Beat Drug Habit

NEW YORK -- Dwight Gooden says he hopes his time in prison will help
end his two-decade battle with drugs and alcohol, saying he'd "rather
get shot than come back here," the New York Post reported Wednesday.

The former Cy Young Award winner is serving a year and a day in a
Florida prison for violating his probation by using cocaine.

"You keep asking yourself, 'What went wrong? What went wrong?' " he
told the Post in his first interview from prison.

Gooden, 41, is looking forward to the day he is released, which could
come as early as November. He also insists he will stay clean and
sober this time.

"I can't come back here," he said. "I'd rather get shot than come
back here. ... If I don't get the message this time, I never will."

Gooden was serving three years of probation for speeding away from
police during a traffic stop last year when he was suspected of
driving drunk. He failed a drug test and acknowledged to a probation
officer he used cocaine.

He chose a prison sentence over reinstatement of his probation, which
would have meant the prospect of five years behind bars if he
violated it again.

He was sent to the Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler, Fla.,
on April 17 and spent 10 days in a one-man cell. Gooden wasn't
permitted to go outside or talk to his family.

"I still haven't recovered from that," Gooden told the newspaper.
"That was torture. It was like you're an animal. It was horrible."

He was transferred to the Gainesville Correctional Institute on April
27, where he spends his time in a dormitory that resembles an Army
barrack, and is in the drug and alcohol treatment program.

"It's been a humbling experience," Gooden said. "It's like going from
the top down to the bottom. This is the bottom of the bottom right here."

Especially heartbreaking for Gooden is the fact he's in prison while
his former teammates celebrate the 20th anniversary of the New York
Mets' World Series title.

"I look back at '86 and I remember when that season was over, that's
when I first got started with cocaine," he said. "Now here we are 20
years later, the team is celebrating that year and I'm in prison
because of cocaine. It's a sad story, really."

Gooden was the 1984 Rookie of the Year, and he was the 1985 NL Cy
Young Award winner while with the Mets. He went 194-112 with a 3.51
ERA before retiring in 2001. He also pitched for the Yankees,
Indians, Astros and Devil Rays.

In 1994, while with the Mets, Gooden was suspended for 60 days for
testing positive for cocaine. He tested positive for cocaine again
while on suspension and was sidelined for the 1995 season.

"It's been the hardest thing I've ever went through," he said. "I
can't say some days are better than others. Some hours are better than others."