Aug. 7, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. - With the 2008 Beijing Olympics set to kick off on Aug. 8, many Bulldog fans will be tracking current Olympians Laura Berg, Lovie Jung and Robin Mackin, but what happened to former Olympic greats? Throughout the Olympics, www.gobulldogs.com will bring you the exclusive inside scoop on former Bulldog Olympians. This week, we will take a look at a former baseball gold medalist.

Currently the first base coach for the Lowell Spinners, a Class A team affiliated with the Boston Red Sox in Lowell, Mass., Tom Goodwin is originally from Fresno, Calif., and played baseball under head coach Bob Bennett at Fresno State from 1987-89.

"This is my first real coaching experience," said Goodwin. "It's been good for me to learn more about the game. When you play, you don't know if you can teach the game but I think it's good that I've been able to express what I'm thinking and to get across the word to help kids further their careers in baseball."

Goodwin was the 1989 Big West Conference Player of the Year for the Bulldogs and the Fresno State Male Athlete of the Year that season. He was also a Golden Spikes Award Finalist. Goodwin led the NCAA in stolen bases in both 1988 and `89 and is in the top 10 in almost every single-season hitting category at Fresno State and is the career leader in stolen bases with 164.

He continued his passion of baseball after he left Fresno State, playing 14 seasons in the Major Leagues after being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers as the 22nd overall pick in the 1989 draft.

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Goodwin in 1986, but he opted not to sign. It was his Olympic experience, he said, that prepared him for the stiff competition in the professional leagues.

Goodwin was just a sophomore at Fresno State in 1988 when we went to the Seoul Games. He took his knowledge from Beiden field to the Olympics and his new-found knowledge from Seoul back to Fresno.

"Playing at Fresno State prepared me big time for the Olympics," Goodwin said. "Coach Bennett always had a tough work mentality to just get in and get your work done and not worry about the other stuff that might come when you play in college. Even though we didn't play in front of 20,000 fans in Fresno, we played in front of 3,500 and that got me prepared for the crowds in the major's. Even playing big-time college teams like Stanford and Cal State Fullerton was good preparation for what I saw later in my career."

Baseball in the Olympics has been quite the story itself. After a 20-year hiatus, baseball returned to the Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1984 Los Angeles Games. It was the first time the tournament featured eight teams which is the current format. In 1984, Team USA captured the silver medal with former Bulldog pitcher John Hoover, a 1984 first-team All-American and the NCAA Pitcher of the Year on the roster.

Also a demonstration sport in the Seoul Games in 1988, Team USA faced Japan for the second-straight Olympics in the gold medal game, this time coming out on top for the country's first-ever gold in the sport. Goodwin, in the outfield, earned the medal on a team that featured former Yankee greats Tino Martinez and Jim Abbott.

Goodwin was one of the youngest guys who went to tryout for the team and said that some of the greats were obviously a lock but there were only a few spots left in the final stages and a few guys remaining. It was a goal and a dream of his like many others to have USA across his chest.

"I was nervous," added Goodwin. "I had to tryout like a lot of other guys. I knew being around guys like Tino and Jim, that was only going to help me grow as a player and a person. It really helped me when I got back to Fresno State since I was only a sophomore. I believe I learned a lot and I had my best year in 1989 as a Bulldog."

When asked about the transition from the Olympic team back to Fresno State, Goodwin says that the NCAA, Fresno State, Coach Bennett and the community supported him unconditionally.

"When I got back from the Olympics in Sept., the NCAA worked a deal and they gave us (Olympians) the whole semester off so I didn't have to go to classes until Dec.," said Goodwin. "It was a good transition because I think it would've been difficult to catch up with schoolwork."

It was the last Olympics baseball was a demonstration sport, as the Olympic Committee named baseball an official medal sport in the 1992 Barcelona games. Former Bulldog pitcher Jeff Weaver was a member of the 1996 Team USA which won a bronze medal at the Athens Games.

"It was awesome," Goodwin said about his Olympic experience. "It was one of those experiences that if it were to happen to me now or even five years after it did, I probably would've taken it in more. I was only 20-years old when I was on the team so I didn't know nearly as much as I know now. It was also my first time being away from home. I learned so much how other countries viewed us and how they played the game of baseball. It's just one of those things where experience is hard to beat. I could've never have imagined what it was like unless I went through it. I was one of the rare athletes to have a chance and compete for my country."

Now after 16 year's of being an official Olympic sport, it has been announced that this will be the final year of both baseball and softball in the Olympics. When asked about the final year of baseball and what to expect from Team USA this year, Goodwin admitted to not knowing a lot about the team but is excited to see what they can do.

"I'll try to watch if I have time in between coaching," Goodwin said. "I am interested to see what happens in the final year. I don't know a lot about Team USA but I'm sure the guys will be prepared and be ready. I know they will be capable of bring home the gold. For the guys that are going this year, I suggest they just go and enjoy it and as long as they are prepared they will be alright."

The Olympic baseball tournament begins on Aug. 13 and runs through the 23rd. For complete Olympic coverage tune into NBC and log on to www.nbcolympics.com.

Now a complete look at the history of baseball in the Olympics:

Athens, 2004: Cuba made it 3-for-4 in reaching the top of the medal podium with a, 6-2, victory over Australia in a final that will most be remembered for a controversial blown call that likely cost the Aussie's two runs. Australia trailed Cuba, 2-0, with two outs in the fourth inning and runners on first and second, Australia's Thomas Brice drove a deep fly to centerfield. The ball appeared to strike Carlos Tabares' glove and then the wall before Tabares caught the carom. The umpire closest to the play ruled it a catch. TV replays showed the ball clearly hit the wall before Tabares snagged it. But instant replay isn't used at the Olympics, and none of the other umpires overruled the call. Australia manager Jon Deeble protested and was ejected from the game.

Sydney, 2000: In the semifinals, Cuba blanked Japan behind ace pitcher Jose Contreras, and Team USA beat South Korea on a walk-off homer by Doug Mientkiewicz. In the U.S.-Cuba showdown for gold, Mike Neill put the Americans up with a first-inning solo homer. In the fifth, Pat Borders had an RBI double and Ernie Young's two-run single gave the Americans a 4-0 lead. It was plenty for starter Ben Sheets (pictured), who threw a complete game three-hitter with no walks and five strikeouts. The U.S. team also featured current major-leaguers Roy Oswalt, Adam Everett and Kurt Ainsworth.

Sydney, 2000: In two noteworthy changes from past Olympic baseball tournaments, aluminum bats were banned and professionals were allowed to compete. No major-league level players join Team USA, but former Dodgers skipper Tommy Lasorda led a squad of minor-leaguers that included 37-year-old catcher Pat Borders, the 1992 World Series MVP. Defending champion Cuba had its share of veterans, including 13 players over the age of 30.

Atlanta, 1996: With aluminum bats in use at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (known as "The Launching Pad"), the 1996 Olympic baseball tournament produced 133 home runs. Despite the defection of pitcher Rolando Arrojo 10 days before the Games, Cuba had little trouble with everyone else's amateurs and cruised undefeated to the gold medal. In the final, Omar Linares hit three of Cuba's eight homers in a 13-9 victory over Japan. The American team, which included Jacque Jones, Billy Koch and Troy Glaus, beat Nicaragua, 10-3, for the bronze.

Barcelona, 1992: In 1992, baseball made its first appearance on the Olympic program as an official medal event. Cuba, which boycotted the two previous Games, was the only nation to bring its best to Barcelona, because professional players are banned. The tournament was no contest, as Cuba batted .404 as a team and outscored opponents, 95-16, en route to a 9-0 record and the gold medal. The U.S. team, featuring future All-Stars Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Giambi, lost the bronze-medal game to Japan, 8-3.

Seoul, 1988: The scene in Seoul was similar to Los Angeles -- an eight-team demonstration with Cuba boycotting -- and again the U.S. met Japan in the gold-medal game. But this time the result was different. Pitcher Jim Abbott, in a rotation that also featured Ben McDonald and Andy Benes, went the distance and Tino Martinez hit two home runs in a 5-3 victory for Team USA.

Los Angeles, 1984: After a 20-year absence, baseball was back at the Olympics as a demonstration sport, but this time the competition involved eight teams. Rod Dedeaux returned as U.S. coach, and his roster included future big-leaguers Mark McGwire, Will Clark, and B.J. Surhoff. But in the gold-medal game at Dodger Stadium, the Americans fell, 6-3, to Japan.

Tokyo, 1964: USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux groomed a group of collegians with a series of warm-up games in Japan, including one against the Far East All-Stars. Never before had such preparation gone into an Olympic baseball team, and it paid off with a 6-2 win over Japan in the last of baseball's one-game Olympic exhibitions.

Melbourne, 1956: A one-game exhibition between mostly American military personnel and a Japanese amateur All-Star team was held at the vast Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue used for track and field at the 1956 Games. Only a few thousand people witnessed the early action, but some 114,000 are there for the late innings before a track session. In front of what's believed to be the largest crowd for a baseball game in history, the Americans won, 11-5.

Helsinki, 1952: An impromptu game between a Finnish team and a group of Americans from the Olympic Village featured borrowed equipment and the U.S. soccer team's manager as a coach. The Americans won, 19-1, in front of 4,000 spectators.

Tokyo, 1940: Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees were known worldwide in the late 1930s, and baseball was scheduled to debut as a medal sport at the 1940 Tokyo Olympics. However, the Games were canceled due to World War II, and global interest in baseball faded.

Berlin, 1936: Despite the promises of other nations to enter teams in the Berlin baseball demonstration, the Americans were the only ones to show. A bewildered crowd estimated between 90,000 and 125,000 ssaw the USA split into two teams, as the World Champions defeated the USA Olympics, 6-5.

Stockholm, 1912: After watching the American team in warm-ups, the intimidated Swedes asked to borrow a pitcher and catcher from a United States roster comprising athletes entered in other events. Still overwhelmed with their mysterious curveballs, the Americans coasted to a 13-3 win in the exhibition. 1912 decathlon winner Jim Thorpe was rumored to have played in the game.

"Join the State- Fresno State!" - For continuing coverage on Fresno State's impact on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, log on to www.gobulldogs.com.

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