In my 24-year tenure as a Dodger fan (started following the team when I was eight, in 1986) I have loved very, very few players the way I loved Eric Gagne when he was a Dodger.
The stretch of 2002-2004 was as dominant as any closer in the history of the game. He saved 84 straight games, he saved 152 games in those three years, struck out over 100 all three years, had an ERA below 2.00, and he won a Cy Young.
It has also become pretty evident that Gagne used HGH, which has left my memory for him tainted and my feelings for him mixed.
Sure, a lot of players did it, but when the face of your franchise does it and it tarnishes all he accomplished, it's tougher to deal with.
Gagne's last 70 appearances in the Major League's, with Boston to end 2007 and with Milwaukee in '08, were less than memorable. He wasn't even around in 2009. I don't have is semi-pro Canadian League stats (or whatever it was) handy.
Now he's returned to the place where he was a legend. Where Game Over signs flahsed and Welcome to the Jungle blasted and many questions loom.
Will he be in any way effective?
How will he be received?
How do we feel as Dodger fans feel about this?
