Gooden Glad to Have Brooks on His Side : Baseball: The Mets’ pitcher couldn’t get his old friend out. Now they’re teammates again, courtesy of the Dodgers.

For reasons both personal and professional, Dwight Gooden was delighted Sunday morning when he learned of the trade that brought Hubie Brooks back to the Mets. Brooks, obtained from the Dodgers on Saturday, and Gooden had become close friends in 1984, Gooden’s rookie season and Brooks’ final year with the Mets. Brooks ushered Gooden into the major leagues, but he once he left the Mets, he became one of Gooden’s primary antagonists.

“I don’t know which makes me happier,” Gooden said Sunday, “having a friend back with us or not having to face him anymore. He’s one of the nicest guys in the game. We used to talk all the time. But he’s pretty much owned me.”

Six years and six days before the Mets traded Bob Ojeda to the Dodgers for Brooks, they dealt Brooks and three others to the Montreal Expos for Gary Carter. When Brooks learned of that trade, his first reaction was, “Damn, now I’ve got to face Doc.” Since then, however, it has been Gooden who has been anxious about the confrontations.

Brooks has an average of .392 with two home runs in 51 career at-bats against Gooden. That average is 67 points lower than it was a year ago. Brooks had only three hits in 14 at-bats against Gooden last season, and he struck out six times, three times in a game on two occasions.

“Maybe it was turning around . . . (but) probably not,” Gooden said, speaking by telephone from his St. Petersburg home. “So it’s great that he’s back. Hubie helped me a lot. It’s been a pretty good couple of weeks for me. We got (Vince Coleman), the one guy I hated to have on against me. We got Hubie, and Jack Clark went to the other league.”

Gooden long has identified Clark as the batter he most fears.

So with those players no longer opposing him, Gooden should be good for--what--25, 30 victories?

“Nah,” Gooden said. “Now I’ve got to face Darryl (Strawberry, who signed with the Dodgers).”