Tales from the Mets Dugout [Hardcover]

Bruce Markusen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

In over 45 years of existence, the New York Mets have experienced almost every phase of success and failure that can be encountered by a major league team. As a new National League franchise in the early 1960's, the overmatched Mets stumbled under the direction of Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel, whose offbeat wit and personality made him the centerpiece of a talent-starved team. Despite the early struggles, the "Miracle Mets" unexpectedly came of age in 1969, bolstered by the arrival of franchise pitcher Tom Seaver and the on-field managerial brilliance of Gil Hodges. Four years later, another lovable Mets team returned to the World Series, giving rise to a new credo: "Ya Gotta Believe." The mid-1970's resulted in a second wave of ineptitude, as the Mets struggled to compete with their cross-town rivals, the hated New York Yankees. Yet, after a frustrating period of rebuilding, a new sense of hope arrived in the `80's, when young talents like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden set the stage for a return to glory - and the unlikeliest of comebacks - during a memorable 1986 season. The Mets remained talented in the late `80's and early `90's, but found themselves in a new and unwanted role - as high-paid underachievers. Plodding through a series of controversies and confrontations, the Mets remained in abeyance until the turn of a new century. The year 2000 brought a World Series berth - and the first Subway Series match-up in the franchise's history. From the earliest days through the modern era, Tales from the New York Mets Dugout offers a wide range of stories that capture the many moods of an ever-changing franchise. Written by veteran baseball author Bruce Markusen, Tales from the New York Mets Dugout relives some of the favorite moments in Mets history while also telling an array of little-known stories about the players and personalities that have comprised New York City's beloved National League franchise.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bruce Markusen worked in the education, research, and programming departments at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum from 1994 to 2004. In his various capacities at the Hall of Fame he wrote numerous articles for publication, edited the Hall of Fame's Yearbook and quarterly newsletter, narrated Hall of Fame video productions, and interviewed most of the current living Hall of Famers. A native of Bronxville, New York, he has written four books on baseball and one book in the genre of young adult horror. His first book, Baseball's Last Dynasty: Charlie Finley's Oakland A's, won the Seymour Award from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) as the best baseball book of 1998. Markusen is the regularly featured co-host of "Heart of the Order: Old School Baseball Talk" on MLB Radio, heard weekly during baseball's regular season. He also writes a regular online column, Cooperstown Confidential, which is featured on a number of websites. He lives in Cooperstown, New York, with his wife Sue.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 178 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582619832
• ISBN-13: 978-1582619835
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,089,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Banner Day Read, April 1, 2005

By 

Matthew Silverman "author of Mets Essential" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tales from the Mets Dugout (Hardcover)

Tales from the Mets Dugout understands the history and hysteria that come with being a Mets fan. The book has some nice but not overused photos and it packs a lot of information in less than 200 pages. Living in the shadow of the monolithic Yankees, Mets fans know they have ruled the city for just a handful of seasons over the last 43. While the next 1969 or 1986 seems a lifetime in the coming, Mets fans can at least embrace a team that's seen more excitement than some franchises have experienced in a century of play. The Mets have never had a no-hitter, but look at the pitchers who came up through the system and tossed them with other teams: David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Mike Scott, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan . . . The Mets drew 700,000 people in 1979, and eight years later were the first New York team to draw 3,000,000 . . . the Mets have won three NL pennants but only one Met has been Championship Series MVP. Obsessing over the Mets for a lifetime, I thought there was nothing I didn't know about the club, but Bruce Markusen came up with new stories and new angles, including several trades that never happened: the Mets almost traded Jerry Koosman for Fred Patek, Tommie Agee almost went to the Red Sox (instead of the Mets) in a deal for Carl Yastrzemski, and the Mets could've had Dickie Thon for Elliott Maddox, but owner Linda de Roulet thought the Angels' top-notch prospect had too much of a baby face! Perhaps the most shocking nugget of all unearthed by Markusen was a telegram from the president of the Yankees congratulating the '69 Mets. The man even said he was rooting for the Mets. Now that's amazin'. The book's pretty good, too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not much there...even for die hard Met fans, January 11, 2008

By 

Art (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Tales from the Mets Dugout (Paperback)

An uneven collection of small articles about Met history compiled as a book. This book will only appeal to die-hard Mets fans who will read anything with a Met logo on it. It covers the Mets entire history, but is heavily biased toward the early years with almost nothing after 2000. The 2000 World Series is hardly mentioned. Most serious fans will already know most of what is in this book.

Several Mets favorites, like Howie Rose and Gary Carter were interviewed for the book. They are mentioned constantly and always in a positive light. Other Mets like Mike Piazza, and Daryl Strawberry, who was not interviewed for the book, are barely a footnote. I was able to get through the book in about two hours. While there was a few interesting facts, there was nothing that was Amazin.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Enough, July 19, 2007

By 

Jimmy Jack (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales from the Mets Dugout (Paperback)

This book had some good stories and was a quick read, but to barely mention Mike Piazza doesn't make any sense. He was the face of the franchise and led them to the subway series in 2000. The book mentions him in passing and basically notes that he wasn't a good fielder. Strawberry is hardly mentioned as well. It makes no sense.