Just finished reading "The Bad Guys Won," by Jeff Pearlman. It's the story of the 1986 Mets, one of the most dominating teams of all time. Jeff Pearlman not only takes us inside the clubhouse of this gang of jokers, ball-busters, excessive drinkers, and wildly talented ball players, he takes us onto the plane where the team celebrated their NLCS victory with such a wild party that they destroyed the jet's interior.
We learn about all the different personalities, and get inside the sad deconstruction of two of the most talented players to ever play the game. Dwight Gooden and Daryl Strawberry simply threw their talents away. On the other end of the spectrum was Gary "the Kid" Carter. His squeaky clean image, big smile, and exuberence in front of the camera rubbed practically everyone the wrong way. Opposing players hated him and his own teammates couldn't stand him, mostly because he wasn't like them. He wasn't a drinker, a carouser, a brawler... mostly, he wasn't cool. He was a big geek and like bullies in a schoolyard, thugs can't stand a geek.
The last few pages take us to the present day, and how each of these guys are faring almost twenty years later. Undisputably, the title for most successful career from that team goes to The Kid. The only Hall Of Famer on the club, Gary Carter gives hope to all nerds getting wedgies in high schools around the country.
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