This book is a bathroom reader. I don’t mean that as a criticism.
This book is composed of a variety of interesting trivia tidbits (usually less than four paragraphs) in chronological order about the Mets
In which case, it’s a perfect gift book, bathroom reader, or grist for the completist.
The title of the book implies that there is some “insider” information. There’s nothing really of that sort. That said. Markusen has dug into old baseball yearbooks and included interviews from people like announcers Howie Rose and Gary Cohen.
There’s surely enough here for longtime fans and younger Mets fans as well. The nature of trivia and the light touch of a book like this is that a flashy player like Willie “The Hot Dog” Montanez who played a short time with the team in their worst years gets as much print as Jerry Koosman or David Wright.
That’s not the only player since the Mets have had some of the most colorful players and managers in the game- Marv Throneberry, Jimmy Piersall, Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, Turk Wendell, Bobby Valentine, Keith Hernandez, Rickey Henderson and many more. The Mets have gave us Hollywood style underdog stories in 1969 and 1973. In the mid 80s, they were the hardest partying and most talented team in the world.
The book ends with the double end of season collapses of 2007 and 2008, with Terry Collins seemingly over performing in 2011. Which means Markusen needs an update not only to include the 2015 Pennant but also a variety of things that have happened since.
Recommended them for anyone (like myself) who has a “Mets” shelf. I think at worst, a Mets fan will find it quick and enjoyable, if hardly essential. Not so much a history, as a trip down memory lane. For those who are more general fans of the sport, it’s certainly a fun read and worth the time, though of course, I would expect that potential reader to go elsewhere first.