I could never stand Ron
Darling. Although he was a fine pitcher for 13 major league seasons and I have
never met the man, he’s no friend of mine. Of course that’s because he was a
prominent member of the 1986 New York Mets, who beat my Boston Red Sox to win
the World Series, and thus broke the heart of an eight-year-old yours truly.
He, along with Daniel Paisner, has detailed the Series-deciding final game (in which Darling pitched) in Game
7, 1986- Failure and Triumph in the Biggest Game of My Life (St. Martin’s Press; on sale April 5, 2016), giving me an
opportunity to relive my childhood anguish all over again. Fortunately, it was much easier the second time around.
Growing up in Massachusetts and
hoping to one day play for the hometown team, Darling was actually told as a
high schooler by a Boston scout that he did not have what it took to fulfill his
dream. 136 major league victories and that big
World Series win later proved those to be less than
prophetic words.
All personal bad memories aside, Game 7, 1986 is as easy a read as I can
recall. Darling, who was knocked out after just three and two thirds innings of
the eventual Series-clinching
win, reminisces about that contest, what led
up to it and the immediate aftermath.
Rain delayed Game 7 by a day,
building up even more suspense for Darling, as he contemplated the biggest game
of his career. He takes the reader through the emotional ups and downs; his
personal disappointment in not submitting a strong performance (after having an
otherwise outstanding Series); and touches base on a number of issues that will
be of great interest to baseball and Mets fans. These include:
His professional, yet less than
perfect, relationship with manager Davey Johnson.
His altercation with police
outside of a nightclub while defending teammates who were out on the town
celebrating.
The time New York Yankees
legends Mickey
Mantle, Whitey
Ford and Billy
Martin suckered him into paying a huge restaurant
and bar tab after he had approached them as a young player while out for
dinner.
The use of drugs and alcohol in the clubhouse during his playing days. He doesn’t point any
fingers at specific players but does offer an interesting look at the culture
that encouraged such behavior.
Insight into his relationships
with some of his Mets teammates. In particular, he has very direct and honest
thoughts about Darryl
Strawberry and Dwight
Gooden, who both had their incredible talents directly impacted by persistent off-field issues.
The 1986 Mets were a supremely confident team. Darling discusses how the blend
of battle-tested veterans and brash youngsters melded into a unit that
ultimately won the biggest baseball game of that year. In many ways it’s a
surprise that they only won the one Championship, but ultimately any hopes for
a dynasty were derailed in part by big personalities and bad behavior by some.
As a Red Sox fan, it was also
interesting to see Darling’s take on some of his Red Sox opponents from that
Series. Among others, he talks glowingly about scrappers like catcher Rich
Gedman (who he grew up playing against) and
second baseman Marty
Barrett, admiring their professionalism and skill.
On the other hand, pitcher Roger
Clemens (who had one of the most dominating
seasons in history in 1986) rates only a one-sentence
mention, and that coming in the discussion about Strawberry and Gooden.
Yes, it can be tough to relive
the 1986 World Series through the lens of Ron Darling, but, to the victors go the spoils. He and his
teammates will go down as one of the memorable teams in history and this well-written book chronicling their journey should captivate the attention of baseball fans and literary
enthusiasts alike.
Disclaimer: I was provided with
a free advanced copy of this book, but received no payment or other
consideration for this review.
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