This book sat on my library list for years until I finally said fuck it and pulled the trigger on it. The second I had this book in my hands my buddy texted me about the 4-part 30 For 30 that was coming out on this. It was great to finish the book and immediately jump into the documentary, and I’m glad the doc featured the author of this book too because I honestly couldn’t imagine a book on this subject matter being any better. Plenty of details on the drinking, fighting, drugs, and yeah, baseball, all told in a way that made this hard to put down. What a blast from the past—fantastic read.

Jeff Pearlman's unique brand of humor and facts/analysis is readily on display for this book and the sole reason I picked it up. While Pearlman has written about more interesting topics, such as "Football for a Buck" about the USFL, he does a great job here of fleshing out the personalities and (more often) shortcomings of the ragtag 1986 Mets baseball team that captivated New York City. Diehard baseball fans or even just casual fans will enjoy this book. Strongly encourage readers to check out Pearlman's other books: particularly "Boys will be Boys" and the USFL book. He also has a podcast.

Andre Gide, a French writer and Nobel prize winner once said, “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” The Bad Guys Won!, by Jeff Pearlman is a novel that is bound to keep the reader interested from the front to the back cover.

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The Bad Guys Won!, by Jeff Pearlman, a New York Times best-seller, gives a deep dive into the New York Mets 1986 championship season. For a long time, the New York Mets were a nightmare to support. They had minimal fans compared to their cross-town rival, the Yankees, their stadium was a dump, the team had no personality, and their performance on the field was subpar. Something had to be done to get fans in the stands and become a successful franchise. Mets owners Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon hired Frank Cashen, a man who lived and breathed baseball his whole life. Cashen, a baseball man, began to build a team that would go on to be one of the greatest teams in baseball history. But the 1986 Mets were not an ordinary ball club. They were different and they did not follow the rules. This team was one of the best and they let the world know it. Their cockiness did not sit well with the rest of the league. Fans and players of opposing teams began to develop a hatred for the unorthodox methods of the New York Mets. But the Mets were unphased. As the season progressed the Mets grew into an unbeatable team and were destined for greatness. I would recommend this novel to anyone because of the detailed storytelling, the great character development, and the development of the story.

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The characters in this novel are impressively developed throughout the story showing different sides to each. Mr. Pearlman gave the reader a great understanding of what they were like and he did an amazing job in providing a deep dive into this Mets team. From the hard-as-nails Lenny Dykstra (aka Nails) to the crazy off a few beers, Darryl Strawberry to the “Scum Bunch '' consisting of Jesse Orosco, Doug Sisk, and Danny Heep’s numerous drinking contests in the back of the team bus, the Mets were full of loud and crazy individuals. Mr. Pearlman’s descriptive methods of writing and his impressive character development added so much to the story and were helpful in this novel as the Mets were such a unique group of individuals.

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The great part about this novel is that the author does not only highlight the player's great skills and on-field performance, but he also covers the off-the-field stories as well. This massively boosted the readers' relationship with the players, especially for a story like this. He described every prank, night out, and every on and off-the-field scruffle the team got themselves into. The author did so much research and compiled such an amazing library of stories to include in this book. This book is incredibly action-packed and keeps the reader interested throughout the entire novel. Mr. Pearlman did a very good job including stories that kept the reader truly hooked and there was never a single dull moment in the book.

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I enjoyed how Mr. Pearlman developed the story at the beginning of the novel. He did not skip right into the 1986 championship season, he began the story with an overview of the history of the Mets organization. He explained the tragic years leading up to the season. How they struggled to get fans in the stands and how the team repeatedly finished at the bottom of the National League East division year in and year out. Mr. Pearlman explained every single step the Mets took to get to 1986. From every trade, every draft pick, to every managerial hire the club made leading up to the 1986 season. This was especially helpful for non-Mets fans or non-sports fans as it helped them understand the origin of the New York Mets and how they struggled massively to get to where they were. He did an amazing job developing the story in that way and was very helpful in providing the reader with information on why there was so much buzz around this team.

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The Bad Guys Won! by Jeff Pearlman, is a funny and action-packed novel that did an amazing job summing up the 1986 Mets team. His impressive writing helped the reader feel as though they were inside the team's clubhouse and helped the reader get to know each player on a personal level. His book includes stories about the Mets' experiences on and off the field and will keep the reader hooked throughout the entire novel. Although I would specifically recommend this book to sports fans (Mets fans in particular would love this book). This novel is an inspirational underdog story that will never fail to disappoint.

This is a well written & compelling narrative and Pearlman has a fantastic voice. But I take issue with the central premise of the book. Right off the bat, Pearlman states that the disappearance of teams like the 86 Mets is bad for baseball. And then a couple pages later, Darryl Strawberry is committing domestic violence in the middle of the NLCS. So...no. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Great book, fun read!

I thought this was going to be more interesting than it ultimately was. There were a few funny anecdotes and stories but overall the book dragged and felt very long. Pearl man has shown that he is capable of making this type of book very enjoyable (Boys will be Boys) but on this occasion either the subject matter was too dull or the story just wasn't there.

A MUST read for all Mets fans, and even non-Met fans. Written in 2004, I'm embarrassed to say that I only learned of it several months ago. But reading it was terrific. It brought me back to 1986. Jeff Pearlman's research was very thorough. I thought I knew a lot of what went on back then, but there was so much behind the scenes that I had never heard of. Every player was covered in here.

The stories of the team were just sick. The flight home from Houston to NY after beating the Astros to get into the World Series was something out of a movie. Some of the things that took place were simply insane.

The writeup around "Game 6" was goosebump worthy. I might have to read this book every year going forward.

5/10
This took me so much longer to finish than it should have. Very mixed on this book, i think it does a good job of chronicling the history of the ‘86 season and the context surrounding how the team got to that point but, despite the title, it does not feel like the writer particularly considers them bad people. There are stories of team members beating their wives, harassing airline stewardesses, and acting like D1 shitheads, yet there is this constant air of “remember how great this team was?” Sure, it sounds like that team could play one hell of a ball game. But when you don’t shy away from the cruelty of certain members, yet constantly lionize the team and their success in spite of the depravity, it creates this really weird feeling where I dont know if the author wants me to cheer in admiration or scream in horror. You can call them “bad guys” all you want, but when bankruptcy is treated as more embarrassing than a domestic violence charge i have to call into question the pathos the writer has towards those effected by the team.

I've been a Mets fan most of my life and was only vaguely aware of all the shenanigans the team did both on and off the field. I never knew they were thrown out of a bar in Houston and told they coule never return. My heros - Mookie, Gary, Ray, Darryl, Doc, Keith, Nails, Wally, Davey and all the guys - are brought to life in an unprecedented expose that is quite a wild ride.

A very entertaining and informative look at one of the teams I really hated during my youth. There were a few players on the team that I liked, but as a team they were rivals of my Expos and so I hated seeing them win.

Delving into various players lives was quite interesting. I didn't realize how loved and/or hated some of the players were to their fans and even their teammates. Unless they got into legal trouble all I ever really saw of them was their on-field performance, so getting behind the scenes was fascinating. I didn't realize how hard those guys partied.

As for the players upset that someone brought their wife to a party while others brought their side-chick? If you're ashamed or embarrassed by what you're doing, that's a pretty good indication that you should stop doing it.

The narration of the AudioBook was well done, and there were no issues with sound quality. The pacing was well done and the story was well organized.

Love those Mets

I’m very glad I read this after watching the Once Upon a Time in Queens 30 for 30, as the book felt like it lent more color and depth to what I watched, while the other way around would have felt redundant I fear.