Taking the Field: A Fan's Quest to Run the Team He Loves

by Howard Megdal

Overview

With 162 games a year, the playoffs, and an active offseason, baseball fans almost never stop thinking about their team. And Howard Megdal is no exception: a lifelong and feverish Mets fan, he has been there through thick and (more often) thin. And yet-year in and year out, the Mets seem to find ways to disappoint him. The almost-victories, the mistakes, the lost years: it's all too heartbreaking. And so, mustering his energy, heart, and sportswriter's pedigree, Megdal decided to do something about it. Like become the General Manager of the Mets. It's not an elected office, but that doesn't mean you can't campaign to do it.
One part baseball history and one part personal narrative, Taking the Field is at heart the story of a fan who decides to take control. Staging public rallies to gain support, and hustling for interviews and opportunities, Megdal rewrites the rules for being a fan: if you want a championship so badly, maybe it's time for more than praying at the television and buying merchandise. Maybe it's time for action. As he tells his half-crazy and half-inspiring story, Megdal intersperses the narrative with a history rooting for his team: the Tom Seaver trade, the Doc Gooden saga, the highs and lows, the mistakes, and the moments that made it worth the pain. At the same time, he learns the lessons of this history, outlining for the public his campaign pillars: logic, transparency, and passion. And he is determined to make his impact on the team.
This book has the unstinting passion of A Fan's Notes, the humor and business smarts of Moneyball, and the elbow-grease appeal of Julie and Julia. In the end, it's a love letter to baseball, and a totem for every tormented fan who has ever felt like a part of the game.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608196326
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	05/10/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Howard Megdal is a writer for SNY.tv, MLBTradeRumors.com, New York Baseball Digest, and Poet Laureate of Amazin' Avenue. He lives in Airmont, NY with his wife, daughter, and an organizational depth chart of the Mets on the wall. He has already secured the support of over 20 Mets baseball bloggers, with a collective monthly traffic of over 5 million readers. His website is www.megdalforgm.com.
Howard Megdal is a writer for the Web sites
SNY.tv, MLBTradeRumors.com,
New York Baseball Digest, and Amazin'
Avenue. He lives in Airmont, New York, with his wife,
daughter, and an organizational depth chart of the Mets on the wall. He
has the support of over twenty Mets baseball bloggers, with a collective
monthly traffic of over 5 million readers. His Web site is www.megdalforgm.com.

Table of Contents

Author's Note ix

Chapter 1 We Are the Fans We've Been Waiting For 1

Chapter 2 A Call to Arms: Building the 1969 Mets 10

Chapter 3 Morning in America 23

Chapter 4 The Season of Light, the Season of Darkness 49

Chapter 5 A Day (That Will Live in Infamy?) 65

Chapter 6 The William Jennings Bryan of Baseball Fans 83

Chapter 7 The People Begin to Speak 99

Chapter 8 The Malefactors 115

Chapter 9 A GM Grows in Brooklyn 125

Chapter 10 To Seek a Newer World 142

Chapter 11 The Arc of History Is Long, but It Bends Toward Justice 152

Chapter 12 Our Team, Our Time 163

Chapter 13 Yes We Can 173

Chapter 14 Camelot 184

Chapter 15 The People Have Spoken 196

Chapter 16 When It Was Good 210

Chapter 17 Deus Ex Alderson 223

Acknowledgments 235

Editorial Reviews

With his tongue both in-cheek and out, Howard Megdal has cemented his role as baseball's Pat Paulsen. The winsome story of his campaign for Mets GM reminds us that all good fans go a little crazy from time to time, and that, in the end, is why we love the game.” —Dan Szymborski, editor of Baseball Think Factory

“Now here's a concept any fan could get behind: Make the GM of every team RUN for election. That was Howard Megdal's brilliant idea. And while I'm not sure how many sportswriters could get elected GM, I have to admit that, after reading this thoroughly entertaining book, I'd vote for Howard. Heck, if Moneyball could work, why not Keyboard-ball?” —Jayson Stark, ESPN

From the Publisher

Baseball writer Megdal (The Baseball Talmud, 2009) recounts his 2010 campaign to be elected general manager ofthe New York Mets.

The author was fed up—decades of Mets baseball, and only two world championships and a few postseason appearances. As a lifelong Mets fan, and someone who made his living writing about them, Megdal feared a future of further frustration, especially for his new-born daughter Mirabelle. "No child of the Mets," he writes, "should grow up wondering what October baseball feels like." Convinced the Mets were poorly managed, at a press conference in June, Megdal strode to the podium, giant foam hand securely in place, and announced his candidacy for Mets general manager, declaring, "Ich bin ein Mets fan." He placed his name—the only name—on the ballot on some 20 Mets blogger sites. Though the job was not an elected position, Megdal hoped the Mets' management might at least listen and learn. Their sins were many, and the author recounts them in detail. Too interested in the quick fix, the Mets traded promising young players for soon-to-be-over-the-hill established players. They allowed their farm system to become depleted of prospects, or else promoted such prospects to the Majors long before they were ready. They banished marquee name in trades that made no sense. Also lost along the way were fan loyalty and attendance—the fans were already treated as if they were an inconvenience rather than the lifeblood of the organization. The Mets were dysfunctional, and strong fan response gave Megdal a clear victory, but not the job. Though the author includes plenty of baseball minutiae and a few too many statistics, he balances the narrative with wry humor and endearing vignettes of Megdal teaching the game to his young daughter.

Like the game itself—leisurely and enjoyable.

Kirkus Reviews