Table of Contents
Part I From Seaver to Piazza 1
Isn't it Romantic: Preface to a Baseball Love Story 3
Plaque in the Day: August 2, 1992 5
Let's Check the Out-of-Town Scoreboard: August 2, 1992-September 1, 1992 16
The Roster Expands: September 1, 1992 25
Part II Emergence & Emergency 29
Spring Awakening: Aprils, 1993-June 30, 1993 31
It's a Family Affair: July 8, 1993-July 13, 1993 40
Endless Summer: July 24, 1993-August 15, 1993 48
A Long September: August 29, 1993-October 3, 1993 53
Part III The Big Dig 67
What Really Happened to the Class of '93?: April 4, 1994-October 28, 1995 69
Used to be their Town, Too: April 1, 1996-October 26, 1996 80
Sense be Damned: April 1, 1997-September 28, 1997 86
Caught Met-Handed: March 31, 1998-May 22, 1998 93
Part IV As Good as it Gets 103
The Commitments: May 23, 1998-October 26, 1998 105
Drama Queens: October 27, 1998-July 10, 1999 120
Life in the City at Century's End: July 13, 1999-October 16, 1999 132
Twenty-Six Innings: October 17, 1999-October 20, 1999 156
As the World Turned: March 29, 2000-October 26, 2000 168
With his Help: April 3, 2001-October 7, 2001 200
Part V Are we Immortal Yet? 211
As Eras End: April 1, 2002-October 3, 2004 213
Going in Style: April 4, 2005-October 2, 2005 216
Slight Return: August 8, 2006-September 29, 2013 225
The Strength to be There: March 17, 2005-October 30, 2015 233
In as a Met: January 6, 2016-July 30, 2016 243
Acknowledgments 259
Select Bibliography 262