What kind of sports franchise do you get when you cross unimaginable, impossible to believe highs with unimaginable, impossible to believe lows? You get the New York Mets. Devin Gordon tells the story in all of its glory and ignominy in his book, So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin' True Story of the New York Mets.

Gordon dubs the Mets "the best worst team in sports," and he comes by his story honestly as a lifelong fan of the team. In prose that is at times longing, at times incredulous, at times snarky, but at all times lively, Gordon recounts the history of the team from its founding to the present day. Did they really lose 150 games (ish) in thei inaugural season, only to win a World Series before the end of the decade? Is it possible that they not only traded their first franchise icon for pennies on the dollar, only to get him back and then lose him again because of what amounts to a clerical error? Did a championship team drink and drug its way down the mountain as quickly as it arrived at the summit? Did a catcher really develop the yips? Are the Mets still on the hook for $1M a year to Bobby Bonilla? The answer to all of these questions is explored with great depth, love, and frustration by the author. Also, the answer to all of these questions is yes.

A disappointment for a Phillies like myself is that Gordon completely skips over the Mets epic face plants in 2007 and 2008, both to the benefit of the Phillies. Instead, the narrative goes straight from the 2006 NLCS to Bernie Madoff. In fairness, both of those were probably wrenching enough for Mets fans.

The story is informal but well structured, and any baseball fans will enjoy it.

However, the book does have a major drawback... it has A LOT of factual errors. While reading I found any number of instances where I knew the book was wrong or suspected as much, and quick research confirmed my suspicions. The most glaring example was recounting the infamous John Rocker comments about New York City and the way they fit into the 1999 National League Championship Series. The problem was that the comments weren't made or published until months after that series concluded. Maybe that's appropriate, that a book about the best worst team in sports is well-written and enjoyable but held back by mistakes.

So Many Ways to Lose is a lot of fun, a necessity for Mets fans, and a good read for any baseball fan. If the errors and mistakes were cleaned up it'd be rated higher, but hopefully subsequent editions can get these things corrected to make for a significantly improved final product.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Subtitle: The Amazin’ True Story of the New York Mets, the Best Worst Team in Sports

This book tells the story of the New York Mets from a fan’s viewpoint. I have to admit that I have never liked the Mets – as a St. Louis Cardinal fan when both teams were rivals in the National League’s East division, I can’t bring myself to root for them. Despite my dislike of the Mets, I requested this book because I enjoy reading books about sports history.


The book naturally focused on the Mets World Series teams from the 1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000 seasons. Not much time was spent on the 2015 team, perhaps because of the rapid turnover of team rosters. I enjoyed reading the details of how important players on each team were acquired and about their careers with the Mets. I don’t agree with the vilification of Carlos Beltran for striking out to end the game that could have sent the Mets to the 2006 World Series, but that’s the position that a lot of the team’s fans take.

I would have preferred a more neutral presentation, but still gave So Many Ways To Lose five stars. I learned things about various players and games that I wasn’t aware of previously and had some laughs along the way. Recommended specifically for New York Met fans and for baseball fans of the 1960-2000 era as well.

Just in time for baseball season comes a book that will have all fans of the New York Mets nodding along with it. Full confession: I have been a Mets fan for as long as I can remember and I came by it naturally, as my father started with them in 1962, going to the Polo Grounds with his Grandmother. Despite the family history, reading this I found there was so much I didn’t know about their early years… their original owner was a woman? Never knew it. In SO MANY WAYS TO LOSE, Devin Gordon writes about what all Mets fans know: They really are “The Best Worst Team in Sports” but are beloved by fans, no matter what “Metsy” thing happens next (and the history is long and varied…READ THE BOOK!). It was quite amazing to all read all of the ups and downs in their history. The only big thing missing, I think, is Johan Santana’s 2012 no-hitter, the Mets only no-hitter in their history, and its aftermath… again Metsy. Not just for Mets fans, this novel will entertain all baseball fans. It will leave you wondering: What’s next? I am truly afraid to ask, but, as a Mets fan, will never be surprised and will always keep the faith and hope for best, no matter how impossible, and this novel puts the “why” into perspective for not only Mets fans, but baseball fans as well. Informative, well-written, and entertaining, I highly recommend this one (not just because I am a Mets fan).
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#SoManyWaysToLose #DevinGordon #HarperBooks #metsbaseball #LGM #baseball

The New York Mets arguably have done less with more than any franchise in baseball, and perhaps in team sports in general.

That's a big statement, but a case can be made for its validity.

The Mets have been around since 1962, when they were something of a replacement for the Dodgers and Giants. Those teams moved to the West Coast in 1958, leaving New York without a National League team until the Mets filled the void. Since then, New York has won two World Series titles, and been in the playoffs every so often. Still, for a team with most of the economic advantages of the Yankees, they probably should have done better.

(Note: I guess the NBA's New York Knicks might be even worse in this department, although the Mets have had a flair for more spectacular flare-outs over the years.)

This brings us to Devin Gordon's book, "So Many Ways to Lose."

Gordon has a good-sized list of writing credits to his name, including regular work at GQ and Newsweek. Here he tries something new. A Mets' fan forever, Gordon has come up with a book that is something like a history of the team - except that it's done with a different approach and attitude. In other words, this is not the Doris Kearns Goodwin approach to history.

This is a New York City writer, with accompanying opinions, at full bluster. Gordon has seen a lot over the years, and he's still angry about some of the lowlights - whether it's a team that was buried in the standings for one reason or another (everything from bad baseball judgement to the Bernie Madoff scandal) or came agonizingly close to doing something memorable. I guess the latter could be summed up by Carlos Beltran's take of a called third strike to end Game Seven of the 2006 playoff with the St. Louis Cardinals.

This book started a little slowly for me. It had a bit too much attitude for me at the start - kind of like bumping into a guy who was a bit too sure of his own opinions on sports matters, and who tried to turn those opinions into facts. I tend to run from those people when I get the chance.

However, over the course of a few hundred pages, Gordon goes about the slow process of winning the reader over. He interviewed several people about Mets' history, including Mike Piazza, Ron Darling, Mackey Sasser, Frank Viola and Gary Cohen. They are surprisingly candid about their days with the Mets, and that helps the story. Gordon also did plenty of research into the Mets' background - who knew that the team had a pedophile on its 1962 roster? And the writer has enough funny lines to move the story along, even if sometimes it's tough to tell when he's trying to make a point through exaggeration and when he's presenting evidence.

This isn't a bad time for such a book. The Mets have been bought by billionaire Steve Cohen, and it seems likely that the team's fortunes will take on different directions in the future. If you want to call the sale an end of an era, be my guest.

It's tough to say how well this book like this will go over outside of the confines of Metropolitan New York. However, that's not the target audience for "So Many Ways to Lose." Long-suffering Mets fans no doubt will enjoy the discussion presented here, even if they don't agree with all of the points. In that sense, you'd have to say Gordon succeeded in his goal.

Wow. I knew that the Mets had a troubled history, but this book really plumbs the depths in a hilarious way. Gordon is obviously a diehard fan, which is the only way a book like this works. Each bad trade, dreadful season or back office calamity is a shared moment of embarrassment and shame.

I'd recommend this for sports fans in general and Mets fans with strong stomachs.

Where do I begin? Mr. Met is on the cover. The title, so apt. The Mets have been a big part of my life since I met my husband in the early eighties. A history of the team, the unlikely, crazy, heartbreaking, exhausting, jubilant history of the Mets needed to be well documented, well organized, well written, honestly and still sympathetically explored. Devin Gordon has accomplished all of this and more. Keeping in mind that I have spent the last 30 years or so as an interested bystander to the rise and frequent falls of the NYM and my beloved fans (husband, son, mother-in-law, sister, nephew), I laughed, gasped, sighed, shed a tear or two, shook my head, and shared excerpts out loud with my family. Did they really do this, did this really happen, were you there....???? Each and every time "So Many Ways to Lose" was affirmed. Will it be updated before publication? I hear that there is so much more going on! Can't wait to buy this book!!

Those who follow baseball, whether or not they are fans of the New York Mets, know that the team has a very interesting history that has more downs than ups. This book written by journalist Devin Gordon, who makes it known from the start that he is a die-hard Mets fan, is certainly one of the most entertaining books a baseball reader can read.

This book will grab a reader right from the start, as the introduction has two very important pieces one must know before diving in. One is mentioned above and that is Gordon's love of the Mets. The second is his definition of the "best worst team" and why the Mets are the perfect embodiment of that definition. Briefly, it means that when they lose, they will often do it in spectacular fashion. This goes well beyond games, standings or championships. He also explains why other teams that may fit the description of "best worst team" such as the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Vikings just don't do justice to that moniker – only the Mets will do.

That last sentence is written in a manner like much of this book is written – with plenty of humor and attitude that New York City is known to have. That is the charm of this book, even if one is taken aback with that "attitude" in real life. By writing in this style, Gordon gives authenticity to his claim about the Mets being that team. He also will describe a particular event as being "Metsy" many times in the book. This is another characteristic that makes this book so hard to put down.

As for what is covered in this book, it truly is a good source of the history of the team. From its beginnings in the Polo Grounds, the historic bad records and Casey Stengel at the helm to the record breaking 2019 rookie season of Pete "Polar Bear" Alonso and just about everything in between, this book covers a lot of Mets territory. Some of the more interesting parts of the book are the chapters on Joan Payson (someone that Gordon believes gets far too little credit for what she did to bring a National League team back to New York), "Bobby Bonilla Day", and Cleon Jones. That last chapter on the treatment he received from the team will really leave a reader wondering how any team can treat a player like that. Other good chapters include the "Midnight Massacre" when the Mets let Tom Seaver get away – twice, Mackey Sasser's yips and why Endy Chavez made "The Catch" instead of Willie Mays. These are all written with knowledge, humor and attitude.

Any baseball reader, from the biggest Mets fan to the team's biggest detractors will enjoy reading this book as it will give fuel to both sides of the coin. For those who aren't emotionally invested in the Mets, it's still a great book to get some perspective on the "best worst team in sports."

I wish to thank Harper Publications for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.