Schuyla's Book Club: Pedro, Carlos, and Omar : The Story of a Season in the Big Apple and the Pursuit of Baseball's Top Latino Stars

Today: Schuyla reviews Mets beat writer Adam Rubin's tale of the '05 Mets


It's hard to say what seasons are bookworthy. One could certainly say that 1986 was a Mets season worthy of a book. 1969 too. 1973 maybe? 2000 even. But 2005? Why on earth would anyone write a book about this season, and, moreover, why would anyone buy it? Adam Rubin's book defies that logic. The book takes the reader inside the retooled and rebuilt Mets, going into details about clubhouse hijinks (Cliff Floyd throwing a watermelon at Ramon Castro) and recruiting of players (Jeff Wilpon and Pedro drag racing through the Dominican Republic in Ferraris). Rubin talks about pivotal points in the season, including Beltran's shot against Smoltz, Loop's big blowup in the Bronx, Cammy and Beltran's collision, Jake's thunder in the desert, Miguel Cabrera's bases-clearing double against DaeJean Koo and Loopy's 2 blown saves on one Atlanta night. The book discusses the pursuit of Pedro and Beltran and Omar Minaya's struggle to combat prejudice and take the team to the top. Rubin speaks firsthand about Willie Randolph's struggles and triumphs as a first-year manager. This book mentioned so many moments that dominated my past summer and, in that vein, it brought along a nostalgic sniffle. While it is logical to fear a book that mentions Mike Matthews and Manny Aybar and somehow can get past an editor, this book is everything it should be and more. Highly recommended.