So Many Ways to Lose

A seasoned journalist and editor offers a humorously provocative look at the ΓÇ£best worst teamΓÇ¥ in professional sports, the New York Mets.
There is a difference between being bad and being gifted at losing, and this distinction holds the key to understanding the true magic of the New York Mets. 
Plenty of teams have longer and stronger records of championship futility than the MetsΓÇöafter all, since their inception in 1962, theyΓÇÖve reached the World Series five times and won twice, in 1969 and 1986. But when it comes to losing in spectacular fashionΓÇöwhen theyΓÇÖre dead from day one or theyΓÇÖre one base hit from the World SeriesΓÇöno oneΓÇÖs ever done it better. ThatΓÇÖs why the New York Mets are the best worst team in sports, their true secret ingredient, the thing that distinguishes the Mets from all the so-called bad teams who stink without charm or interruption. Mets fans are capable of a bottomless optimism even when itΓÇÖs at odds with all available evidence. Every spring with the arrival of Opening Day, we keep coming back, convinced that this year will be our year.
Sometimes it is. ItΓÇÖs probably not.
In So Many Ways to Lose, Devin Gordon takes a clear-headed, fascinating look at the Mets to understand how one team above all others has perfected the art of losingΓÇöyet remains beloved by millions. Each chapter tells the story of the franchiseΓÇÖs history through the prism of the MetsΓÇÖ singular gift. This version of the MetsΓÇÖ history isnΓÇÖt about the miraculous ΓÇÖ69 team or the dominant ΓÇÖ86 teamΓÇöitΓÇÖs about what happened next.
Featuring exclusive interviews with beloved Mets including Mike Piazza, Ron Darling, Todd Zeile, Frank Viola, and Mackey Sasser, longtime Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen, and long-suffering Mets fans like Jimmy Kimmel, Gordon offers fresh insight into winning, losing, and what it means to be a sports fan.