Two Sides of Glory

Book excerpt: Following an epic American League Championship Series win over the California Angels and just one out from winning their first World Series in sixty-eight years, the 1986 Boston Red Sox lost Game Six to the New York Mets in unforgettable and devastating fashion. Then they lost Game Seven and the Series itself. Two Sides of Glory portrays the losing side of the story about one of baseball's most riveting World Series match-ups. With the benefit of years of reflection from the men who made up the '86 Sox, this will be the definitive book on this iconic yet most Shakespearian of Boston teams for years to come. After telling the Mets' side of the story, Erik Sherman turns here to the Red Sox's version, with recollections from players that are both insightful and surprisingly emotional. Bill Buckner, whose name became synonymous with a muffed grounder, speaks openly about the cruel aftermath. Pitcher Bruce Hurst broke down three times while being interviewed. Dwight Evans confesses in his interview that he had never before talked at length about the '86 team. And Roger Clemens talks candidly not only about the '86 squad but also accusations of alleged steroid abuse later in his career and the toll it has taken on his family. In each player's retelling, there is the excitement of history never told and old mysteries answered. The story of the '86 Red Sox is well known, but now, after thirty years, the players have opened up to Sherman like never before. It's an in-depth, first-person account with the intriguing key players who made up this once-in-a-generation Boston team, and also a look at how the extremes of tantalizing victory and heart-wrenching failure shaped and influenced their lives--both on the field and off.