Road to Nowhere: The Early 1990s Collapse and Rebuild of New York City Baseball

by Chris Donnelly

Road to Nowhere is the story of New York City baseball from 1990 to 1996, describing in intimate detail the collapse of both the Mets and the Yankees in the early nineties, the Yankees’ then reclaiming of the city and the Mets attempts to rebuild from the ashes. After the chaos of the 1980s, the New York Yankees finally bottomed out in 1990. The team finished in last place, enduring one of their worst seasons ever. Their best player, Don Mattingly, was suffering from a debilitating back injury. Manager after manager had been fired. The clubhouse was a miserable place to be, with moody, egocentric players making life difficult for up-and-coming talent. It looked like New York would remain a Mets town well into the twenty-first century.

Then Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was banished from baseball. Without their manic, meddling owner, the Yankees fell into the hands of Gene Michael. Setting out to rebuild the franchise, Michael made shrewd trades and free agent signings, and he allowed the team’s prospects to develop in the Minor Leagues before getting to the Bronx.

Meanwhile, the Mets, beloved for their intensity and hard-partying ways in the 1980s, became everything that had driven fans away from the Yankees. They made bad trades and questionable signings, fired managers seemingly every year, and were a powder keg of never-ending controversy. The Mets bottomed out in 1993, perhaps their worst season ever, when they not only lost 103 games but officially lost the heart of the city to the Yankees. But by 1996, despite their record, the Mets were already making moves that would return them to relevance and set them on a path to the ultimate showdown with the Yankees.

Road to Nowhere tells the story of how two teams that had swapped roles in the 1980s swapped them right back in the early 1990s. While playing through several difficult seasons, both teams were making moves that would return them to prominence in just a few years.

Genres: Sports, Baseball

368 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2023

Reviews

[David Kateeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those Mets clubhouses were an absolute shitshow. Grown men acting like children with no accountability.
Always the media’s fault. Light a firecracker and throw it into a crowd injuring a 7-year old child, blame the media. Shoot bleach filled super soakers at the media in the clubhouse, blame the media.

Thanks Tom Gase for bringing this one to my attention. Excellent book.

[Tom Gase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read so many books about the Mets in the late 80's, and the Yankees in the late 90's, but what about the time in between for both clubs? Chris Donnelly does a great job chronicling the seasons from around 1990 through 1996. We hear great stories on how both teams seemed to hit rock bottom before building their way back up. There are stories on David Cone, Keith Hernandez, Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield, Willie Randolph, Vince Coleman, Bobby Bonilla, Wade Boggs, Charlie Hayes, Derek Jeter, Paul O'Neill, Bret Saberhagen, Dwight Gooden, Jeff Kent, Eddie Murray, Cecil Fielder, Mel Hall, Bernie Williams, Frank Viola, John Franco, John Wetland, Tony Fernandez, Paul Wilson, Jim Abbott, Jimmy Key and much much more. Long chapters chronicle both the Mets and Yankees side by side. Donnelly knows his New York baseball as he's written books about the Yankees in the 1995 playoffs against the Mariners as well as a book on the 1985 season in New York. If you liked THAT book, you'll also love this book.

[MikeAckerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Chris Donnelly classic. Donnelly is fast becoming on of my favorite baseball writers. His newest , " A road to Nowhere " is a must read for anyone interested in NYC baseball in the late '80's and early '90's. It traces, with vivid accuracy, the paths and travails of the Mets and the Yanks as the teams diverge. As usual Chris provides insights with such detail that you can remember and feel the tension and exhilaration or despair of each win and loss. Now that I'm finished his lastestv tome, I can't wait for the next Chris Donnelly book.