If These Walls Could Talk: New York Mets: Stories From the New York Mets Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box

by Mike Puma, Hank Azaria, Keith Hernandez

Mike Puma of the New York Post provides insight into the team's inner sanctum as only he can

The New York Mets are one of the most historic teams in Major League Baseball, with superstars over the years including Jacob deGrom, Mike Piazza, David Wright, and Tom Seaver. Aided by dozens of new, exclusive interviews, readers will gain the perspective of players, coaches, and personnel from Mets history in moments of greatness as well as defeat, making for a keepsake no fan will want to miss.

Few fan bases display as much rabid devotion to their team as the New York Mets', win or lose. That spirit is celebrated in this colorful collection of stories about the Lovable Losers.

The If These Walls Could Talk series is a one-of-a-kind, insider's look into the great moments, the lowlights, and everything in between in your team's history. Other New York titles

If These Walls Could New York Giants

If These Walls Could New York Yankees

If These Walls Could New York Jets

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 4, 2021

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the New York media and sports radio I had knew about many of the incidents mentioned; still it was fun getting other perspectives. It's always fun reading about my team!

[BTD · Rating 4 out of 5]

While in essence an entire book tearing scabs off of repressed wounds-- it is a really enjoyable read.

[Matthew Herring · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I was expecting juicier stuff, and the writing is pedestrian (to be polite). Seems like an amateur writer, when I know he’s not. Needed a polish.

[Marty Monforte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about the New York Mets.

The book addresses the World Series between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees; the managerial tenure of Bobby Valentine; the signing of Mike Piazza; the hiring of Art Howe as manager; the hiring of pitching coach Rick Peterson; the hiring of Terry Collins as manager; the development of pitchers Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Jakob deGrom; and Zach Wheeler; the decision to sign certain free agents and the decision to not sign others;the no hitter thrown by Johan Santana; and the captaincy of David Wright. There are other topics written about as well. The book focuses on the last 25 years of the Mets’ history.

It was interesting to read the quotes from managers, coaches and players. These quotes were informative and compelling. It was interesting to learn that Al Leiter was frustrated that he did not resign with the Mets after helping them to win 95 games. Leiter wanted to win 100 games with the Mets. He wanted to become the fourth pitcher to win 100 games with the Mets.

Many remember Santana for throwing the first no hitter in Mets’ history. However, he also threw a 117 pitch three hit complete game shut out against the Florida Marlins in 2008 which helped the Mets stay in contention for the playoffs. Bob Ojeda, former Mets’ pitcher, emphasized how much Santana liked being a member of the Mets.

The Mets’ appearance in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals is also discussed. The addition of Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Uribe, Kelly Johnson and Tyler Clippard helped the Mets to become successful that year.

The book closes with a a chapter about David Wright, the Mets’ fourth team captain in the organization’s history. The other three captains were Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and John Franco. Wright’s good character, talented ability and media savvy made him a natural fit for the captaincy.

The book was strengthened by the many quotes which added depth and information to the stories. Bobby Valentine; Al Leiter; Billy Wagner; Rick Peterson; Michael Cuddyer; and. David Wright all had interesting quotes which made the book more compelling. Additionally, Royals pitching coach Dave Elians also had good quotes about the World Series between the Royals and Mets.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested Major League Baseball, and especially someone who is interested in the New York Mets.

[Art Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, quick read of the last 25 years of Mets comings and goings with a focus on the last 15 years. There is a good arc from the mid-90s Mets teams that built to the late-90s postseason appearances, to the transition years of the early 2000s and on to the Alderson/Collins years. The bulk of the text is first-person accounts of on-field and off-field events through both players and front office figures.

As a lifelong Mets fan who follows the team very closely by watching 150+ games every season, discussion boards and online/print sources I knew some of these stories already. However the candor added a level that can only be found through first-person interviews with the benefit of a few years' hindsight. My favorite parts were about Wright and Reyes, though the Santana section was the most complete. Being a Mets fan has its ups and (many) downs, and this account captures that feeling well.

Full disclosure: I met Mike Puma a few years ago when I stayed with him for a few days in Port St. Lucie (a college friend is a lifelong friend of his) and saw him work on his craft first-hand a little. He's a true professional who is the closest thing you'll find to the classic newspaper sports men. I also owe him at least a meal or two the next time I go down there for putting me up for a couple of nights.

[Justin Cosgrove · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice overview of the last 20 or so years of Mets history. I've been a fan for 37 years, so I knew most of the information, but some of the behind the scenes stuff made for interesting reading.
A few take aways:

The Wilpons were awful, with Jeff just as bad as I expected
David Wright is the man
Billy Wagner was a bit of an ass
Rookies were treated like crap until the current crop of players came on the scene
Terry Collins is a good dude who is passionate
Cespedes overstayed his welcome as soon as 2015 ended.

I think I would have liked more depth, but it was a fun summer read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are moments in If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the New York Mets Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box that I learned new information, but a lot of this book is telling facts and stories that are commonly known to Mets fans about the 1990s through 2019. Also, the book would have been stronger if it hadn't jumped around in time; some of the stories and information were good in isolation but didn't always fit well together.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice re-cap of the chaos that is the Mets during a 20 year span ranging from the late 90's to 2018 with the retirement of The Captain, David Wright. I enjoyed reliving the good times, agonized reliving the bad times and shook my head at some of the very Mets ways that they lost or failed to make the playoffs. Like other reviewers, I can't say that I learned anything new since I keep up with the team on a daily basis, but I still enjoyed reminiscing.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth look at the last 20+ years from inside Shea Stadium and Citi Field. As a passionate 30-something Mets fan, it was fun to read and reminisce about all of the exciting, frustrating, and downright strange moments from my lifetime. I wish I hadn't seen a couple of the bigger reveals online before reading, but a fun and easy read nonetheless.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun dash through the Mets history beginning with the Bobby V years. It's a quick, easy read that hit all the points you'd expect. Some will complain about too much time spent on one topic and not enough attention in another, but this book was enjoyable. I'd recommend for any recent Mets fans.

[Jeff Platsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Limited market for this book: Mets fans. But if you are, the behind the scenes moments are enlightening. Just not enough juicy insider dope to merit anything above three stars. Many of the anecdotes have familiar ring, like I’ve heard this story before. But a very quick read. Good for a three hour flight if you don’t want anything heavy.

[Artie Monahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE OF THE BEST WRITTEN SPORTS BOOKS

Excellently written book. A lot of explanation of why things happened. I am a Met’s fan and I enjoyed the insights this book provided.
Loved it…

[Jake Chavez · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Mets fan, I enjoyed this book. However, I was expecting a bit more behind the scenes stuff. A lot of the content in this book is public knowledge, and just recounts of the past 15-20 years. There isn't too many juicy tidbits or crazy quotes as the title may suggest.

[Paul Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for Mets fans.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some nice tidbits about the Mets that I did not know. I found the Wheeler info a little shocking to be honest but then again, this is the Mets we're talking about.

[Adam Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a diehard Mets fan, this book felt like it was missing a bunch. I like Puma, but some big things just MIA

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Imagine you never watched a baseball game, but you Googled baseball stats and quotes from the 90s. That’s how this toothless collection of disorganized clutter reads.

[Tommas Ethridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

really loved the book its was a fun read to reminisce about the mets i grew up cheering for

[Christopher Febles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reporting, very detailed. Wow, can't believe that story about Zach Wheeler! It was an honest telling of what's happened to the Mets for the last 20 years or so. A good window into what worked, what didn't, and how personalities worked (and didn't). Nicely done!

(Disclaimer: this does not - repeat: NOT - change my affiliation. Whatsoever. :) )