Two Sides of Glory: The 1986 Boston Red Sox in Their Own Words

In this book each chapter tells the story of an individual member of the 1986 Red Sox team. With such a varied cast you'd expect different perspectives, and to be sure you get them... but you also get the universal theme that it's only a game. Sure it's an important game, but it's not real life. And real life is what's important.I honestly love every profile... really each and every one has an important story to tell with distinctive voices. But for me three stand out.Jim Rice... A real titan to me. You can tell that deep down he's better than just a great player... he's a good man. You can see the inner struggle. He wants to open up. He wants to 'be nice'. But his history is so full of hard knocks between the racism of the day and the distortions of the press, that it's just hard for him to let people in.Tom Seaver... He meant SO MUCH to this team. Without him they don't get there. Yet he's the ultimate 'What If' story. What if he doesn't get hurt? What if he pitches against the Mets? We'll never know, but I'll wager the Sox win if he does.Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd... Simply the best, most thought provoking section in the book. While Boyd and I have VERY different opinions on Marijuana, we share our passion for baseball and I largely agree with what many think are controversial views of Jackie Robinson and what he meant to baseball.As a person who has researched Robinson for an article I wrote about his relationship with Hank Greenberg, I can tell you that "Oil Can" is spot on in his revelations about Robinson. I will not write a spoiler here as I want you all to read the book, but I will say there's no personal attacks in Boyd's views of Robinson. I will tell you however that his observations and opinions are well knows as a "dirty" little secret in baseball's black community. To argue otherwise is to not accept history.Additionally Boyd is completely correct with his observations on the lack of baseball in poor communities and the black neighborhoods in particular. The proof's in the pudding when you count the number of black Major Leaguers today.Any fan of baseball in this era should consider buying this book. Not just for fans of the Sox or Mets.

This needed to be written. The 1986 Red Sox were one of the great teams in Red Sox history. They had an amazing run. Inconceivable bonehead management, talking about you McNamara, tossed away ending the curse after 68 years. The wait was prolonged to 86 years (interesting number flip, no?) before the 2004 team definitively accomplished what Red Sox Nation long awaited.At the time, ownership was in flux and the manager was a fool. In the playoffs there is only win now or go home. If you can't understand that, you have no place in the dugout, let alone making in-game decisions that matter.Both the players and the fans deserved better. I'll also remember The '86 team as one of the best Red Sox teams and the greatest collection of players we ever had between the lines.

Great book! A lot of information Red Sox fans will appreciate. It will never take the sting out of the loss, but the book does show fans the 1986 Red Sox were a special team made up of some great human beings who made their peace with what happened and moved on to lead good lives.

Great read. 1986 I was 12 years old and was the first year I fell in love with the Red Sox. Being from southern Illinois it didn’t make much sense but I’m still a diehard fan to this day. This book shows how close that team was and how much that season and playoffs affect them still. Great in depth interviews.

As a Yankee fan my entire life I always remembered the Yankee - Red Sox rivalries. I loved my Yankees but always respected the Boston Red Sox. Erik Sherman gives readers some excellent insight into the 86’ Red Sox as a resilient team but more importantly as wonderful group of individuals who truly epitomized the word “Team”.

This was a well written well researched book. Its nice to read a book or an article about the 1986 World Series and/or the season with out spotlighting the NY Mets. Erik Sherman wrote a great book!!

Loved this book as it helped bring back many memories. Instead of writing something thats been written before, the author interviews the players 30 years later. Enjoyable read and highly recommend

I get it - he supports clemens 100%. I suspect instead that there is something with the steroid issueand had he perhaps approached it in a different way, rather than just accepting it completely, mayberoger would have spoken out some ( doubtful but maybe ). i guess you can make the argument that1986 and steroids don't perhaps go together. i expected more objectivity.