As Major League Baseball celebrates the 50th anniversary of the New York Mets in 2012 comes a rollicking chronicle of the team's ups and downs over a half century of baseball. Chapters recount the best and worst teams; underachieving and overachieving players; and even a guide to appreciating the Mets, including tips on spring training as well as the best sports bars to see the Mets on TV without having to fight for the remote. Sidebars relating Mets lore (i.e. Seinfeld's obsession with Keith Hernandez) further add to this celebration of the first 50 years of New York's most frustrating sports franchise.

Matt Silverman is the author of over a half dozen books, including New York Mets: The Complete Illustrated History, and Shea Goodbye with Keith Hernandez. He lives in High Falls, New York.