MattAlbers.com

The ’86 Mets marked a turning point for baseball. Ever since their wild and unruly romp to the World Series title, baseball seems to have grown more corporate and straitlaced with each passing season. That’s a point not missed by author Jeff Pearlman in his new book, “The Bad Guys Won! A Season of Brawling, Boozing, Bimbo Chasing, and Championship Baseball with Straw, Doc, Mookie, Nails, the Kid, and the Rest of the 1986 Mets, the Rowdiest Team Ever to Put on a New York Uniform — and Maybe the Best” (HarperCollins, $24.95). Today, Page 2 excerpts Chapter 1 (“Food Flight”), about the team’s trip back to New York after it won a tense NLCS over the Astros.