The Max

It’s only February, but The Max is fairly confident that our search for the 2009 Man of the Year can be called off. After reading excerpts from Darryl Strawberry’s upcoming book, we formally announce the former slugger as the award winner (however, we reserve the right to de-crown Straw and hand it to multiple other recipients over the course of the next 10 months).

As we have stated time and time again, we really don’t care about stats or the game’s final score. Instead, we want the gossip … we want to see people make fools of themselves … we want the cameraman to focus more on the cheerleaders … you get the point. We feel that Staw embodies these qualities, especially after reading portions of his book:

• Beer “was the foundation of our alcoholic lifestyle… We hauled around more Bud than the Clydesdales. The beer was just to get the party started and maybe take the edge off the speed and coke.”
• 1986 New York Mets road mantra: “Tear up your best bars and nightclubs and take your finest women… The only hard part was choosing which hottie to take back to your hotel room. Lots of times you … picked two or three.”
• Straw also goes into a story about watching an ex-teammate pluck a woman from the stands during a game to have relations with in a private room. “I was jealous. When I saw her heading back to her seat, I gave her a sign. She smiles, turned right back around and met me in that same little room … “I had to be quick and run back on to the field.”

Editor’s note: It’s important to point out that we do not condone Strawberry’s actions. But we sure as heck approve of him talking about it.

Tags: 1986 New York Mets, Darryl Strawberry, Straw