“Once Upon a Time in Queens,” directed by Nick Davis (“Ted Williams: ‘The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived’”), is a four-part ESPN “30 for 30” documentary that aired on Sept. 14 and 15. The film features interviews with members of the New York Mets’ 1986 World Series Champion team, such as Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dykstra, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight “Doc” Gooden, Ron Darling and Mookie Wilson, as well as former Mets manager Davey Johnson and former Boston Red Sox pitcher Calvin Schiraldi. These interviews provide a unique, in depth look into the clubhouse of the ruffian ‘86 Mets. 

A major focus of the documentary is the way that the success and swagger of the Mets in 1985 and 1986 directly coincided with an atmosphere of confidence and prosperity within New York City. Interviews with residents, fans and journalists describe how the Mets fleetingly wrestled the attention and support of the city away from the dynastic Yankees. The 1986 Mets perfectly encapsulated the spirit of New York City in the 1980s, and Davis effectively demonstrates the way the Mets captured the hearts of so many. 

However, “Once Upon a Time in Queens” does not shy away from the nitty-gritty of the 1986 Mets. In their interviews, former players reveal some of the unsavory practices they participated in, including the use of alcohol, amphetamines and cocaine. Gooden and Strawberry discuss the influence that illicit drugs had on their careers, and Davis, as well as executive producer Jimmy Kimmel, do an excellent job of emphasizing what may have been for the New York Mets had Gooden and Strawberry managed to stay clean. The film also discusses the numerous on and off field fights the team found themselves getting into, most notably the infamous extra innings game when future World Series MVP, and former Cincinnati Red, Ray Knight threw punches with Eric Davis, resulting in a benches clearing brawl and numerous ejections.

The true focus of Davis’ documentary however is truly to marvel at the incredibly rapid assembly and collapse of what seemed to be baseball’s next great dynasty. As quickly as the Mets built a championship winning team, it all fell apart, leaving fans asking “what if?” “Once Upon a Time in Queens” accurately describes the process in which a losing team managed to load itself with young talent, add experienced veteran leadership via trade, won a World Series and then collapsed on itself. The highlight of the documentary is a roughly three minute highlight reel of the greatest moments from the 1986 regular season, which is set to perhaps the most perfect musical embodiment of the 1980s: Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” The upbeat and seemingly cheerful song hides a darker message, perfectly symbolic of the behavior and issues that were hidden behind the veil of a seemingly unstoppable Mets team. 

“Once Upon a Time in Queens” serves as a strong reminder of the extreme highs of the 1986 World Series win for the Mets, and the crushing lows that followed it. The film is representative of not only that era of Mets baseball, but also what that team meant to the city and the way society embraced the “bad boy” image and status of icons like Hernandez, Knight and Dykstra. Fallen idols, Strawberry and Gooden, serve as a haunting reminder of what might have been, a phrase all too familiar to us Mets fans.

Image from ESPN via YouTube