This is the story of one of the most dramatic baseball seasons ever, as it stretched both backwards and forwards–from the ghosts of seasons and players past to the reality of what followed. At the beginning of 1986, most of the baseball talk was about money; at the end it was about one of the most dramatic seasons ever, a season that played out like a compelling drama driven by a cast of memorable characters–Bonds, Canseco, Puckett, Ryan, Rose, Boyd, Gooden, Strawberry, Clemens, Hernandez, Boggs, and more. On an institutional level the game was facing critical issues–player contracts, collusion, drugs, free agency, charges of racism, cheating, gambling, the growing popularity of professional football, and the influence of cable TV and satellites. Yet it produced a season of intense drama ending with an unforgettable post-season.