Thank You, Mike Piazza
Mike Piazza retired yesterday, ending his baseball career after 16 years and 427 home runs.
Piazza’s retirement seems a bit forced. That is, he wasn’t signed to play for anyone this year and I get the feeling had someone wanted him he’d still be playing. Five or so years from now, they’ll send his jersey to Cooperstown as the all-time home run king for catchers (396 of his round-trippers came in games he caught.)
~~~
I’ve never been a Dodgers fan. In fact, my wife’s love of the Blue is maybe the most contentious element in our relationship — I can’t stand sitting and watching the Dodgers every night (but we do); I’d much prefer watching the Angels or the NBA playoffs or Law and Order.
But I’m a Piazza fan.
I covered the Dodgers for one of the wire services during the 90s.
It was very much a love/hate gig.
I loved covering major league baseball, loved the press box and the access and the trappings of being a sportswriter. But the Dodgers were terrible mostly during those days (which was sort of fun for me) and going into their clubhouse night after night for quotes was a supreme drag. Tommy Lasorda, in particular, never failed to act like a total prick to me, a true asshole in the worst sense of the word (my only regret was that I never filed a word-for-word recap of one of his foul-mouthed tirades to the L.A. Weekly. My editor there thought it would be funny, but we were both afraid I’d be banned from the stadium immediately afterwards and I needed to not get fired from the wire service job. I was chickenshit and regret it.)
Anyways …
The Dodgers sucked, but Mike Piazza didn’t. He was one of the few bright spots of the era (along with Hideo Nomo’s rookie year, few no-hitters and a perfect game by Dennis Martinez), pounding home runs to right center field and showing grit and determination behind the plate, even though he wasn’t the greatest catcher around.
More than that, Piazza was a good guy, always friendly, honest and available after games. I have a memory of him coming out of the shower area in the clubhouse, a towel around his waist, ice taped to bruises all over his body (being a major league catcher is blue collar work) — probably wanting to do anything but talk about another Dodger loss — answering questions and chatting with reporters.
I had a job to do and Mike Piazza helped me a lot in those days. For both his skill on the field and his class off it, I’ll always be a fan of Mike Piazza.
from the Los Angeles Times
With all your criticism of Tommy Lasorda (hey, I’m not blaming you for that- I know many people who feel the same way), it is only fair to point out that Mike Piazza was Tommy’s godson, and it was Tommy who gave him a shot with the Dodgers, when most people were savaging him for what they regarded as an act of pure nepotism.
Fair enough.
I actually didn’t remember that Piazza was Lasorda’s godson, my recollection was that they were old family friends. I’m not doubting you, I just didn’t remember that fact.
Yes, it’s true, Piazza was a late round draft pick and his shot came mostly because of the connection to Lasorda, so credit the manager for that. In baseball terms, I’ve no real problem crediting Lasorda for a lot of things, he was a good manager and is in the Hall of Fame. He just was a jerk to me.
Anyways, I just wanted to relate a personal experience with Piazza. Anyone reading this who wants to know more about the details of Piazza’s career should look elsewhere.
Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it.
Tommy Lasorda, in particular, never failed to act like a total prick to me, a true asshole in the worst sense of the word (my only regret was that I never filed a word-for-word recap of one of his foul-mouthed tirades to the L.A. Weekly.
I fucking told you not to ask Tommy what he thought of Kingman’s performance. . .
I was at the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City looking for autographs when the Nationals were playing the Padres in 2006. I asked Mike Piazza for his autograph, and he said “wait.” So I waited and when he was in the lobby I asked him again. He said “stop fucking asking me.” I was 12 years old at the time, and was shocked to hear someone curse. You are dead wrong when you say Mike Piazza is a class act. Besides Barry Bonds, he was the meanest baseball player I had ever met.
I agree with this! Lasorda is the biggest prick and is as phoney as they come! He’s just plain RUDE. I’m not the only one that’s experienced this. I have friends and family members who have had the same experience. I can’t wait till he’s out of the picture. I’m a loyal Dodger fan and always will be but Lasorda is the worst representative we could’ve picked. He’s just an asshole. Piazza, yes my favorite player of all time. Thanks for setting the record straight, bro.