The Sports Section’s Q&A with Mike Piazza

New York Magazine caught up with former-Met Mike Piazza at the 24th Annual Great Sports Legends dinner in New York.

Here’s a little sampling…

They [the editors] wanted to know if you think the Mets are the unluckiest team in baseball.

No. I don't believe in luck. No. Look, we had a lot of frustrations when I was there. That's just the unfortunate thing of playing for the Mets. The highs are extremely high, and the lows are really low. It's really like a roller coaster. There's really not a lot of middle ground with them.

Piazza's wife interjects: The Chicago Cubs are the unluckiest team in baseball.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly! The Mets have won two World Series. There's no question. Things will get better.

Were you embarrassed by the Mets' performance this season?

No, no, no. We always root for them.

We miss you, Mike.

Remembering 9/11: Mike Piazza’s home run

Today is a day to remember.  Remember all who were lost on 9/11, their families and their friends.  Never forget them.

Yesterday, a teacher asked me what my memories were of 9/11/01.  I can vaguely remember the day, sitting it woodworking class and listening to an old radio play out the news of the morning.

But what I remember most about the days surrounding 9/11 is what transpired 10 days later.

On Sept. 21, 2001, baseball returned to New York.

The Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets squared off at Shea Stadium.  After seven and a half innings of baseball, the Mets trailed by a score of 2-1.

Steve Karsay came on to pitch the 8th for Atlanta.  After inducing a Matt Lawton groundout, Karsay walked Edgardo Alfonzo.  Desi Relaford came on to pinch-run for Alfonzo as Mike Piazza stepped to the plate.

Piazza already had two hits that game, both doubles. 

Behind 0-1 in the count, Piazza stepped into the batters box and hit a home run that meant more to the city of New York than any home run before or since.A towering shot to center field, New Yorkers had a reason to cheer.  It didn’t matter if you were a Mets fan, Yankees fan or no fan at all.  This home run was the first bright spot in the city since the attack.  It was, in a word, euphoric.

I vividly remember sitting on my friends porch and watching this home run through his living room window.  I will never forget Piazza’s home run or the impact it had on the people of New York City.

To relive that moment, here’s a short video on the events leading up to the home run and to see that uplifting moment one more time.

Never forget 9/11.

Opening Night nuggets

Here are some nuggets of info from the gameday press pass for tonight’s game…

• Tom Seaver will throw the first pitch to Mike Piazza.
• On hand for tonight’s game: Rusty Staub, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and John Franco.
• The Broadway cast of West Side Story will perform the National Anthem.
• 200 veterans will be on the field in a pre-game ceremony to unveil a football-field size American flag.
• Four F-18 Hornets will fly over as the National Anthem comes to a close.
• Sgt. Felix Perez, the wounded solider who was in the clubhouse after the Team USA WBC win over Puerto Rico, will be in attendance tonight as a guest of the Mets ownership.
• The Empire State Building will be lit up in orange and blue.
• The game will be broadcast in front of SNY’s studios and will also be carried on the ABC SuperSign  above the Good Morning America studios in Times Square.
• The Mets are 30-17 all time in home openers. (0-2 at the Polo Grounds, 30-15 at Shea Stadium.)

Twitter Poll: If the Mets had to retire one number this year, which one and why?

I'm trying a new thing out here on the blog. I've fully embraced Twitter, and I'm going to be occasionally throwing out some questions or polls about the Mets on Twitter, and posting the responses here.

Last night I asked: If the Mets had to retire one number this year, which one and why? Here are the answers...

• @fscker said: keith hernandez or gary carter. I'm going to lean towards carter becuase he's in the HOF.
• @JD1877 said: Piazza. The 90's were sooo bad but he carried them to the WS. Perhaps the greatest position player in team history.
• @sdn16182 said: #31 mike piazza because he made them respectable again and carried them for years and to a world series
• @letsgoduke said: 17 for good old keith. or 31 for obvious reasons.
• @jrobelen said: Mets should retire Gary Carter's 8 before any other, considering so many NY fans believed he earned his HOF cap here.
• @Mike_Peters said: ...31 duh
• @metgirl4ever said: i'm biased but pick # 31-fell in luv w/baseball & b/came Mets fan n late 90s & he was/is my fav-despite going blonde
• @BkCyclones said: 17, of course, for Keith Hernandez, the best defensive player ever for the Mets, a great clutch hitter, and THE captain!
  

I can't say I don't agree with all of these sentiments. 8, 17, 31.

Piazza putting pen to paper

Mike Piazza is currently writing a memoir on his time in the league.

It's already on my wish list for next Christmas, as the book is due out in 2010. It is currently untitled.

Topics being covered:

He will also talk about the personalities and players from his days with the Mets, including Bobby Valentine, Pedro Martinez, and Rickey Henderson and many others," according to Simon & Schuster. "In the book, Piazza will describe how he matured as a ballplayer and a man over the last decade.

Oh boy, Henderson will be in it? I cannot wait.

Eight years ago today: Bat-gate, the Piazza / Clemens bat toss

Now doesn't that make you feel old?

Eight years ago, Oct. 22, 2000, was that fateful meeting between Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza in the World Series.

The at-bat was highly anticipated, thanks to Clemens beaning Piazza in the head in July of that year, and it did not pass without incident. I'm sure you all remember the bat shattering, Clemens retrieving a shard of that bat, and flinging it in Piazza's direction.

Clemens still maintains he was "just tossing" the bat away, but no one in their right mind couldn't see the intent from The Rocket.

I'll never forget that moment. It was one of the games I actually stayed awake for (I was 11).

Frozen in time, Clemens rearing back to deliver the piece of bat in the direction of Piazza:Does that look like "just a toss" to you?? Yeah, right!

We still miss you, Mike. Maybe he can be the next third base coach?

I am so baffled by this article I don't know where to begin

Confusing and pointless. I've read this article three times and have found nothing which makes sense.

An article about Shea Stadium, written by Denis Hamill (who?).

It begins with the his own lament, one of a "fan" who went to the final game at Shea Stadium. From there, he complains about how much it stunk that the ceremony was held after the game. He's only a few weeks late, no worries.

Then he seems to make up two characters, affectionately called "Dumb" and "Dumber." He claims that he sat near these guys on the final day, but also references to other days too? He seems to have made up this fictitious people to make some sort of point, but it really makes no sense.

The article continues with more whining about Wall Street, some silly "How do you spell 'dot com?'" joke, and oh, look, more economy humor. Hilarious.

Then we get to the point in the "story" when the closing ceremony began, and Hamill has to come out and say one of the more ridiculous things I've ever heard:

But then a painful moment came when Willie Mays, one of the top five baseball players to ever wear any uniform, was introduced to tepid applause. Soon followed by Mike Piazza, a pretty good catcher, but say, hey, not even in the same sport with Willie Mays, and the place went nuts.

Let's take a look at this, Mr. Hamill.

• Yes, Mays is far and away a better player then Piazza. Undeniable fact. But to Mets fans, most of who aren't old enough to have seen him play in his heyday, he doesn't mean much in the history of the franchise.
• Mays played all of 135 games for the Mets, in the very dim twilight of his career.
• Sure he could have gotten a better hand, but as I stated before: as a Met, he wasn't that much.
• Piazza, on the other hand, is a player who crafted his Hall of Fame-to be career with the Mets over nearly eight years and 972 games.
• Piazza hit one of the most emotional home runs in Shea Stadium, and New York City history on Sept. 21, 2001.
• There are so many other things I should be listing here, but if you're any sort of Mets fan, you already know the contributions that Piazza put forth during his time with the Mets. Mays, though an amazing player, did not do that sort of stuff with the Mets, and it was surprising he was even at the ceremony at all.

Guess what this awful article ends with? More economy jokes!

Thank you, Mr. Hamill. I think we all know who the "Dumbest" one is now.

A tearful goodbye

I didn't think I'd be so beat up over this, but I already miss Shea Stadium. That final send off had me in tears from beginning to end, and I wasn't even around for most of that history.

Seeing Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver walk from home plate, out to center field, and "shut the door" on Shea Stadium has me teary eyed even writing about it.

Goodbye, Shea. You served us, the fans, admirably for 45 years. We'll all miss you, but we'll never forget the memories we saw within your walls.

Two notes: The Kid wants in and FJM takes down Lakas

Gary Carter is my new favorite choice for the next manager of the Mets, and not for purely nostalgic purposes, either.

Bart Hubbuch relays a quote from Carter while appearing on an XM sports show:
David Wright

The comments that David Wright made saying that, you know, there’s no spark, there’s no fire [on the Mets]. If anything I would love to bring that to the table because you know me, guys. I love the game, have a great passion for it and you know my enthusiasm and hopefully I would be able to bring that to maybe help turn that ball club around.

Hire him. Now. That is the kind of talk I want to hear from a manager. Fire, passion and enthusiasm are all qualities I want in a manager.

Seriously, hire him.

*****

And my all-time favorite blog, Fire Joe Morgan, takes down Paul Lakas, a self-proclaimed Mets fan and all around fool.

Lakas goes on some crazed, seemingly drunk tirade about how much he hates Mike Piazza for some of the most ridiculous reasons in the world. FJM breaks it down and makes him look like a fool. And rightfully so.

Piazza and Clemens: Together again

Ken Davidoff posts 5 perdictions for the holiday weekend. Here's number five:

5. Mike Piazza, now retired, will cackle with glee when it
occurs to him that he and Roger Clemens will likely be on the
2013 Hall of Fame ballot together, and that Clemens won't get in. Piazza won't
stop laughing until it's time for his induction speech on July 28, 2013 _ at
which point he'll speak for 28 minutes, and then resume laughing.

I burst out laughing, and got some strange sideways glances for it, but it was worth it. Well done, Davidoff.

My childhood hero retires

That's right. As I am sure you all have heard by now, Mr. Mike Piazza has hung up his cleats after 19 years in pro ball.

From Piazza:
New York Mets

I'd like to thank Fred Wilpon, Nelson Doubleday and the New York Mets organization for giving me an opportunity to fulfill yet another dream, playing in a World Series. Steve Phillips, for not just bringing me to New York, but for having the confidence and vision to keep me in a Met uniform long-term. Within the eight years I spent in New York, I was able to take a different look at the game of baseball ... I wasn't just a young kid that was wet behind the ears anymore -- I was learning from other veteran guys like Johnny Franco, who taught me how to deal with the pressures of playing in New York and Al Leiter who knew what it took to win a World Championship. That knowledge is what helped me play for as long as I have and enjoy the career that I had. I'd like to thank New York Mets clubhouse manager, Charlie Samuels for always being on the same page and one step ahead of me.

Steve Phillips should never be thanked.

We love you Mike, please come back to the Mets in any way as soon as possible. You were always more than just a great player.

Piazza to the Bronx?

Mark Healy, over at Gotham Baseball Magazine, has heard rumors of Mike Piazza to the Reds or the (oh no) Yankees.

From Healy:

Up until the last few days, Yankees' GM Brian Cashman has often resisted the temptation of putting Mike Piazza in pinstripes. But with his current catching situation (and don't forget prospect Francisco Cervelli is still out with a broken wrist) and the very aggressive Reds trying to sign Piazza to a contract, Cashman and his advisors -- we're told by a team insider -- are meeting to discuss whether a Piazza move is the right way "to address the current situation."

I think I would cry.

8.11.06...watch the Piazza tribute. its great...

~Welcome Mr. Ladee and Mr. Tucker.
Congratulations on making the Mets.
Enjoy the ride...

~Oh and a "Welcome back Mikey"
if youre a met fan and an american...you will enjoy this...
I cried.

Mike Piazza Tribute

~Sweep of the Padres. first home series sweep this year.
Won 5 of 6 on the home stand.
off to Wash.