Mike Piazza Ends His Carrer With An Email!!

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After 16 years in the Major leagues and 427 home runs Mike Piazza retired yesterday. He said “After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it was time to start a new chapter in my life,” Piazza, 39, a new Dad, said in a statement. He added: “I knew this day was coming, and over the last two years, I started to make my peace with it. I gave it my all, and left everything on the field.”

In his statement Piazza did not bring up two of the more memorable moments in his career involving current news getter Roger Clemens: First when the New York Yankee Roger Clemens beaned him on July 8, 2000, and when Clemens threw the broken barrel of Piazza's bat in his direction in Game 2 of the World Series that October. Clemens denied intent both times.Piazza is most likely to be remembered as the 62nd-round Draft choice who turned himself into one of the Mets' most famous baseball lplayers. He is certainly going to be remembered as one of if not the best-hitting catcher in major league history and a near-certain 1^st ballot Hall of Famer  

Despite being slow afoot, Piazza was selected in the 1988 draft as a favor to Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who is his godfather. Piazza was converted from first base to catcher and played  for the Dodgers for 61/2 years before he was dealt to the Florida Marlins, a week later he was traded in a huge deal to the New York Mets, where he played 71/2 seasons. He ended his career with the San Diego Padres and then the Oakland A's.Baseball made the decision easier for him. A catcher for the better part of 15 years, Piazza became a full-time designated hitter last year in Oakland. And when he missed half of 2007 with a shoulder injury, there were no offers waiting for him this season. I was really hoping that the Mets would take another shot at him this year to back up at catcher and firstbase,  the same way they did  for Tom Seaver several years ago. But that offer or others never came. Baseball economics are a lot different than the Seaver era.

Piazza will not be remembered as one of the great defensive catchers of his era. Piazza never had a great throwing arm but was praised by pitchers for his game-calling. "You'd have to really go back and see Mike from the early days of trying to catch to where he ended up, the hard work he put in, the dedication he had to get good enough on the defensive end to where he could get his at-bats," said Mike Scioscia now the  Manager of the Los Angeles Angels and former early Dodger teammate of Piazza’s  Joe Girardi, a former big league catcher, and current manager of the Yankees and said:  “He's going to go down as one of the greatest hitting catchers of all time “
 

Mike’s offense was never questioned:

Mike hit .308 over 16 seasons, with 427 homers — 396 as a catcher,— and 1,335 RBIs. He was a 12-time all-star and a 10-time Silver Slugger winner. He hit 30 or more homers in nine seasons, including 40 twice. (once with the Dodgers and again with the Mets)He was in the top 10 of MVP voting seven times — almost half his career — and was the runner-up twice, to Ken Caminiti in 1996 and Larry Walker in 1997. Piazza did not win a playoff game in L.A., but he got to the World Series with the Mets. He finished his career with the most home runs of any catcher in history, one of eight catchers to hit .300 with 30 homers in a season. He did it six times. Roy Campanella did it three times. No one else did it more than once. 

He leaves the game having won the respect of the baseball world.  Now it will be up to the sport writers and the Hall of Fame committee to find his place in baseball history. I think he should be a shoe In for a 1^st time ballot hall of famer.  But as our Zooer Dave Longnecker pointed out to me “that depends who else is on the Ballot that year.” The next question will be will he go to the Hall of Fame as a Los Angeles Dodger or a New York Met. I think that decision will not be entirely up to him. Remembering that Gary Carter wanted to go in as a Met but the Hall chose the Expos’s since it was going possibly be the first and last Expo to make the baseball hall of fame.  In a recent Poll on Root Zoo the Zooers were fairly evenly split with (15) voters saying the Dodgers and (15) saying the Mets.I have many fond Memories of Mike playing for Both the Dodgers and the Mets, he was an example of a solid clutch give 100% player.

Piazza termed his career an "amazing journey." I'm pleased I was fortunate to be there at the beginning of the journey. "Last but certainly not least, I can't say goodbye without thanking the fans," Piazza said. "I can't recall a time in my career where I didn't feel embraced by all of you."

A great player retires with an email, but I will give him my props with this article  Mike We already miss ya  thanks for the memories!!! 

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My memories of a great baseball player

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