Luvofthegame
09-12-2006, 11:01 PM
The Press-Enterprise
By ALLAN STEELE
September 11, 2006
Padres catcher Mike Piazza, 38, is batting .280 with 20 homers and 60 RBI for the Padres, who are first in the National League wild-card race
It's been 18 years since the Dodgers signed an unknown 62nd-round draft pick named Mike Piazza. On his 38th birthday last week, the future Hall of Famer sat by his locker and reflected on the journey from Dodger blue to becoming a Mets icon to his current job as Padres backstop. The most prolific home run-hitting catcher in history says he's content, even without the white-hot spotlight. He loves politics, hockey and isn't ready to retire just yet. As for the future, how does Governor Piazza sound?
Q: You played under a big spotlight in Los Angeles and New York. How has this experience been different?
A: It's still baseball. For obvious reasons there's not as much media coverage. I don't mean that in a negative way ... but those cities were fun to play in, and I enjoyed the experience. It's fun here, too. For me, it's a good time in my life to basically get back to baseball in a pure sense, and that's what you have here in a good way ... I think this is what I needed to try to finish out the last part of my career on a positive note, and it's been a good mix.
Q: But do you miss the glare of that spotlight?
A: I don't think I've ever been ego-driven as a player. I've enjoyed some of the residual effects of playing well in a big market. New York City is like the unofficial capital of the world. There are all kinds of people there, like entertainers, and there's great shopping and restaurants, great culture and shows, and those kinds of things are fun ... It is different in some ways, but I enjoy the team here and I enjoy coming to the ballpark every day. There are a lot of positives, but you do miss a little bit of the big city. There's an energy there ... you kind of take for granted.
Q: Is this almost an ideal situation for you? There are two very good backup catchers here, and the Padres aren't asking you to come in here and carry the team at this point in your career.
A: Yeah. It's been a great situation for all of us. These two guys (Rob Bowen and Josh Bard) are going to start in the big leagues soon and it gave me an opportunity to kind of mentor them a little bit. They gave me an opportunity to get my rest, being a 38-year-old catcher now, so I can't express how positive it's been. It's nice to come to the ballpark and not feel like I have to carry the team nine days out of 10, which in some situations in the past I had to. That was my job then and I enjoyed it as well, but at this point I needed to take on a more pseudo-role, be a role player, which is good.
Q: After last year there was a lot of talk of you going to the American League and becoming a designated hitter. Was that even an option, and how close did you come to going to the AL?
A: The decision (to come) here was less of a mechanical decision and more of a spiritual decision as far as the good energy here. They were positive from the start and they were adamant I could help this team, and it seemed like a good place to be. There were some interesting opportunities, but I felt this was the best opportunity at this stage in my career... As far as next year, I don't know. We'll play it out, see how the rest of the season goes. I'm not really, at this point in my career, stressing over it. I just want to enjoy the experience and hopefully get into the postseason.
Q: Who's the best catcher out there right now? Is there a young guy that might be the next big thing?
A: I don't know. I think there's a lot of good quality catchers out there who all have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm just a fan of the position. There's been some great catchers that I've seen, but for the most part, I think to really do a true test I'd like to see a five-year stretch of what they can do on a daily basis. The kid in Atlanta, (Brian) McCann, is having a good year.
Q: You received a long and emotional ovation when you returned to New York earlier this season. Did that kind of surprise you?
A: I was surprised and honored. I was somewhat floored. I didn't expect a reception like that. I was hoping for a positive response, but that was way over the top. It's very special to be loved like that. It's very much a mutual feeling ... It's something I'll never forget.
Q: You guys don't get very many off days. What do you like to do when you don't have a game?
A: I'm a simple guy. I like to get my coffee, read my paper. I love reading about current events and listening to talk radio, more on the political side than the sports side. I'm very much a political junkie. It's fascinating for me. I'd probably be classified a conservative, and I'm a big fan of our military. I really appreciate the freedom they've given us.
Q: So you must really appreciate when they honor the military every Sunday at Petco Park?
A: That's very cool. These guys are true heroes. The don't get a lot of credit for what they do ... especially these days when it seems everything is politically motivated, these guys go out and do their duty unselfishly.
Q: You mentioned politics. Is that something you might want to pursue?
A: No. I admire some politicians because it is a very tough job. I just don't think I'd have the mettle for it. Never say never, but it's such a tough, volatile atmosphere. It takes a special person to do that ... You can't win for losing sometimes.
Q: How much longer do you want to play baseball?
A: I don't know. I'm in such a week-to-week, day-to-day frame of mind. I don't know where I'll be in five years. I don't know where I'll be in two years; I'm just enjoying today. I've been blessed so much in this life. I've made a great living, had great teammates and friends, I have a wonderful family and wonderful wife who's expecting a baby. I can't ask for anything more.
By ALLAN STEELE
September 11, 2006
Padres catcher Mike Piazza, 38, is batting .280 with 20 homers and 60 RBI for the Padres, who are first in the National League wild-card race
It's been 18 years since the Dodgers signed an unknown 62nd-round draft pick named Mike Piazza. On his 38th birthday last week, the future Hall of Famer sat by his locker and reflected on the journey from Dodger blue to becoming a Mets icon to his current job as Padres backstop. The most prolific home run-hitting catcher in history says he's content, even without the white-hot spotlight. He loves politics, hockey and isn't ready to retire just yet. As for the future, how does Governor Piazza sound?
Q: You played under a big spotlight in Los Angeles and New York. How has this experience been different?
A: It's still baseball. For obvious reasons there's not as much media coverage. I don't mean that in a negative way ... but those cities were fun to play in, and I enjoyed the experience. It's fun here, too. For me, it's a good time in my life to basically get back to baseball in a pure sense, and that's what you have here in a good way ... I think this is what I needed to try to finish out the last part of my career on a positive note, and it's been a good mix.
Q: But do you miss the glare of that spotlight?
A: I don't think I've ever been ego-driven as a player. I've enjoyed some of the residual effects of playing well in a big market. New York City is like the unofficial capital of the world. There are all kinds of people there, like entertainers, and there's great shopping and restaurants, great culture and shows, and those kinds of things are fun ... It is different in some ways, but I enjoy the team here and I enjoy coming to the ballpark every day. There are a lot of positives, but you do miss a little bit of the big city. There's an energy there ... you kind of take for granted.
Q: Is this almost an ideal situation for you? There are two very good backup catchers here, and the Padres aren't asking you to come in here and carry the team at this point in your career.
A: Yeah. It's been a great situation for all of us. These two guys (Rob Bowen and Josh Bard) are going to start in the big leagues soon and it gave me an opportunity to kind of mentor them a little bit. They gave me an opportunity to get my rest, being a 38-year-old catcher now, so I can't express how positive it's been. It's nice to come to the ballpark and not feel like I have to carry the team nine days out of 10, which in some situations in the past I had to. That was my job then and I enjoyed it as well, but at this point I needed to take on a more pseudo-role, be a role player, which is good.
Q: After last year there was a lot of talk of you going to the American League and becoming a designated hitter. Was that even an option, and how close did you come to going to the AL?
A: The decision (to come) here was less of a mechanical decision and more of a spiritual decision as far as the good energy here. They were positive from the start and they were adamant I could help this team, and it seemed like a good place to be. There were some interesting opportunities, but I felt this was the best opportunity at this stage in my career... As far as next year, I don't know. We'll play it out, see how the rest of the season goes. I'm not really, at this point in my career, stressing over it. I just want to enjoy the experience and hopefully get into the postseason.
Q: Who's the best catcher out there right now? Is there a young guy that might be the next big thing?
A: I don't know. I think there's a lot of good quality catchers out there who all have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm just a fan of the position. There's been some great catchers that I've seen, but for the most part, I think to really do a true test I'd like to see a five-year stretch of what they can do on a daily basis. The kid in Atlanta, (Brian) McCann, is having a good year.
Q: You received a long and emotional ovation when you returned to New York earlier this season. Did that kind of surprise you?
A: I was surprised and honored. I was somewhat floored. I didn't expect a reception like that. I was hoping for a positive response, but that was way over the top. It's very special to be loved like that. It's very much a mutual feeling ... It's something I'll never forget.
Q: You guys don't get very many off days. What do you like to do when you don't have a game?
A: I'm a simple guy. I like to get my coffee, read my paper. I love reading about current events and listening to talk radio, more on the political side than the sports side. I'm very much a political junkie. It's fascinating for me. I'd probably be classified a conservative, and I'm a big fan of our military. I really appreciate the freedom they've given us.
Q: So you must really appreciate when they honor the military every Sunday at Petco Park?
A: That's very cool. These guys are true heroes. The don't get a lot of credit for what they do ... especially these days when it seems everything is politically motivated, these guys go out and do their duty unselfishly.
Q: You mentioned politics. Is that something you might want to pursue?
A: No. I admire some politicians because it is a very tough job. I just don't think I'd have the mettle for it. Never say never, but it's such a tough, volatile atmosphere. It takes a special person to do that ... You can't win for losing sometimes.
Q: How much longer do you want to play baseball?
A: I don't know. I'm in such a week-to-week, day-to-day frame of mind. I don't know where I'll be in five years. I don't know where I'll be in two years; I'm just enjoying today. I've been blessed so much in this life. I've made a great living, had great teammates and friends, I have a wonderful family and wonderful wife who's expecting a baby. I can't ask for anything more.