Piazza retires after 19 seasons

On May 20, 10:33 pm, "Triple" <rhag... DeleteThis @sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> "AguaGirl" <some... DeleteThis @somewhere.net> wrote in message
>
> news:4833b222$0$7058$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
>
>
>
> > "Triple" <rhag... DeleteThis @sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
> >news:nsKYj.2412$l97.2183@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com...
>
> >> "LACountyRefugee" <LACORefu... DeleteThis @spamsux.net> wrote in message
> >>news:tRHYj.104$Di1.69@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com...
>
> >>> "LACountyRefugee" <LACORefu... DeleteThis @spamsux.net> wrote in message
> >>>news:ONHYj.103$Di1.14@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com...
> >>>>http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080520&conten...
>
> >>>> 05/20/2008 3:28 PM ET
> >>>> The Associated Press
>
> >>>> BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Mike Piazza is retiring from baseball
> >>>> following a 19-season career in which he became one of the top-hitting
> >>>> catchers in history.
> >>>> "After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it
> >>>> is time to start a new chapter in my life," he said in a statement
> >>>> released by his agent, Dan Lozano. "It has been an amazing journey."
>
> >>>> The 39-year-old Piazza was not on a team this season.
>
> >>>> Taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 amateur
> >>>> draft, Piazza became a 12-time All-Star, making the NL team 10
> >>>> consecutive times starting in 1993.
>
> >>>> He finished with a .308 career average, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBIs
> >>>> for the Dodgers (1992-9, Florida (1998), New York Mets (1998-05), San
> >>>> Diego (2006) and Oakland (2007).
>
> >>> The one trade that changed the the Dodgers and Dodger fans for many
> >>> years. May 15, 1998, the day I stopped being a Dodger fan.
>
> >> But we got Charles Johnson! And we all know how he contributed to the
> >> team for so long.
>
> > It's not who we got...it's who we had. With Paulie in the wings there was
> > no need to pay Piazza and with Martin in the wings there was no reason to
> > keep Paulie. I wonder if Piazza girl is retiring from fandom now.
>
> Didn't we get Johnson from Florida, which was Piazza's first stop on the
> "Out of LA Express?"
>
> No reason to keep a hitter like that? There is always a reason to keep a
> hitter like that. I was no fan of Piazza the catcher but a great fan of the
> hitter. I did enjoying watching Paulie and now enjoy watching Martin on both
> sides of the game. Piazza was not losing it when the Dodgers so rudely
> parted company with him.
>
>

Here we go again, I'll expect PG to show up right after I post to come
to his recue.

Considering that the Dodger front office had made an offer of 84 mil
over 6years, which would have made him the highest paid in the league
at the time, but his agent turned it down believing, and convincing
Mikey, that he would be the first 100+ mil player. There was no way
the Dodgers could have kept him. Too if Mikey wanted to stay he had
the opportunity because Chase Carrie (sp?) told Lozano that that was
their final offer and that they were working on a trade with the Fish.
Lozano told Piazza that it was just posturing and strong arm tactics.
Hell, Carrie even went back to Lozano and TOLD him they were close to
a deal and he still turned the offer down. Add to that that he then
figures out he's not going to get the 100+ mil and signs for almost
the same contract the Dodgers offered and without the no trade he was
demanding and said he wouldn't sign with the Dodgers umless he got.
Rude yeah, but not on the Dodgers part but on Piazza's and so when he
comes back he can't figure out why he was booed? People felt that
Piazza betrayed them. On top of all of it if it weren't for the
Dodgers he'd have been working for dad at one of dealerships (IIRC
that's what his father owns)
 >> Stay informed about: Piazza retires after 19 seasons 

"Mike De Leon" <lazlo98.DeleteThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:d10504d8-2f1a-47a8-ab4e-8617ddc996df@8g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>>
> Considering that the Dodger front office had made an offer of 84 mil
> over 6years, which would have made him the highest paid in the league
> at the time, but his agent turned it down believing, and convincing
> Mikey, that he would be the first 100+ mil player. There was no way
> the Dodgers could have kept him. Too if Mikey wanted to stay he had
> the opportunity because Chase Carrie (sp?) told Lozano that that was
> their final offer and that they were working on a trade with the Fish.
> Lozano told Piazza that it was just posturing and strong arm tactics.
> Hell, Carrie even went back to Lozano and TOLD him they were close to
> a deal and he still turned the offer down. Add to that that he then
> figures out he's not going to get the 100+ mil and signs for almost
> the same contract the Dodgers offered and without the no trade he was
> demanding and said he wouldn't sign with the Dodgers umless he got.
> Rude yeah, but not on the Dodgers part but on Piazza's and so when he
> comes back he can't figure out why he was booed? People felt that
> Piazza betrayed them. On top of all of it if it weren't for the
> Dodgers he'd have been working for dad at one of dealerships (IIRC
> that's what his father owns)

Yeah, what he said <g>
 >> Stay informed about: Piazza retires after 19 seasons 

"Dan Szymborski" <dan.RemoveThis@baseballprimer.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.229f765ea07df46f989726@news-server.woh.rr.com...
> In article <AWWYj.2$Ti2.0@flpi148.ffdc.sbc.com>, LACORefugee.RemoveThis@spamsux.net
> says...
>>
>> "AguaGirl" <someone.RemoveThis@somewhere.net> wrote in message
>> news:483438be$0$20192$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
>> >
>> > "Miguel MB" <PUN.RemoveThis@yaho.com> wrote in message
>> > news:PMPYj.70$5g7.64@newsfe02.lga...
>> >>
>> >> LoDuca is no replacement for Piazza. That's just a losing argument.
>> >> Martin, on the other hand, is the first Dodger backstop to make me
>> >> forget
>> >> Piazza.
>> >
>> > LoDuca AND HIS SALARY is. Mike is / was one of the best hitting
>> > catchers
>> > ever and he was a good backstop...but 13 million? 7 years? That would
>> > have been a big chunk out of the Dodgers payroll for one player....for
>> > 7
>> > years. Big ol ouch.
>>
>> Yeah, IT WAS a BIG OL OUCH!!! Except that pain came from Kevin Brown
>> instead. So I gues the question is in hindsight, who would you rather
>> have
>> paid that money to? Which would have been better for the image and
>> overall
>> health of the franchise. The trade of Piazza alienated tens of thousands
>> of
>> Dodger fans.
>
> I think the fuss is unwarranted. I would have kept Piazza instead of
> Brown, but it's silly to say, in the end, Brown's contract hurt the
> Dodgers in any way. They got 3 amazing seasons from Brown, half of a
> 4th amazing season, and half of a single bad season and managed to swap
> the riskiest years of his contract for 2 league-average seasons from
> Weaver.

Too bad they couldn't swap back for all the goodwill they lost with the fans
they lost.
 >> Stay informed about: Piazza retires after 19 seasons 

"AguaGirl" <someone DeleteThis @somewhere.net> wrote in message
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>
> "Triple" <rhager4 DeleteThis @sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
> news:4q2Zj.80$d15.24@flpi144.ffdc.sbc.com...
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>> "LACountyRefugee" <LACORefugee DeleteThis @spamsux.net> wrote in message
>> news:AWWYj.2$Ti2.0@flpi148.ffdc.sbc.com...
>>>
>>> "AguaGirl" <someone DeleteThis @somewhere.net> wrote in message
>>> news:483438be$0$20192$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
>>>>
>>>> "Miguel MB" <PUN DeleteThis @yaho.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:PMPYj.70$5g7.64@newsfe02.lga...
>>>>>
>>>>> LoDuca is no replacement for Piazza. That's just a losing argument.
>>>>> Martin, on the other hand, is the first Dodger backstop to make me
>>>>> forget Piazza.
>>>>
>>>> LoDuca AND HIS SALARY is. Mike is / was one of the best hitting
>>>> catchers ever and he was a good backstop...but 13 million? 7 years?
>>>> That would have been a big chunk out of the Dodgers payroll for one
>>>> player....for 7 years. Big ol ouch.
>>>
>>> Yeah, IT WAS a BIG OL OUCH!!! Except that pain came from Kevin Brown
>>> instead. So I gues the question is in hindsight, who would you rather
>>> have paid that money to? Which would have been better for the image and
>>> overall health of the franchise. The trade of Piazza alienated tens of
>>> thousands of Dodger fans.
>>>
>>
>> And the article I posted showed Fred Claire the trade was for NewsCorp PR
>> and Broadcast right reasons, not baseball reasons. That trumps any
>> argument that it was a good trade.
>
> Not in my book. Sadly, business and baseball are hand in hand.

They do but business income was for NewsCorp in another market and likely
another subsidiary. I assume none of the money from Florida TV rights went
to buy Dodger players.
 >> Stay informed about: Piazza retires after 19 seasons 

"LACountyRefugee" <LACORefugee.TakeThisOut@spamsux.net> wrote in message
news:pFnZj.175$ZE5.101@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
> Too bad they couldn't swap back for all the goodwill they lost with the
> fans they lost.

what fans are these? Seriously...there wasn't a drop off in attendance,
merchandising didn't suffer. Maybe all the Piazza fans were replaced by
Kevin Brown fans eh? Sorry, but there is no data to support your claim of
losing tens of thousands of fans. 10 maybe. You, Piazza girl, uhhh...Mike
and his family...
 >> Stay informed about: Piazza retires after 19 seasons 

"AguaGirl" <someone.DeleteThis@somewhere.net> wrote in message
news:48362a48$0$4069$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
>
> "LACountyRefugee" <LACORefugee.DeleteThis@spamsux.net> wrote in message
> news:pFnZj.175$ZE5.101@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>> Too bad they couldn't swap back for all the goodwill they lost with the
>> fans they lost.
>
> what fans are these? Seriously...there wasn't a drop off in attendance,
> merchandising didn't suffer. Maybe all the Piazza fans were replaced by
> Kevin Brown fans eh? Sorry, but there is no data to support your claim of
> losing tens of thousands of fans. 10 maybe. You, Piazza girl,
> uhhh...Mike and his family...

I wasn't fond of the trade but I hated the LoDuca deal. But I didn't stop
forking over my money until this year. It was many things baseball related I
didn't like that made it easier to give up the tv. No tv, no money spent on
MLB Extra Innings. Had I been thrilled with the Dodger front office and not
been continually disappointed by poorly conceived moves, continually selling
the team and all that, I'd be paying. But I didn't leave over one trade.
 >> Stay informed about: Piazza retires after 19 seasons