I am genuinely saddened.

I hope the Dodgers at least have a pregame ceremony to honor him.

At least that hastens the day I'll be heading to Cooperstown for the 1st time. I should be ready to retire by the time he gets the call and I think I'll spend a month hitting baseball stadiums on my trek.

Farewell Mike! No question he is headed for the Hall, yes?

3 Count me in.

Ya knew it was coming .... but its still a bit sad.

I'm glad he's got things to turn to and concentrate on now.

4 - No question.

I started following the Dodgers in 1984 or so, and I just missed Pedro Guerrero's back-to-back 30 HR / 100 RBI years in 1982-83. At some point in the early 1990s (it was probably the disaster year of 1992) I kept wondering, "it sure would be nice if my team could have a 30/100 guy."

Blammo! Along comes Piazza (and eventually, Karros too). All this from a catcher? Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

The final day of the 1993 season, Piazza cemented his legacy for me by vanquishing the hated Giants (even though the not yet as hated Braves benefited) with his two bombs.

It seemed Piazza had more power to the opposite field than most players did pulling the ball.

Obscure but cool stat: Due to the players' strike and an injury, Piazza only had 46 PA in 11 games after June 4, 1995. But on that late a date he was hitting an amazing .523 (23 for 44).

Here's hoping the Dodgers retire his number post haste.

In 1993, two rookies faced off with the Division Title on the line. I never would have thought Salomon Torres would last longer in the majors than Mike Piazza.

I was in attendance at what was likely the most famous moment of his career -- I wish he'd taken that bat splinter and sent it right back at Clemens.

I would only go to a pregame ceremony for Piazza if Chase Carey and Peter Chernin were also invited and I was also allowed to throw garbage at them.

4 7 But which team's hat does he wear?

Going back to the last thread, I agree with Eric that the Dodgers should call up LaRoche if Jones is DLed for one big reason, to show appreciation to Andy for the hard work to get back at least a month before anyone thought he could. Torre has indicated that he told him that a few weeks ago and by bringing him up, the Dodgers could confirm this appreciation.

4 No question unless Kirk Radomski or somebody starts calling up reporters.

I'm gonna go ahead and repost that long LATed post.
-----

So we haven't discussed the use of Jones' roster spot very much. Is there any legitimate candidate other than LaRoche? (Granting the possibility that the Dodgers may well just decide to sign Chad Fonville or somebody just so they won't have to call LaRoche up.)

There is no argument to made for needing LaRoche to get regular playing time at AAA. He's not like Hu -- he's not a developing player. He's a 24-year-old major league hitter who should have gotten a regular job long ago, and who has merely been toying with AAA pitchers.

Likewise, there is no argument to be made for needing to replace Jones with an outfielder. The Dodgers don't need five outfielders, as evidenced by the fact that they've used their fifth outfielder for all of three innings in 2008. And if they did need a fifth outfielder, that man could be LaRoche, who's played the outfield in the major leagues. (Note that I'm not necessarily advocating he play there, just noting it as a possibility.)

There is no other obvious candidate at Las Vegas or Jacksonville to be called up, unless you think we need 13 pitchers or you like the Quadruple-A goodness of a Terry Tiffee or John Lindsey.

So, it's pretty clear-cut, right? LaRoche could serve as a pinch hitter, start once a week in place of DeWitt (and more if DeWitt starts slumping), and play left field if necessary. There's no reason we'd want him in AAA, and there's nobody else in AAA we'd want. It seems like a self-evident choice to call up Andy. You can never underestimate the Dodgers' ability to do the wrong thing, but short of that, I think LaRoche will be here on Monday.

11 - Mets.

11 : Without looking, he definitely had his best seasons on the Dodgers, right? But I know he was beloved in New York, too, especially after he homered to win the first post 9/11 game in the city.

This reminds me, we are coming up on the 20th anniversary of one of the great months in Dodger player acquisition history. In June of 1988, the following players were drafted or signed by the Dodgers:

Eric Karros
Mike Piazza
Raul Mondesi
Pedro Martinez

The also signed former AL All-Star Damaso Garcia :) on June 29, but he was released before ever playing with the big club.

15
I agree. Piazza played in the World Series with the Met and got the sharp end of a broken bat thrown at him while he was a Met. And he got beaned while he was a Met. And the Mets actually showed appreciation for him.

Unlike the Dodgers ownership.

Have I mentioned that I didn't like Carey and Chernin?

I would say I can't believe that trade was already ten years ago, but I'd be lying. Seems like a lifetime ago.

I think there's no question he'll wear a Mets cap. Which makes me sad, but while he was a significantly better player with the Dodgers, he played significantly longer with the Mets. That's what most baseball fans will remember him as. Doesn't hurt that he played his only World Series with the Mets too. And that his departure from NYC was less acrimonious than his departure from LA.

... Last Wednesday marked ten years since a Day Of Infamy in Dodger history -- May 14, 1998. And now, Piazza's career has sadly come to a close.

It's also very sad to me that Michael spent more time as a New York Met than he did here.

I own exactly one Dodger jersey. It has the number 31 on it. In my mind, he will always be a Dodger; my favorite Dodger.

20 Maybe uncle Tommy could convince him otherwise.

No matter what you think of Ned, you at least have to believe that he wouldn't think trading the best player in baseball is the solution to our problems.

With LA
3017 PA, .331/.394/.572, 159 OPS+
5 seasons of 140+ OPS+
2 playoff losses, both sweeps

With NY
3941 PA, .296/.373/.542, 136 OPS+
3 seasons of 140+ OPS+
2 playoff appearances, 2 NLCS, 1 World Series

He's probably going in as a Met, but it's a close call.

22
It's not Uncle Tommy's or even Piazza's decision.

Personally, I think Piazza should not have a cap on his plaque. That was some good hair.

The one thing that I think could put him in a Dodger hat is, frankly, the Lasorda factor. Piazza's rise from obscurity is such a huge part of his story. To me, his origin story is bigger than his being in a World Series (and not winning one). I'm not saying others will think that way, but perhaps the key decision-makers might.

If Piazza goes in with a Dodger hat, I assume the Dodgers then retire his number?

Illogical as I know it is, I still hoped to see him retire as a Dodger.

14 - Eric, that is a rock-solid set of arguments for LaRoche.

But I'll bet they call up Repko.

Obviously, I hope I am wrong.

Adroin up, Bennett to the DL, per ITD.

To show how messed up the Dodgers were in the Fox era, they get into a contract dispute that is more about ego than money with their best player and trade him and get a guy who his just as well. And a couple years later, they get into a contract dispute with him that's more about ego than money too and trade him.

Except they didn't get an equivalent replacement.

25 It's definitely Piazza's decision. The Hall will only step in and overrule if the player picks a hat that's clearly absurd. (i.e. Boggs with the Devil Rays.)

If there are multiple legitimate choices (i.e. Fisk, Winfield, Ryan), the Hall will let the player make the decision.

I've never thought the Piazza trade was that bad because Piazza was:

A.) A catcher, and a likely decline in his offensive stats was something likely to happen as he aged.

B.) He had refused a contract extension, and if he had not been traded the Dodgers may have got very little in return for him.

C.) Gary Sheffield was a great hitter in his own right. Bonilla/Eisenreich sucked, but I thought getting Sheffield was fine.

What did the Marlins get out of their Piazza deal?

If anyone got the shaft, it was probably Florida.

29 Speaking of former power-hitting catchers with ties to Philadelphia who have announced their retirements, is it too late to lure Mike Lieberthal back?

29 Any word on who gets waived to make room on the 40 man?

34 Schmidt to the 60 day DL, per Diamond.

There's a Bennett post below this one if anyone cares. Chat can stay here.

Love the new post down low, let Piazza have top billing.

21
I own two Dodger jerseys: #31 and #32.

26
Does Piazza have to go into the Hall wearing a Dodger hat for the team to retire his jersey number? Is that actually part of the criteria? Seems to me they should hang up his jersey regardless of what hat is on his plaque.

The Marlins got Preston Wilson and later flipped him for Juan Pierre (and Mike Hampton) for Piazza.

38 That's a good question. I doubt if anyone knows whether that's part of the criteria because the situation has never come up before. It'll be interesting to see what they do.

Piazza will become the lowest draft pick inducted into the Hall of Fame. And the distinction will be permanent, since the draft only goes 50 rounds now.

On a semi-related note, the dodgers preference/inability to sign any of their young players long term has severally dampened buying a jersey. I've thought about trying to seek out a retro 53, but I also really like the idea of 55 the day a long-term contract is signed.

32 - they traded the best hitting catcher of all time at the age of 29. 33, 34 years old, I can understand the concern. But Piazza was, looking at his numbers, in the middle of his prime years. After D4P, it was the worst trade in the history of the franchise.

It's going to be a bittersweet day when Piazza goes into the Hall of Fame with a Mets cap. It never should have been that way.

And shame on the Dodgers for letting any player, including one as good as Brad Penny, wear 31 on their back since he's been gone.

The Marlins still have Sergio Mitre, Ricky Nolasco, and Renyel Pinto to show for Piazza.

The Dodgers, of course, have Ethier to show for him.

34 They could put Schmidt on the 60-Day DL. His rehab can go into June and even if they wanted him to pitch in the 5th spot, the first time it comes up is the 27th and then June 1st so its not that big a deal.

35 45 Sorry, I should read these comments more closely. But at least that guarantees that they will give Jason probably the max amount of time he can take which is another 3 weeks.

41
I won't buy jerseys of current players. Though DeWitt's hot start has me tempted to continue my drive through the 30's and add #33 to the collection.

Or I could always just buy it as a tribute to Jeff Hamilton.

Is it possible that the today's two posts are related?

Maybe Ned lobbed a call to Piazza's agent last night and that nudged Piazza into making his announcement today?

Wishful thinking?

47 It's been a much easier selection for my NFL representation (Colts fan since birth) to select current players, but I'm thinking of adopting a similar philosophy in baseball.

The two problems that always arise are a) It's been hard to find a good retro jersey and b) I haven't really lived to see a Jersey-worthy Dodger play. Piazza was close, but I was 12 when he was traded and only have faint memories of hearing his name called over the PA

10

... I think I'd be arrested for what I would do to them. I couldn't care less if I never heard their names again.

The Dodgers, of course, have Ethier to show for him.

I had to think about that one ...
Piazza for Sheffield/Bonilla/Eisenreich/C Johnson
Sheffield for O. Perez/Jordan/A. Brown
A. Brown & F. Gutierrez for Bradley
Bradley & A. Perez for Ethier

And of course, Andrew Brown got traded for Milton Bradley one more time.

I don't really think there's a baseball-related argument to be made that the Piazza trade is the worst or second-worst in franchise history. I get the feeling that those saying this mean it was the worst in emotional terms rather than in baseball terms.

We got a Hall of Fame hitter back in return, too. A better hitter than Piazza, actually. That needs to be considered. In terms of what we gave up and what we got back, the John Wetteland and John Franco trades, among others, were worse.

I have a lot of great Piazza memories. One that came to me is this game http://tinyurl.com/6jupv9, a midweek day game that I went to on a whim with a couple of buddies. Ismael Valdez out-dueled Pedro for a 1-0 win, and the only run came on a Piazza homer, the hardest hit ball I ever saw in person. It was a line drive that hit the back wall of the Dodger bullpen on the fly. I swear it was never more than 20 feet off the ground.

53 My memory often deceives me on these types of recollections but the two players who come to mind for hitting the hardest line drives are Pedro Guerrero and Mike Piazza.

Anyone disagree.

This is a very sore subject for me. Piazza should have never been traded we all agree. He also went to the WS with the Mets. However, let us not forget what he did as a Dodger: Rookie of the year, 40 homeruns, part of the four players to hit 30 or more in one season, catching Nomo's no-hitter. Not to mention he got his only chance to play in the bigs with the Dodgers because of his Godfather Tommy. If anyone has any pull out there please let's call the Dodgers' front office and tell them to acknowledge this much beloved Allstar and future HofFamer. Charles Steinberg is in to the whole sentimentality of the Dodgers and hopefully he'll put Piazza's picture on Dodger Stadium and retire his number (not to mention Garvey's, Hodges, Wills, and Fernando's). Also, Piazza should have been part of the Opening Day ceremonies. Why wasn't he there. I'd love to see all the Dodger Thoughts bloggers call Dodger Stadium on this one. I don't often get a chance to submit my views, but this one is too important to pass up. Thanks for indulging me.

I still find it puzzling that Piazza didn't wind up with an AL team for the second half of his career. Imagine the total value he could have had DHing half the time. That's when I realized that MLB is not a rational marketplace.

Sayeth Piazza:

"But I have to say that my time with the Mets wouldn't have been the same without the greatest fans in the world. One of the hardest moments of my career, was walking off the field at Shea Stadium and saying goodbye. My relationship with you made my time in New York the happiest of my career and for that, I will always be grateful."

... I think we can rule out a Dodger cap on Michael's Hall of Fame plaque. As sad and infuriating that is to me, I can't really blame him.

54
Not me
http://www.truebluela.com/2008/5/20/523975/piazza-no-more

56
I think Piazza loved catching and didn't want to just hang around the clubhouse between at bats. Some guys are baseball players, some aren't.

I've already posted this on BBTF, but it works here, too:
What I'll forever remember about Piazza is the follow-through on his swing.
There he is, in the batter's box, on his tip-toes in a closed stance. Both hands remain on the bat, which now is over his left shoulder, the barrel pointed at the ground.
Meanwhile, the ball is rocketing toward the seats in right-center. (I've never seen anyone with better opposite-field power.)

JT you're probably right, but imagine if the Dodgers had a Mike Piazza night something like that and Tommy had a talk with him. What does he really owe the Mets organization? The Dodgers however, gave him his start and so much more.

I can't imagine that the Hall isn't the criteria for the Dodgers if they didn't retire the numbers of Fernando, Garvey, etc.

The only exception has been Jim Gilliam, who died unexpectedly on the eve of a World Series.

I would retire Fernando's number before Piazza's if the Hall isn't a criterion.

I will always remember Piazza as the first player in baseball who started hitting tons of home runs to the opposite field. Even though I have no idea whether that's actually true or not.

54 - Not me.

57 - His comments about his time in New York illicit many disappointing and envious feeling within me.

"The Dodgers today placed Gary Bennett on the 15-Day Disabled List (retroactive to Monday) with left foot plantar fascitis."

Isn't that what Tim Salmon had? That's a rather serious malady if I'm not mistaken.

58 Nice.

62 I don't think most are questioning that the Hall is a criterion; it's whether being inducted into the Hall as a Dodger is a criterion.

Piazza hit the ball harder to all fields than anyone I remember seeing. His line drives seemed to reach the outfielders faster than anyone else's.

I also remember gong to a game against the Cubs with a very young Kerry Wood pitching. With the bases loaded, Wood brushed Piazza back (likely on accident) and got a big reaction from Piazza and the crowd. Later in the at bat, Piazza hit a grand slam on a weakly hit fly ball down the right field line. I'm going to search baseball reference and see if I can find it.

54

Winfield and Sheffield would also be in my group for hardest line drive hitters.

67 I've had it and while I could see it being a problem for a catcher, it's not horrible pain.

The only problem is the only cure is resting it.

"Plantar fasciitis"

The malady is a proofreader's nightmare.

I've been a Dodger fan since '73'74. Mike Piazza is the first "immortal" player I saw wearing the blue. He was the best Dodger I ever saw and, like Shaq, never truly appreciated by the media in this town. There was always something about Piazza to harp on--the defense, the contract, what have you. I got sick of it but I never dreamed he would get traded.

http://tinyurl.com/59njez

That was easy.

Piazza will unfortunately chose the Mets cap for the HOF. Just read the article in the NY Daily News where he singles out the Mets fans as the ones he loves the most...

Last but certainly not least, I can't say goodbye without thanking the fans. I can't recall a time in my career where I didn't feel embraced by all of you. Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland and Miami - whether it was at home or on the road, you were all so supportive over the years. But I have to say that my time with the Mets wouldn't have been the same without the greatest fans in the world. One of the hardest moments of my career, was walking off the field at Shea Stadium and saying goodbye. My relationship with you made my time in New York the happiest of my career and for that, I will always be grateful.

One more thing on Piazza. I don't see how he could hold anything against the Dodgers today since the McCourt era has nothing to do with the Fox era. It was Fox alone who did what was done to Piazza. Today's Dodgers org. would never had made such a blunder.

I had a busy day and didn't find out we won last night until just now. It is very pleasant to fall asleep on the east coast pretty sure of a loss and find we won twice in a short stretch. And DeWitt is really becoming a problem, albeit a nice one.

Bennett marks the third time this year that the Dodgers have come up with a mysterious, previously-unheard-of injury for a player whom they coincidentally needed off the roster for performance reasons.

I kind of like it, actually. They did the same thing with Marlon Anderson last year, but I don't think they've ever done it as much as they have this year.

The media reaction to the Piazza trade, if anyone is interested:

http://dodgermath.com/?p=260

55

... I think there are many, many Dodger fans who feel as you do. Once Piazza reaches the Hall, I'm sure that the Dodgers will retire his jersey. That ceremony will be a chance for all of us to show him the appreciation for what he did here, and that we never wished for him to leave.

And I agree with 52 in that the emotional attachment to Michael being a Dodger was the reason why the trade is looked back on as one of the worst days in this team's history. The talent-for-talent exchange wasn't bad at all, in fact, the Dodgers probably "won" the trade on that basis.

I think Kobe had Plantar Fascitis once. It's more of a basketball injury.

80 - Plaschke, good as gold. Yeesh.

76 Eric, this has come up before but doesn't the HOF choose the cap not the player?

There have been many HOFs who played with the Dodgers who are not recognized by having their number retired but Piazza would probably the highest profile player ever to fit in that category if the Dodgers don't retire his number. Piazza was NL Rookie of the Year, multi-All-Star, set club and league hitting records and of course has that connection with Lasorda.

Certainly nothing has to be done right now, but in August 2014, Mike should have a ceremony at Dodger Stadium retiring number 31.

84 see 25 and 31 .

I've had a mild case of plantar fasciitis. I would get up in the morning and my foot would hurt like a (Rule 1 violation). It would feel better after I put shoes on. But it went away on its own.

Mark McGwire had plantar fasciitis. UCLA basketball player Michael Roll had to miss almost all of the season with the same malady.

80--That Plaschke column is classic. He actually states "to heck with team chemistry, as long as Gary Sheffield can produce on the field thats all that matters".

How did he morph from that attitude into his 2004 writings about the Loduca trade?

More from the press notes. The Dodgers still have the third-best record in baseball since April 25.

Tampa Bay 15-8 .652

Texas 15-8 .652

Dodgers 14-8 .636

If it's bad karma to root for an injury to occur, is it also bad karma to hope that Bennett, Loaiza and Nomar stay on the DL the rest of the season, now that they're already there?

My memory of Piazza will be the laser beam line drives and tape measure homeruns to all fields. I specifically remember some of the incredible blasts he hit in Miami, Colorado, and of course the ball he hit out of Dodger Stadium. I also remember how quick he used to be able to turn on and hammer the high fastballs. The details about how the trade went down with the Fox guys who knew little about baseball still bothers me.

87 Plaschke "apologized" for the Piazza trade, saying that Sheffield was a cancer, etc. And since then, chemistry has been king in the world according to Bill.

Plaschke did like the acquisition of Milton Bradley. Until he didn't.

I vaguely remember Piazza swing as hard as he could and connecting at Coors. I think the ball hit the upper deck and was still going up.

Is there anywhere one can find Piazza's career spray chart? I want confirmation for my belief that he hit more opposite-field home runs in his career than pulled ones. (I'm probably wrong, but...)

According to the Home Run Log on B-R.

136 homers to left
81 homers to right
78 homers to center
75 homers to left-center
89 homers to right-center

Before his trade to Florida I think he had hit the longest home run there which was a complete bomb to center field.

91
And then he flip flopped again and said he was wrong to advocate trading Sheffield.