[...]... catcher Mike did not like the position Like many kids first learning the game, he Growing Up in Pennsylvania One of Mike Piazza s childhood idols was Mike Schmidt, the third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies Schmidt hit 548 home runs during his 18-year baseball career in the 1970s and 1980s 15 16 Mike Piazza wanted to be a pitcher, the one player on the field in control of the game When Mike was... was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame five years later After the Phils game was over, you would grab a bat and head down to the Piazzas’ basement, where it was time for some serious baseball work Baseball? In the basement? That’s right Taking his son’s passion for the game to heart, Mr Piazza had propped an old mattress up against the wall so that Mike could practice hitting baseballs into it without... that his son, like it or not, was ‘gonna play baseball as a professional Why did Mr Piazza focus on Mike and not his other sons? Here’s how he answered in the same interview: “When Vince, Jr., and Mike were kids, I looked at them both and asked myself, ‘Which one has the best chance of playing pro baseball? ’ Mike was younger, 11, but bigger I chose Mike I pushed and pushed that kid.” Today, this... friend for the former slugger to stop by and offer some expert tips The moment was huge for Mike, as it would be for any baseball nut “I couldn’t even talk because I was so nervous,” Piazza revealed to Sports Illustrated in July 1993 The Piazzas recorded the visit on video, and though tongue-tied, Mike was 25 26 Mike Piazza ted williams: the splendid splinter You might get an argument if you said that Ted... magazine in April 1998 to name the person from history he would most like to meet, he replied Babe Ruth, 11 12 Mike Piazza the New York Yankees’ home-run king and arguably the greatest baseball player of all time Mike s fascination with the sport was bred into him by his father Mr Piazza was a baseball nut raised in Norristown, across the street from a homegrown star named Tommy Lasorda Although Lasorda... Piazza s father, Vincent, Sr., grew up across the street from Lasorda in Norristown, Pennsylvania Their friendship would have a major influence on Mike Piazza s career 13 14 Mike Piazza baseman Mike Schmidt stepped up to the plate Schmidt was young Mike Piazza s idol It’s no wonder With a unique combination of power and fielding excellence, Schmidt was one of the best third basemen of all time In 1976,... With the round-tripper, Piazza passed Carlton Fisk as the all-time career home-run leader among catchers Mike Piazza LONG ROAD TO THE TOP Major League Baseball is filled with legendary home-run hitters Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays are three of the greatest of all time Each is enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York In today’s game, superstars Manny Ramírez,... our family,” Veronica Piazza told the Pottstown Mercury newspaper in July 2004 At age nine, Mike joined his first youth-league baseball team, the A’s His coach was a man named Abdul Ford-Bey, a legend in Phoenixville for his volunteer work with boys and girls in baseball, softball, and basketball Ford-Bey taught Mike and his teammates the fundamentals of the game The next year, Mike moved on to a team... more career home runs than Mike Piazza But none of them succeeded in the way Piazza did Few people thought Piazza had the all-around ability to make it to the big leagues Growing up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, Piazza was an excellent hitter When he was a senior at Phoenixville Area High School, his batting average was an astounding 442 He also belted 11 home runs But Piazza had two glaring weaknesses... the minors, Piazza dedicated himself Greatest Hitting Catcher of All Time Mike Piazza, playing for the Mets, tagged out Houston’s Moisés Alou at home plate to end the ninth inning of a 2001 game in Houston The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Piazza way down in the sixty-second round of the 1988 amateur draft Piazza switched from first base to catcher, one of the most demanding positions in baseball, in . Robinson Ichiro Suzuki Bernie Williams Mike Piazza Mike Piazza Nick Friedman BaseBall superstars For Caroline. What a year. MIKE PIAZZA Copyright © 2007 by Infobase. class="bi x0 y0 w0 h0" alt="" Mike Piazza BaseBall superstars Hank Aaron Ty Cobb Lou Gehrig Derek Jeter Randy Johnson Mike Piazza Kirby Puckett Jackie Robinson Ichiro