Don’t worry, there aren’t going to be any April Fool’s Day jokes in this spot today. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t tempted to write one.
I was all set to do a squawk about how the mainstream media finally interrogated Mike Piazza about steroid use. But who would believe that would ever happen? April Fool’s Day jokes have to have at least little bit of plausibility!
Speaking of which, Squawker Jon and I were yakking on the phone last night, and we watched the end of “Shea Goodbye” on SNY. Jon got a little peeved when I pointed out how, well, different, Piazza looks now than in his heyday.
But it’s true – Piazza has been slimmer, and less muscle-bound, since at least the spring of 2004, when he showed up at spring training with a guru in tow and talked to reporters about how the catcher was learning yoga and eating raw food. And no, this isn’t a joke, either – the New York Times did a story on his new interests back then.
Incidentally, 2004 was the year MLB started steroid testing. It was an interesting coincidence that Piazza (and Jason Giambi, for that matter), seemed much less muscular that year, wouldn’t you say?
Yes, yes, I know. Squawker reader KM, among others, is going to tell me to give the Piazza thing a rest. And I would, if Mike were some ordinary retired Met. But Piazza is one of the faces of that team’s franchise. He is set to catch Tom Seaver’s first pitch at the new Citi Field. He is also set to go into the Hall of Fame. I think it’s kind of a big deal to have it confirmed whether his records are legitimate or not.
Besides, it’s not like there isn’t some other Hall of Fame catcher the Mets could use to catch that first pitch. Gary Carter complained on WFAN yesterday about being snubbed for that, and for the Shea Stadium closing. I know Carter is kind of a clown, but he does have a World Series ring, something Piazza lacks. Plus, we know Carter achieved his numbers cleanly.
At least Roger Clemens will play no part in the Yankees’ Opening Day festivities. Thank goodness.
What do you think? Leave us a comment!
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