Piazza Retires

After failing to land a job with any Major League teams in 2008, Mike Piazza announced his retirement today, reports the NY Post. Piazza ends a 15 year career that included stints with the Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres and A's.

'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.'

Piazza is walking away from the game almost a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer; his numbers are impressive alone, but from the catcher position, his production should lock him into Cooperstown.

He retires sporting a .310/.377/.545 line with 427 career homers and 1,335 RBI. He hit 40 taters twice, during his last full season in Los Angeles (1997) and his first full season in New York (1999).

Oddly enough, Piazza was the center of a reasonable amount of controversy. What sticks most in the minds of baseball fans was the out-of-nowhere assertion/assumption that he was a homosexual based on some hypothetical media questions. Piazza addressing this issue, needless to say, riled up the media. He was also on the receiving end of Roger Clemens' psychotic bat throw incident during the Subway Series in 1999.

The Post mentions that he hit a home run during the first game back from 9/11, and that seems significant, if only because it shows New York's attachment to the 10 time All Star, and the likelihood that he will hit the Hall in a Met uni.

(aolsports.com)