|
Written by Scott Drattell
|
|
Wednesday, 21 May 2008 |
 When Brett Favre called it quits a couple of months ago, it was as if a
national hero had passed away. The talking heads on the myriad ESPN
networks debated his legacy and wondered how the state of Wisconsin,
and, indeed, the NFL, would survive without its fun-lovin’
kid-playing-in-an-adult’s-body gunslinger. Yesterday, Mike Piazza retired to far less fanfare. Granted, Piazza is
not one of the ten best baseball players of all-time, nor was he ever
as popular as other superstars of his generation like Ken Griffey Jr.
and Derek Jeter.
But Piazza is an undeniable first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and quite possibly the greatest hitting catcher in big league history. One would certainly expect more than a quick blurb on SportsCenter and a brief AP news story on the major sports websites for a player with that legacy, right?
Maybe, maybe not. After all, his retirement came nearly two months into a season he’s been absent from rather than during the off-season, and it’s been quite a few years since he was big-time major league hitter.
Regardless, the scant national treatment Piazza’s retirement received yesterday reveals just how much more he meant to New York than anywhere else.
Today, the Mets are (gasp!) about as obsessed with winning as the hated Yankees. Lost amid all the chatter of the team’s underachieving this year is the fact that they are just 2 games out of first place. Apparently being in good position to make the playoffs a quarter of the way through the season is no longer desirable for Mets fans.
Before Piazza, though, this would have been an unheard of scenario. After the collapses of Doc, Straw, and the dynasty-that-wasn’t, the Mets brought in high-priced flop after high-priced flop. From Vince Coleman to Bobby Bonilla to Eddie Murray, it was disappointment, not hardball, that was back at Shea.
From 1991 to 1996 the Mets averaged just under 70 wins a season (not including the strike-shortened ’94  season). Backed by Todd Hundley they finished a respectable 88-74 in 1997 – good enough for third in the NL East – but it wasn’t until Piazza’s arrival midway through the ’98 season that the Mets once again became legitimate contenders.
Piazza certainly doesn’t deserve all the credit for the Mets’ late-90’s revival, but it’s impossible to ignore the impact his arrival had both on the field and in the stands.
Piazza arrived in ’98 to considerable fanfare and, seemingly for the first time in a decade, the Amazin’s imported a star who lived up to the hype. Piazza hit .348 with 23 home runs and 76 RBI in 109 games with the Mets in 1998 and nearly carried the team to a wild-card birth (they finished a game-and-a-half back of the Cubbies after losing their final 5 games).
In 1999 and 2000 Piazza continued to dominate for the Mets – his numbers were .303/40/124 and .324/38/113 respectively – while carrying them into the postseason. Though it was Piazza’s sub, Todd Pratt, who hit the unforgettable walk-off homer in Game 4 of the ’99 NLDS to send the Mets to the League Championship Series, and Piazza’s desperation longball in Game 5 of the 2000 World Series fell harmlessly into Bernie Williams’ glove, the Mets were no longer the laughingstock of New York and were once again title contenders.
Of course, the Mets wouldn’t reach the postseason again until 2006, a year after Piazza’s departure for San Diego, but by and large that was not his fault. In the forgettable years of 2001 and 2002, in which the Mets went 82-80 and 75-86, Piazza remained a star, hitting .300/36/94 and .280/33/98.
His last few years in a Mets uniform were depressing if anything, not just because the team continued to disappoint but also because it was clear age had finally caught up to him and his skills were no longer suited for the National League (especially in light of a failed experiment at first base).
All the while, though, Piazza brought a lot more to Shea Stadium than just a return to respectability. Nearly single-handedly he reenergized one of the greatest fan bases in all of sports. Certainly, he was not immune to the boo birds during his time as a Met (as 2008 has proved, no Met is), but Piazza’s arrival brought a hope to Shea Stadium that he actually delivered on. Traveling to Shea was no longer an exercise in self-torture but one of expectation and enjoyment.
From the fist pump after the ten-run inning against Atlanta to the uplifting go-ahead homer on September 21, 2001, Piazza has provided Mets fans with dozens of unforgettable memories. But no single moment can surpass the way he revived Shea Stadium in 1998 and brought the Mets back from mediocrity, even if it was for just a few short seasons.
From the statement he released through his agent yesterday, it’s easy to see the impact New York had on Piazza.
“Last but certainly not least, I can't say goodbye without thanking the fans,” he said. “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.”
Now, as he walks away from the game he played so well over a brilliant 16-year career, there’s no need for Mets fans to thank Piazza any more than they already have. All that’s left is to remember that without Piazza, all the debates about a team above .500 being in turmoil, about a manager with a .551 winning percentage needing to go, about a failed season if they miss the playoffs again, couldn’t possibly be taking place right now.
|
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 May 2008 )
|
|
|
