This is kind of a repeat of last year's post, which just goes to show you how well the Dodgers did in the '90s hanging onto superstars who would one day be Hall of Famers. Two straight years of this stuff.
Mike Piazza announced today that he would go into the Hall of Fame as a New York Met. No surprise there. He's made his love for the Mets and their fans known just as he's also made his grudge against Dodgers management of the late '90s known. I've assumed this day was coming for a long time.
But that doesn't change the way my brain thinks or what my collection looks like. Every time I see Piazza dressed in a Mets uniform, my brain is surprised. It has to be reminded again -- oh, yeah, Piazza played for the Mets, too. I have 460 cards of Mike Piazza. Three of them are Mets cards. A handful others are A's or Padres cards (no, I don't have any Marlins Piazzas -- why would I want those?). All of the rest of them are Dodgers cards.
So, of course, I think of him as a Dodger. I'm a Dodger fan, my collection is filled with Dodger Piazzas. I set up the world in which I live. But so have Mets fans.
Mets fans have Piazza in a World Series, the Dodgers have Piazza rookie mojo cards and his Rookie of the Year award. Mets fans have Piazza on their team for 8 years while the Dodgers fans have him for only 6-plus. Piazza's greatest individual years statistically probably came with the Dodgers, but cumulatively, his stats for the Mets are better.
Piazza was drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round -- allegedly as a favor to Piazza's dad by Tom Lasorda -- would he even be able to do those things for the Mets if it wasn't for the Dodgers?
But, of course, Piazza was a Met when 9/11 happened. And that pretty much ends the argument. This really is an emotional argument, you know -- on many levels -- and it will never be solved to the satisfaction of everyone.
But, when I think of Piazza, I think Dodger first, second, third, fourth and fifth ... the Mets might come up eventually (but they do come up before the Padres).
Also, when I think of Piazza, I think of him as the king of '90s cards. Again, that's my collection talking. There are definitely other players during that era who put forth the same abundance of excellent cardboard during the '90s. Ken Griffey Jr., for example. You know, that other guy elected to the Hall of Fame yesterday.
But this is the kind of stuff I'm looking at in my Dodgers/Piazza collection. My Griffeys can't handle that -- because I'm not Junior Junkie (who laughs at the mere thought of only 460 cards of one player).
Also, when I think of Piazza, I think of him as the king of inserts -- the king of DIECUT inserts. Because I have more of those of Piazza than any other player -- even Hideo Nomo, I believe (although I need to do research on that).
So, without any more words, here are 10 diecut greats of Piazza:
Funny, they're all Dodger cards.
Enjoy your moment, Mike. It's about frigging time.
Comments
Unfortunately, those two warm and gushy New York Met moments (post 9/11 game and Clemens World Series game) jaded the Hall's decision but obscure the fact that the stats he put up with the Dodgers from 1993 to 1997 are why he’s called the greatest offensive catcher in baseball history and will be inducted to Cooperstown later this year.
His cumulative WAR with the Dodgers was 31.9 versus 24.5 with the Mets even though he played 250 less games. His lifetime batting average with just the Dodgers was .331 versus .296 with the Mets. You could make an argument that on his Dodger stats alone, Mike was a Hall of Famer. You can't make that argument on his Mets stats alone as they're not much different than what Javy Lopez did in his career.
I apologize in advance for turning this comment into a complaint with the Hall of Fame but I haven't been this disappointed with the their election process since the Sabermetric community torpedoed Steve Garvey's election chances years ago.
I don't own that UD run producers die cut card - I am coming up to Watertown to steal it - otherwise, I own every other card shown in this post.
I do, however, own no less than 11 cards of him in a Marlins uniform. I am not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of that fact.
I explained in my HOF post that his legend was built in Los Angeles but cemented in New York. It is a toss up what team should go on the cap, but also, it is a good example of where a player's preference should take precedent. I would have been slightly disappointed if he went in as a Dodger, but not insulted or anything. He was an absolute monster for them.
That said, I do think Mets is the right cap. I was in NYC for work in 2006 and went to a Mets game against the Padres. It happened to be Piazza's first game back in Shea. They did a really cool tribute to him on the video before the game, and when he came to bat, I was shocked at the love Mets fans displayed (he naturally struck out in that 1st AB). After seeing that, I get the feeling that he means more to Mets fans than he does to Dodger fans, even if I remember his greatness as a Dodger. Also, the 9/11 home run and being the Mets' star in the 2000 Subway Series kind of trumps anything he did with the Dodgers.
I also agree with jacobmrley - this is the perfect situation where the player's preference should be the difference maker.
Finally, he's very different from Pedro - I think most fans don't even know Martinez was a Dodger.
Yes, that Stained Glass card is great. Unfortunately I never pulled his card from a pack. Good to see it for the first time.
Besides, if your employer had traded YOU to the Marlins, wouldn't you regard them with disdain?
P.S. Piazza will forever be a Dodger in my mind too.
And, yes, Piazza will always be a Dodger to me!