PIAZZA SNUBBED
Glavine, Thomas & Maddux in Hall, but Mike left out again:
IF MIKE PIAZZA was moping over falling short in voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, it didn’t come through in his public reaction. Piazza, the former Met who is the greatest hitting catcher in the game’s history, offered congratulations to the three players who did get elected — ex-Met teammate Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas — via Twitter, using some nicknames: “Big Congrats to Mad Dog, Tom my and Big Hurt! Well deserved Guys!”
Piazza added via his Twitter handle (@mikepiazza31): “Many Thanks to all the voters for their support.”
In another tweet, Piazza wrote: “I appreciate all your support guys! God Bless you all!”
Maybe Piazza has reason to be positive — his standing in the voting improved. Piazza got 355 votes on the 571 ballots (62.2%) cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Piazza got 57.8% of the votes last year in his first year of eligibility; a player needs 75% for election.
Still, Piazza’s chances seem to suffer because of drug suspicion by some voters. Piazza denied using steroids in his recent book.
To the Mets, a franchise Piazza’s arrival helped revive, he is worthy of induction. Club COO Jeff Wilpon called Piazza “a true Hall of Famer” in a statement released by the team.
“We proudly display his plaque in the Mets Hall of Fame, and we’re hopeful that he’ll soon have one hanging in Cooperstown,” Wilpon added.
For Tom - my Lasorda, a long time Piazza family f r iend a nd Piazza’s former manager with the Dodgers, the tick upward in votes is a positive sign for what Lasorda feels should be a slam dunk.
“If he’s moving up, that’s good news,” Lasorda said in a telephone interview. Lasorda also noted: “A lot of great players didn’t get inducted immediately.”
But, Lasorda added, “I’m disappointed. I think what he’s accomplished, hitting more home runs than any catcher in baseball, he deserves to be there.
“His career was outstanding. It’s tough.”