Rather, it’s because of a kind-of scouting report the elder Griffey gave during his Hall of Fame induction speech.
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Piazza’s ride to Cooperstown was less ordained as he rose from a 62nd round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers to a hulking figure behind the plate. When you think of Griffey, you think of his smooth swing, elite defense and the kid that wore his cap backwards and made baseball cool again.
After waiting for this day for so many years, Mike Piazza was finally inducted into Cooperstown yesterday alongside Ken Griffey Jr. Junior, a buoyant player, was known for wearing it that way during batting practice and before games. Griffey is one of just six players ever to hit at least 630 home runs in his career, along with Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez and Willie Mays.
Like Yankees great Mickey Mantle before him, fans are left to wonder what more Griffey might have accomplished had his health not become a hindrance. And more importantly, congratulations on your induction into the Hall of Fame. Mike Piazza, whose speech preceded Junior’s, also was moved to tears he didn’t fear. He became the first to go in as a Mariner, the first as a No. 1 overall draft pick and the first to get 99.32 percent of the votes.
Griffey noted that numerous 48 Hall of Famers on hand for the ceremony were not anxious to hear him ramble on an uncomfortably hot, muggy afternoon, “and you don’t want the Hall of Famers at your back throwing stuff at you”.
“My father’s faith in me, often greater than my own, is the single most important factor of me being inducted into this Hall of Fame”, Piazza said. He’s been feted in Seattle, which likely still has a major league team because of his tenure there, served as honorary starter for NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500, and played a lot of golf to avoid thinking or talking about his induction. In 22 years I learned that one team will treat you the best, and that’s your first team.
Piazza, a 12-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year, owns the Major League Baseball record for most home runs by a catcher with 396. It was fitting that he chose (with a little help from friend and fellow Hall of Famer Frank Thomas) to recall the look on the day that officially made him a baseball immortal. Griffey later met the Marino children when the Reds played the Mets in NY in July 2002.
Piazza, the second Hall of Famer sporting a Mets hat, hit 220 homers in seven-plus seasons in NY following a blockbuster trade in May 1998.
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There were several other Dodgers mentioned by Piazza during his speech, including former coaches Joe Ferguson and Joey Amalfitano, and scout Mel Diddier. Between the two of us, we have a sense of pride, when he talks about me and I talk about him.
