If you’d told me last Autumn that Mike Piazza would return to Southern California, I’d have wagered it would’ve been as either a) a DH in Anaheim or b) partners with Rikki Rachtman in some ill-fated nightclub/satellite radio venture.
As luck would have it, neither turns out to be the case. Metal Mike has signed a one year, $2 million contract with the San Diego Padres. Piazza’s agent, Dan Lozano is quoted as saying “”The Padres told Mike that he could pretty much catch as much as he wanted to,” which presumably applies to Major League Baseball games as opposed to warming guys up in the bullpen.
A catching tandem of Piazza and Doug Mirabelli isn’t so bad for San Diego, just so long as their groundskeepers remember to keep the infield super muddy. And then there’s the bit about moving the fences in another 75 feet.
In all seriousness, I do wish Piazza nothing but the best in San Diego, though I’m glad I won’t be around when the news is broken to Eddie Trunk.
Wow. Thank God you don’t make scurrilous homophobic accusations like Will Leitch does!
G –
Mike and Eddie were good pals joined in their appreciation of maximum riffage, at least until the former cost the latter his gig at XM. Surely two adult males can bond over their shared admiration for the wild, shirtless lyrics of Savatage’s Jon Oliva without anything else going on.
i thought i’d read that the fences at petco were going to be moved in for the coming year. obviously not 75 feet but i think 10-15? or am i completely making this up? if i had an intern this is the kind of stuff (s)he’d research for me.
KT,
no, you’re right. I just think they’ll need to move them even further if Piazza is going to be their clean up hitter.
That is, unless the Padres can handle accusations of homerphobia.