As in commonly said, baseball is America's favorite pastime. We always root on our favorite players. So it is always sad when one of our favorite players chooses to retire. Today (May 20, 2008) Mike Piazza has announced his retirement after 19 great seasons. Many people only know about his baseball career. But let's look at the man behind the mitt.

Michael Joseph Piazza was born on September 4, 1968, and then grew up in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. As most athletes do, Piazza grew up with a love of baseball. He even had some personal instruction/coaching by Ted Williams in his own backyard and was a childhood friend of former Dodgers manager, Tommy Lasorda. All I have to say is that was one lucky kid.

In 1992, Piazza made his debut in the major leagues when he played 28 games. Later in 1993, he was awarded the MLB Rookie of the Year Award. He played a total of six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Seen as one of the worst moves in the history of the Dodgers, Piazza was traded to the Marlins and then later to the New York Mets.

As a member of the Mets, Piazza's early time with them was filled with sounds of a booing crowd. Eventually the fans warmed up to him. As a part of the team, Piazza and the Mets went to two playoffs. Later in 2005, Piazza left the Mets and signed on with the San Diego Padres in 2006. And interestingly enough, Piazza represented Italy in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Mike Piazza has accomplished much in during his MLB career. Even though baseball will continue without him, there will always be Piazza fans out there and those people looking for great baseball picks because of Piazza. Good luck Mike!

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com