body

Thanks to IAOV, Italian American One Voice.

Mike Piazza's four-city European tour, which was part of an initiative by
Major League Baseball (MLB) to attract new fans in Europe, concluded
in Rome.

Piazza's father's family comes from the Sicilian town of Sciacca.

"Being Italian-American in New York, we're very proud of our heritage,"
Piazza said. "It's something I have great pride in and I'm a little emotional,
knowing how proud my father and grandfather would be if they could see
me here."

"For years I've been joking with a bunch of my colleagues — (Houston
Astros Second Baseman) Craig Biggio, (Mets pitcher) John Franco —
about getting our families to get Italian passports so we can play for the
Italian Olympic team,"...

[RAA Note: Piazza, in his early Pro years was ignored by all ML Scouts
and Managers, except for LA Dodger Manager, Tommy Lasorda, who
saw in Piazza, a persistence, perseverance and tenacity, that overcame
the greater raw talent of others, to make him one of the highest regarded
players in baseball]
====================================================

NEW YORK METS SLUGGER CONNECTS WITH HIS ITALIAN ROOTS

Associated Press
By Andrew Dampf,
Tuesday Nov 19, 2002

ROME - Mike Piazza, a celebrity All Star with the New York Mets,
made an "emotional" first visit to the land of his ancestors Tuesday
to teach children how to hit and field. In soccer-crazy Italy,
Piazza is a virtual unknown.

Yet more than 200 kids — many of them wearing Mets caps — showed up
to admire the 34-year-old slugger's strength in an impromptu home
run demonstration held before the clinic.

Piazza doesn't speak Italian, but the Mets' catcher had no problem
getting his points across, using a series of hand gestures that any
Italian could understand.

The hand gestures hinted at Piazza's Italian descent, his father's
family coming from the Sicilian town of Sciacca.

"Being Italian-American in New York, we're very proud of our
heritage," Piazza said. "It's something I have great pride in and
I'm a little emotional, knowing how proud my father and grandfather
would be if they could see me here.

"I'm glad I'm at an age where I'm able to understand it all," said
Piazza, who was concluding a four-city European tour in the Italian
capital.

Officially, the visit was part of an initiative by Major League
Baseball (MLB) to attract new fans in Europe, which also included
Piazza leading a clinic in Berlin last week.

"I'm honored to be able to help spread the popularity of baseball in
Europe and here in Italy, to inspire kids not only to play for the
Italian national team, but also in the Major Leagues, which is
becoming a reality," Piazza said.

The future Hall-of-Famer also harbors a not so realistic dream
involving his Italian background.

Piazza may have gotten as close as he'll ever get to achieving that
goal on Tuesday, when Italian baseball officials presented him with
an honorary jersey from their national team.

After politely posing for pictures with the "Azzurri" jersey, it was
onto the Colosseum for a photo shoot in his full Mets uniform.

"I hope there aren't any New Yorkers here," said Piazza's agent Dan
Lozano, as he and Piazza strode toward the ancient stadium with a
bat slung over the player's shoulder.

"They'd probably say: 'Hey Mike, why aren't you in the gym,'" Lozano
said, referring to the high expectations that New York fans have for
the stumbling Mets, who finished last in their division this past
season with one of the highest payrolls in the sport.

"I feel like Russell Crowe," the player said, referring to the star
of the hit film "Gladiator."

While there was only one polite New Yorker who recognized Piazza,
several Japanese tourists identified him and Piazza had his photo
taken with them while exchanging some words in Japanese.

"I've been to Japan seven times," he explained.

Among his other trips, Piazza was part of the Mets team that opened
the regular season in Japan a few seasons ago.

MLB has also scheduled the opening games of next season for the
Asian country, and a series of games between All-Stars from Japan's
major leagues and MLB just concluded a series of games last week.

Official games in Europe may still be a few years away, but Clive
Russell, the MLB official who was directing Piazza's European tour,
said the league realized long ago the importance of international
baseball.

"We're not trying to follow anything the NBA has done," Russell said
when asked about the worldwide popularity of the National Basketball
Association.

"We're looking at bringing the game to 9- and 12-year-olds so they
develop an appreciation of the game early on," he said.

That initiative gained a big boost Tuesday from the "grande
ricevitore," as the local press described the "great catcher" to
unfamiliar local readers.

As for Piazza's remaining time in Rome, there was only one more
significant item on the schedule: the pope's weekly audience for the
public Wednesday.

"Being Roman Catholic, that will be very special," he said.
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31 Mike Piazza, Catcher
Height: 6-3
Weight: 215
Bats: R
Throws: R
Born: 09/04/1968
Birthplace: Norristown, PA
College: Miami-Dade CCFL
ML Debut: 09/01/1992
Years of Service: 11
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