78 The QUEE NS Courier • JANUARY 14, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com sports PIAZZA’S ONE OF US If you weren’t born in The Big Apple, and you weren’t raised in the City That Never Sleeps, how do you become one of us? Mike Piazza wrote the book. Piazza, of course, was recently voted into the Hall of Fame, the highest honor in baseball. How he got there — only the second New York Mets player to receive the honor — is what makes Piazza one of us. He overcame the odds. He was at his best when times were at their worst. He stood tall when the chips were down. He treated everyone the same and expected no preferential treatment because he didn’t get much early in his career. Former St. John’s soccer player called on by U.S. Men’s National Team By Anthony Giudice agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com/@A_GiudiceReport Former St. John’s University soccer player Tim Parker has been called up to training camp for the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) on Jan. 6, becoming the third former player in school history to be called into action by the national team. Parker just finished an impressive rookie year in the MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, before getting the call to train for the USMNT. In all, 23 players were called into training, which will be held in Carson, Calif., from Jan. 11 to Feb. 6. The camp concludes with friendly matches against Iceland on Jan. 31 and Canada on Feb. 5. “We are extremely proud of Tim and wish him the best of luck,” said Dr. Dave Masur, St. John’s head coach. “He has worked very hard on all facets of his game and this is a well-deserved opportunity for him.” Parker was the first-ever Red Storm player to be chosen in the first round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft, being selected 13th overall by Vancouver Whitecaps FC following his career as a four-year starter for St. John’s. The defender appeared in 79 of the Red Storm’s 80 games in his career and made 78 starts. He finished his college career with four goals, including two game-winners, and four assists, while anchoring a defense that posted 30 shutouts. Parker helped lead St. John’s to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2011-13) and the 2011 BIG EAST Tournament title. After joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Parker made 25 appearances, including 22 starts, across all regular season and postseason competitions as a rookie. He finished with two goals, both of which were scored outside of MLS action. Parker appeared in 15 games, including 14 starts, in regular season play for Vancouver and ranked 13th on the team with 1,262 minutes played. He helped his team finish third in the Supporters’ Shield standings with a record of 16-13-5, good for 53 points. Parker started both legs of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Seattle Sounders FC as part of the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs. The rookie scored his first professional goal in a 1-1 CONCACAF Champions League draw against Seattle Sounders FC. Parker also helped Vancouver secure the team’s first-ever Voyageurs Cup, with a goal in a 2-0 victory against the Montreal Impact in the Amway Canadian Championship. Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round of the 1998 draft, No. 1,390 overall, which means you had about as good a chance of winning that $1 billion Powerball lottery as Piazza did of making it to the Big Show, no less than the Hall of Fame. If he got “special treatment” it was this: The Dodgers drafted Piazza as a personal favor to Mike’s father, Vince, who was friends with Tommy Lasorda. This is the way the New York world works — you know a guy who knows a guy and you get your foot in the door. It’s on you whether or not you push open that door. Piazza pushed with the power of a city built on the blood and sweat of immigrants — hard work. “I enjoyed coming up with the Dodgers and had an amazing career there as far as getting to know Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, the Hall of Famers,” Piazza told reporters. “But fortunately for me, I eventually ended in New York in some way, shape or form and became a New York Met. I truly have a special relationship here with the fans of the Mets . . . I feel like the fans here truly brought me into their family. Every time I’ve come back, I’ve been so incredibly honored from the response.” Why the adoration for Piazza? It goes beyond his final stats — 427 home runs, the most ever by a catcher, 1,335 RBI, 2,127 hits and a .308 batting average. It’s what Piazza did in New York that makes him one of us. Let’s go back to July 8, 2000. Roger Clemens beaned Piazza in the helmet with a fastball that could have ended Piazza’s life, no less his career. No Mets fans will ever forget the emotions of watching Piazza as he lay on the ground in Shea Stadium, his unfocused eyes looking up. “I don’t want to say he intentionally hit me in the head, but I think he intentionally threw at my head,” Piazza said. “There’s no place for that in baseball.” There certainly is no place for it in the World Series. But fast forward to Oct. 22, 2000. The Mets and Yankees were playing in the World Series. It’s Game 2. Clemens is on the mound. You couldn’t pass a subway station without hearing New Yorkers wonder out loud whether Piazza would seek revenge. Every step he took in the hours leading up to the game were focused on the Mets catcher facing the Yankees pitcher. It was not enviable position for Piazza, who never put himself before the game. He tried to go about his pregame routine but the cameras seemingly were always aimed at him. Despite the d i s t r a c t i o n s , Piazza stayed true to himself. He spotted a young boy in a wheelchair, watching in awe as Piazza stepped out of the dugout at Yankee Stadium. Piazza said a few words to the boy, patted him on the head, giving him the memory of a lifetime. Ten days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Mets played the Braves in Shea Stadium in the first professional sporting event to be held in the city since that awful day. Piazza hit a moonshot of a home run in the eighth inning, giving the Mets a 3-2 win and giving the city a much-needed psychological boost. “What an amazing life that I’ve had in baseball,” Piazza said. “The memories, to me, I almost can’t capture. It’s truly a blessing and I’m very, very grateful.” He should be. His father Vince had to give up his baseball dream when he was 18, in order to get a job and help support his family. It’s the epitome of the New York immigrant story. It’s the very people that supported the Mets in their inception in 1962. Mets fans are a passionate lot. They haven’t experienced the same success as the Yankees; they don’t have the history of star power. Perhaps that’s why the two World Series championships (1969, 1986) are treasured. That’s why players such as Piazza are beloved and they love the franchise. Tom Seaver, the only other Mets player in the Hall of Fame, cried when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. With the exception of Wilmer Flores, can anyone remember a pro athlete crying over being traded? This is the love affair that exists between the Mets and their fans. “Obviously I have a special place in New York City with these fans and they have done nothing but embrace me and honor me,” Piazza said. It’s what we do for one of us. ROBBINS’ NEST by Lenn Robbins Mike Piazza
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