84 THE QUEENS COURIER •JANUARY 17, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com PIAZZA NEW YORK CATCHER s SHUT OUT IN HALL BID you gotta believe Fans, colleagues still hold out hope for Hall of Fame for Piazza Mike Piazza, and every other candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame, failed to make it in to Cooperstown this year.THE COURIER/File Photo BY TERENCE M. CULLEN Era of baseball and was on the same ballot as enhancing drugs (PEDs) during his career, followed tcullen@queenscourier.com alleged steroid users Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds up later by saying an entire generation of baseball and Sammy Sosa. Piazza was never directly linked should not be scolded for the mistakes of some. Ten days after the world stopped and cried for New to using steroids, but many baseball critics were con- “I took PEDs and I’m not proud of it,” he wrote. York, Mike Piazza made history with a swing of the cerned his just playing during the tainted era would “But people that think you can take a shot or a pill bat that gave the city hope once again. hurt his chances. and play like the legends on that ballot need help.” The September 21, 2001 homerun Piazza hit was Piazza batted .296 and hit 220 home runs in orange David Adler of Bay Terrace, a 50-year Mets fan, late in the fi rst professional sports game since the and blue between May 1998 to September 2005. He was disappointed Piazza did not get enough votes this September 11 attacks, and gave the Mets the lead in hit his 352nd career dinger in 2004 to surpass Carlton year, and credited it to accused steriod users taking front of thousands of fans, many of whom were fi rst Fisk as the all-time home run hitter for catchers. If away votes. responders. he does make it to the Hall of Fame, Piazza has said “He Piazza should have gotten in,” he said. “A lot A power hitter who revived the fan base in the late he wants to be remembered as a Met and not a Los of votes went to players using performance enhancing 1990s and 2000s, Piazza was etched into the base- Angeles Dogder, where he started his career. drugs and that, I feel, took votes away for him.” ball history books because of this moment. But will Paul LoDuca, who took over as catcher after Piazza Adelr and other fans are sure Piazza will one day he have to wait before his plaque makes it into the left Flushing at the end of 2005, tweeted disappointment make it into Cooperstown with an interlocking “NY” Baseball Hall of Fame. that baseball writers hadn’t voted in his colleague. on his cap. Piazza did not receive enough votes to make it in to “Once again: Tell the Voters to strap on the gear for “He went to the World Series with the Mets, not Cooperstown, nor did any other candidate — the fi rst 9 innings and put the numbers up Mike Piazza did,” as a Dodger,” Adelr said. “You would think that that time since 1996 that writers failed to vote someone in. LoDuca tweeted. “I don’t care if he used rocket fuel.” would count for something.” The 12-time all-star catcher played in the Steroid LoDuca, who admitted to taking performance — With Additional Reporting by Anthony O’Reilly
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