Comments on: Mike Piazza denies steroid use in excerpts from new book http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/ Baseball. Baseball. And then a bit more baseball. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:49:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: dirtydrew http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-440088 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:37:52 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-440088 Sounds like he used PED’s. Andro, amphetamine…he used. None of those were used under a prescription. All were used to add to performance. He is either a Hall of Famer, like Bonds, Clements, Man Ram and A Roid. And Pete Rose too. Or he is a ROIDER and will add to the list of all the great players from the 80′s and 90′s who will not make it. I’m not sure how MLB and co. Can think folks are going to come out when ALL the players of my youth are not in the HOF, and viewed as cheats. But all the Los players who did ny face black players are in.

]]> By: jwbiii http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-440017 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:14:25 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-440017 Ok, so make line 3
“Fielding bunts and popups”

]]> By: jwbiii http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-440009 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:04:16 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-440009 Cranky, You’re right. There are many things which contribute to the defensive value of a catcher. His throwing is one of them, and Mike Piazza was bad at that. But there’s also game calling, fielding fouls and pop ups, blocking pitches, framing pitches, mentoring the pitching staff, and probably another half dozen things I’m neglecting. Measuring the value of a catcher’s throwing arm is easy. Just consult your favorite linear weights table and plug and chug. Craig Wright did a study in the 2009 Hardball Times Annual that showed that Piazza’s pitchers consistently pitched better when paired with him than with his backups throughout his career. Piazza was bad at the flashy, easy to measure thing about catching but overall the sum of his defensive game was positive. Because he was bad at the thing that’s easy to see, he gets no credit for the more subtle things that he was good at.

In this sense, he is the mirror opposite of Yadier Molina. Molina has the best throwing arm for a catcher I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been watching this damn game for over 40 years. If you subtract off the value of the runs he and his teammates save (and cost) by controlling the running game, his backups are better at the other phases of the defensive game than he is. Of course, his arm is so good that he still winds up ahead of them in total and he deserves the mantel full of Gold Gloves he has earned.

]]> By: dickclydesdale http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439975 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:57:17 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439975 Piazza admits using Andro, Greenies & saying NO to HGH & more powerful drugs..Yeah right, he’s fooling no one! Thats like telling a kid to eat the birthday cake without the frosting because its bad for him. Piazza is such a d-bag liar.

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439917 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:38:03 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439917 Can we find an elementary school that’ll take you back in to earn to punctuate and capitalize? Kudos, meanwhile, on your correct placement of that question mark. It couldn’t have been easy for you.

]]> By: gerryb323 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439892 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:30:00 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439892 Take that Pedro Gomez!

]]> By: rayfeathers http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439838 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 17:28:47 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439838 can we nuke your mouth in the process?

]]> By: addict2sport http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439797 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:18:30 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439797 but never officially failing a test makes you guilty, and bedding multiple models and playmates makes you gay? this board is so educational.

]]> By: mrbaseball2013 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439774 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:35:57 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439774 Hey Mikey,
Just because you never officially got caught, doesn’t mean you didn’t take steroids.
GUILTY!!!!!!

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439725 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 13:19:04 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439725 What are you doing up so early? You’ll sleep through Romper Room again.

]]> By: fanofevilempire http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439719 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 12:50:41 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439719 A-Rod should write a book and when asked about Steroids he should reply, ” buy the book”
It has all the answers, make some money too.

Steroid issue is boring, if the National League MVP used steroids and didn’t
lose his award what is the difference.

Mike was believed to be guilty but never proven he used.

]]> By: stercuilus65 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439713 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 09:12:56 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439713 Pot meet kettle

]]> By: stercuilus65 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439712 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 09:11:33 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439712 “There have also been straight guys who must have married as a cover. Dan Quayle, for example”

Old gator as another…

]]> By: djpostl http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439698 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:40:47 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439698 “His throwing percentage was usually low so he got this reputation (from people who didn’t watch him play) that he was a defensive liability.”

Um, a low percentage caught-stealing does make you a defensive liability.

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439667 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 03:29:30 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439667 Hey DJ – can’t blame you for nuking that idiot I was responding to; might as well nuke my response as well, because it makes no sense in a vacuum.

]]> By: jimeejohnson http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439659 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:14:42 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439659 3 words in a row used incorrectly. Grammar Police alert! Run.

]]> By: jimeejohnson http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439658 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 02:13:47 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439658 The ultimate sarcasm.

]]> By: badintent http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439628 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:32:06 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439628 He got turn down by MANTI ‘s punker.

]]> By: jlovenotjlo http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439626 Sun, 10 Feb 2013 00:15:07 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439626 Sounds like someone is a little irked… I bet he turned you down? If he is gay would there be something wrong with that? Does it personally offend you? Why do you care so much?

]]> By: cur68 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439615 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:38:09 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439615 Do you deny that you are? Can you prove it? If so, who cares?

]]> By: danwilliamsmlb http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439609 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:22:24 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439609 There you go; never let facts get in the way of a good opinion.

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439608 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:21:57 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439608 Gowachin guilty!

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439607 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:20:58 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439607 How convenient, because you’ll always be an asshole.

]]> By: Old Gator http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439606 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:20:09 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439606 There have also been straight guys who must have married as a cover. Dan Quayle, for example….

]]> By: eugenesaxe http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439596 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 22:31:54 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439596 Yeah, because there’s never EVER been a gay guy who got married as a cover. EVER.

]]> By: Cranky Cuss http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439583 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 21:46:50 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439583 My comment was meant for dondada10.

]]> By: Cranky Cuss http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439582 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 21:46:01 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439582 I’m glad you said this because his reputation as a poor defensive catcher has always bugged me. Yes, he had a weak arm, but unlike some catchers he didn’t keep calling for fastballs when there were runners on base; he called the pitches that were best for the pitcher. He was excellent at blocking pitches in the dirt, an important consideration in a catcher, and excellent at chasing down foul pops.

]]> By: beefytrout http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439562 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:27:59 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439562 Back in ’95, when the ASG was held at the Ballpark in Arlington, there was a private party at Six Flags over Texas for the players and their families. I worked at SF at the time and eagerly volunteered to work the event. Piazza was there, and had two bombshell blondes with him, like he was Tony Stark.

]]> By: lazlosother http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439554 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:00:38 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439554 You mean there is no reason to launch unfounded attacks on Piazza? Bummer. One thing I really hate is players that can’t or shouldn’t be attacked ad-hoc. How are we supposed to occupy our time? How dare you point out that the Mike dated women most of us can only look at in magazines.

You my friend are reasonable, and there is no future in that.

]]> By: hojo20 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/02/09/mike-piazza-denies-steroid-use-in-excerpts-from-new-book/comment-page-1/#comment-439553 Sat, 09 Feb 2013 20:00:22 +0000 http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/?p=296071#comment-439553 Fortunately for Mike he beat all the steroids tests.

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