Which reunion happens first?

[realmofotalk]

Dodgers: Mike Piazza calls out Vin Scully in book - latimes

Mike Piazza has not set foot in Dodger Stadium since his retirement. When the Dodgers offered to honor him with a bobblehead night last season, Piazza declined.

"He doesn't want to come back because he thinks the fans will boo," former Dodgers Manager Tom Lasorda, the godfather to Piazza's brother, told The Times last month.

Piazza did himself no favors on that score in his new book, "Long Shot." In the book, he blames iconic Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully for turning fans against him during the contract stalemate that preceded his trade to the Florida Marlins in 1998.

Piazza ripped the Dodgers in a 1998 opening day interview with The Times. In the book, he said that interview did not play well with the L.A. fans, and neither did the fact that he failed to drive in a run as the Dodgers opened the season with a four-game losing streak.

"On top of that, Vin Scully was crushing me," Piazza wrote.

Scully flatly denied he maligned Piazza.

"That's not true at all," Scully told The Times in a telephone interview Wednesday.

Scully said he could not recall the interview in which Piazza said the contract deadline was discussed. However, Scully said, he never would criticize a player about contractual negotiations.

"As God is my judge, I don't get involved in these things," Scully said. "I can't imagine I would ever put my toe in the water as far as a player and his negotiations.

"I have no idea where he is coming from. I really have no idea. I can't imagine saying something about a player and his contract. I just don't do that, ever. I'm really flabbergasted by that reference."

Piazza retired via email on May 20, 2008. No team had signed him for the 2008 season, although he heard from Lasorda that the Dodgers might be interested. Ultimately, the Dodgers signed Gary Bennett to back up Russell Martin.

"Even to the end, ten years after they'd traded me, the Dodgers were still jerking me around," Piazza wrote. "If they'd brought in Pudge Rodriguez, sure, I could understand that. But Gary Bennett?"

Flannery: Ok, enough San Diego, here's the deal

https://t.co/rlm5Nh8bC9

[Hammer]

thinly veiled shot at the padres disguised as a dodger thread. i like it.

[realmofotalk]

dsinsocal
Kimmell says "First of all, the team refused to pay you fair market value, or anywhere even close to fair market value". This is the tallest pile of crap that's ever been shoveled into a corner. Whether you believe the media reports at the time of a Dodger offer of $80 million over 6 years ($13.3 million per season), or Piazza's words in his own book that acknowledge an offer of $76 million over 6 years ($12.6 million per season), BOTH offers would have been the largest in MLB history. Kimmell, no doubt, got his information from team-Piazza without verifying it for accuracy, and Piazza sat there next to him and allowed him to make a fool of himself by reciting a lie on national television. Piazza was demanding $105 million over 7 years ($15 million) -- which is confirmed in Piazza's own book as well -- and got pissed when the Dodgers wouldn't give it to him ... got pissed at Dodger fans when they asked why he was being such a greedy ingrate ... and then foolishly tried to blame Vin Scully, of all people, for the fallout. Piazza is a lying tool. After everything a year later, Piazza ended up with an offer from the Mets of $91/7 ($13 million per season) -- one year longer than the Dodgers' reported offer, but with slightly less annual value after an additional year of salary inflation. Basically, he accepted the same contract that he originally claimed to be insulted by when the Dodgers offered it. Proving, without any doubt, that the Dodgers did indeed offer a FAIR MARKET VALUE contract.