NewsPiazza exits after opening ceremony
Catches first pitch from Seaver, then quickly leaves stadium
By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com
04/14/09 6:28 AM ET
Former Mets catcher Mike Piazza caught the ceremonial first pitch from Tom Seaver at Citi Field on Monday, but while Seaver spent time discussing the team and the new park in the moments afterward, Piazza exited quickly, according to a story in the New York Times.According to The Times, Piazza was escorted by stadium security from the field to a stadium tunnel in an effort to avoid the media. Piazza did answer two questions from a television reporter about the new stadium before exiting, the report said.
The Times said it is unclear if Piazza's reluctance to speak to the media was related to the allegations of steroid use in Jeff Pearlman's new book, "The Rocket that Fell to the Earth." The book is about Roger Clemens but includes a section that says Piazza confided in unidentified reporters during his career that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.
Piazza has declined several requests for comment since the book was released, The Times stated. Additionally, no other information in the book backed up the assertion.
"He wasn't looking for any attention," Jay Horwitz, the Mets' vice president for media relations, told the paper. "He said, 'I'm a private person now, I have a family, I'm raising my kids, my wife's having a baby and I want to stay in the background.'"
Jesse Sanchez is a reporter for MLB.com This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
