Piazza blames Scully for fans turning their backs on him
- MLB
- February 15, 2013
- By: Shawn S. Lealos
Mike Piazza is one of the greatest players in Los Angeles Dodgers history. Vin Scully is a legend to all Dodgers’ fans. However, according to the L.A. Times on Feb. 14, Pizza blames Scully for the L.A. fans turning their backs on him.
The way Piazza describes it in his book “Long Shot,” Scully did an interview in 1998 where he called out Piazza for stalled contract talks and an ultimatum that the catcher delivered. In an interview that Piazza took part in with Scully, the catcher criticized the Dodgers and said the contract talks might affect his play.
He then said that Vin Scully turned those words around on him. Piazza said that Scully made it look like he set a deadline and insisted on untold riches from the Dodgers. He said that Scully used his announcer’s booth to make fans believe that Piazza had no loyalty to the team that drafted him with the final pick of the 1988 MLB Draft and nurtured him to greatness.
In the book Mike Piazza slams Scully, saying the announcer was “crushing him.” As a result the boos started to come down on Piazza before the Dodgers traded him away. As a result, he rarely visits Dodgers stadium and clearly still holds a grudge.
When contacted about the allegations, Vin Scully seemed shocked and said he would never talk about a player and their contract in that manner. When the Times pulled up the interview, Scully was correct and only asked Piazza about the ultimatum, giving him a chance to tell his side of the story.
“I’m very disappointed in that, I’m sorry he would even do that,” his godfather Tommy Lasorda said about the comments in the book. ”I don’t know what he said.
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