Mike Piazza is lastly weighing in, and he is taking all of it in stride.
Back in 2002, the New York Mets All-Star catcher, now 56, was the topic of main tabloid rumors speculating about his sexuality.
Things obtained so intense that Piazza famously held a press convention to clear the air, telling reporters on the time, “I’m not gay. I’m heterosexual. I can’t control what people think. I can say I’m heterosexual. I date women. That’s pretty much it.”
But whereas the rumors surrounding Mike Piazza’s sexuality finally light, they lived on in an sudden place: a success indie track.
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Mike Piazza Opens Up About ‘Piazza, New York Catcher’ Fame Two Decades Later
In 2003, Scottish band Belle and Sebastian immortalized the gossip of their monitor “Piazza, New York Catcher,” the place singer Stuart Murdoch crooned, “Piazza, New York catcher, are you straight or are you gay?” The track even made its manner onto the soundtrack of the 2007 cult basic “Juno.”
Now, greater than 20 years later, Piazza is lastly reacting, and he’s not bitter about it.
Speaking to New York Magazine in a brand new interview, Piazza stated the track makes him really feel “flattered, obviously.”
“I don’t know, man, as you get older, you just don’t get as wrapped up in those things, or you just don’t have the energy, really,” he added.
Piazza, who tied the knot with mannequin and “Baywatch” actress Alicia Rickter in 2005, shares two kids along with his spouse and has lengthy moved previous the scandal.
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Mike Piazza Reacts To Beastie Boys Shout-Out
The baseball legend, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, has been name-dropped by extra than simply indie bands. The Beastie Boys gave him a shout-out of their 2004 track “3 the Hard Way” with the lyric, “I said, oops, gotcha, clutch like Piazza.”
Piazza stated of the long-lasting rap group, “My son likes them, even though it’s dirty. I like the clean version. But any time you’re remembered in pop culture like that, it’s nice.”
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Mike Piazza’s Legendary Mets Career And Iconic 9/11 Home Run Still Inspire Fans
After a short stint with the Florida Marlins in 1998, Piazza was traded to the New York Mets, the place he grew to become a franchise icon. His management and clutch hitting propelled the Mets to the 2000 World Series.
One of his most memorable moments got here on September 21, 2001, when he hit a dramatic residence run within the first skilled baseball recreation in New York City following the 9/11 assaults, offering a second of solace and unity for town.
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Mike Piazza Reflects On Being A Baseball Legend For A Whole New Generation
These days, Piazza has discovered an entire new era of followers, due to his look as a “legend” within the in style online game “MLB: The Show.”
“One time, I was giving a clinic and a kid goes, ‘Are you Mike Piazza?’… He goes, ‘Man, you got a lot of power,’” Piazza recalled. “I said, ‘Oh, thanks, dude.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah. Are you surprised?’ It was really funny having an 11-year-old kid who was born after I retired talk about me in that way. Hey, I’ll take it. Believe me, it’s nice to be remembered.”
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Belle And Sebastian Frontman Explains Meaning Behind ‘Piazza, New York Catcher’ Lyric
As for Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch he advised Rolling Stone in 2016 that he grew to become a Piazza fan after catching a Mets recreation within the late ‘90s.
“I was almost instantly drawn to Piazza,” he shared. “That’s the thing about him; he was a talisman wherever he went. He was the kind of player people tended to follow, and we thought he was a good guy.”
Murdoch defined that together with the homosexual rumor within the track was meant as a commentary on society, to not shade Piazza himself.
“It almost kind of went into the song as a way of holding a mirror up to gossipy society,” he said. “The way people talked about that stuff, I didn’t give a sh-t… It never occurred to me that I might become part of the problem.”
Regardless, Mike’s taking it like a real legend, no shade, no onerous emotions, simply one other reminder that his identify (and energy swing) will all the time dwell on.
