Two More Enshrined

Baseball Writers have voted outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and catcher Mike Piazza in to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Griffey will be the first to go in as a Seattle Mariner, and Piazza, only the second to be enshrined as a New York Met.

Ken Griffey Jr. is definitely a player I grew up cheering for. Piazza... well, maybe not. Reading his biography did nothing to help his cause. Of course I don't have an autograph for Griffey, but I do for Piazza. This election gets me another one for my collection in Piazza, but also adds a tricky one to track down in Griffey.

Congrats to both of them. 

Mike Piazza

I was totally surprised when a friend and fellow pastor dropped by my office this week and gave me a gift - this book -- "Long Shot" by former All Star catcher, Mike Piazza.  And the best part?

A signed copy!  This adds another signature to my collection, and I'll cross my fingers that he makes it to Cooperstown.

If not for his career overlapping the "steroid era", Mike Piazza would be a sure-thing Hall of Famer.  Only time will tell if he is able to break through the stigma of players from his era (or if we find out that he took steroids...  he denies it in the book, apparently).

UPDATE on January 6, 2016: Piazza was finally elected - the lowest draft pick ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame! One more for my collection.