Mike Piazza

Piazza enjoyed his celebrity. His charm off the field landed him cameo appearances as well as several guest appearances on TV shows like Baywatch and Married…with Children. He has also been seen in commercials, notably several for Pert shampoo and 10-10-220. He is known and admired for his drive, as well as his attitude towards life in general. In 1995, he donated $100 for every home run he hit to a fund for all the Dodger Stadium employees who were not paid during the baseball strike.

Piazza was impacted by the September 11th attacks, and after visiting "ground zero" was so touched by the experience he wanted to do something to help. One of the firehouses, Ladder 3, found out about this and hooked him up with the Carroll family. Mike Carroll was a huge fan of Piazza, and was teaching his son Brendan to hit "like Piazza," according to an interview with the Carroll family in Sports Illustrated. Mike Carroll was one of the many New York Fire Fighters who lost his life in the World Trade Center on September 11th. The day before Thanksgiving that year Piazza met with Brendan and his mom, Nancy. Brendan was ecstatic to get to ask his father's favorite player questions about his life. During the barrage of questions Brendan asked if Piazza knew him and his dad were at the game where Roger Clemens hit him in the head with a pitch. It was at that point that Brendan broke down and cried. According to the article in Sports Illustrated Piazza did not move, but rubbed Brendan's shoulders saying, "You'll be alright, buddy, you'll be all-right." He then invited Brendan and his mother back to his place to hang out. He and Brendan played a video football game while Nancy looked on. Nancy noted that "Brendan is hanging out with Mike Piazza, in Mike Piazza's apartment, and Mike thinks it's the funniest thing in the world." She knew her husband Mike would have been ecstatic knowing that Brendan had this opportunity, because he knew what an outstanding person Piazza was. Piazza stated in an interview with Julius Whigham of the Palm Beach Post, "I enjoy the triumph of the human spirit. To see the inspiration of how you come through it … through the challenges and pressures of life and death." It is obvious that Piazza lives this idea, and has truly made an impact on a little boy named Brendan.