Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

[sox83cubs84]

Heritage has the bat barrel that Roger Clemens threw at Mike Piazza during the 2000 World Series in their upcoming auction. Opening at $1K, it's already up to $4K. Is this something you'd want or not want, and why? Personally, a bat barrel, with the rest of the bat broken off, doesn't do anything for me, but that may just be me.

Dave Miedema

[onlyalbert]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

Heritage has the bat barrel that Roger Clemens threw at Mike Piazza during the 2000 World Series in their upcoming auction. Opening at $1K, it's already up to $4K. Is this something you'd want or not want, and why? Personally, a bat barrel, with the rest of the bat broken off, doesn't do anything for me, but that may just be me.

Dave Miedema

I think the value here is in the backstory and controversy. I wouldn't be surprised to see it hit 15-20k.

[Roady]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

That is the first time I said he must be on something.
I would really like to know why he wasn't thrown out of the game and suspended from baseball for throwing a bat barrel at another player.
Could you imagine if a batter threw his bat at a pitcher?

[gorilla777]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

It might be one of the better examples of the steroid era. Only a player out of his mind would react like that and then claim he just thought it was the ball?

[xpress34]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

It might be one of the better examples of the steroid era. Only a player out of his mind would react like that and then claim he just thought it was the ball?

Ben -

Even that comment from Clemens made no sense - then or now. Hr had played the game since he was a kid - since when do you throw the ball 'AT' a player running down the baseline?

- Smitty

[Dach0sen0ne]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

Come on, Clemens thought it was the ball. hahaha

[metsbats]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

As the new owner of the Kyle's Kurt Abbott bat barrel from that WS I would love to have the Piazza barrel to match

However for the price that it's estimated to go for (> 10K) it makes no sense to sink that amount of money in a single item when one can get several older quality items for same $$.

[Enyouartist]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

I think this piece is Hall of Fame worthy. The most infamous bat barrel ever would unequivocally trump a full uncracked gamer for me. I would love to own that barrel. The epitome of steroid rage! Museum worthy for sure IMO.

[gorilla777]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

Ben -

Even that comment from Clemens made no sense - then or now. Hr had played the game since he was a kid - since when do you throw the ball 'AT' a player running down the baseline?

- Smitty

Dodgeball flashback?

[metsbats]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

You can see the same anger and intensity in the faces!

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

That is the first time I said he must be on something.
I would really like to know why he wasn't thrown out of the game and suspended from baseball for throwing a bat barrel at another player.
Could you imagine if a batter threw his bat at a pitcher?

It did happen at least once. If I recall correctly, it was early in the 1972 ALCS, Tigers/A's, when Bert Campaneris threw his bat at Tiger reliever Lerrin LaGrow after LaGrow hit him with a pitch. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, I guy I always felt was weak, did suspend Campaneris for 3 games, but, rather than cause Campy to miss ALCS and WS games, Kuhn delayed the suspension until the opening of the 1973 season.

Dave Miedema

[Roady]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

So is the thumb down for me or for Clemens or for the incident?

[Roady]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

.

[Roady]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

.

[allstarsplus]

Re: Piazza/Clemens bat: Your thoughts?

I remember this well and early reports were that both pieces of the bat were given to a reporter from ESPN who was a collector.

The auction house says the barrel of the bat was consigned by Jeff Mangold, who was the Yankees' strength and conditioning coach from 1984-88 and 1998-2006. Mangold took the bat piece after the game that night.


This says the barrel came from the equipment manager which probably means nothing except the original story is wrong and where's the handle?

I can't find the original story where I thought the reporter had it, but will share my story where I put together a 2000 WS display piece from the subway series and a broken game used Piazza bat from the 2000 season with the photo of Clemens throwing the barrel towards Piazza would be the central piece of the display.

I took the bat to Clemens to get him to sign it at a Tri-Star show and his handler didn't want him to sign it at first but Clemens then said and I will paraphrase, "No I want to sign this" and laughed about it.

I then needed Piazza to sign it. A good friend of mine in Atlanta was friends with a Braves player who was buddies with Piazza and he would get it signed for me. Weeks later the bat was returned to me unsigned by Piazza and the message I got was that Piazza refused to sign it with Clemens signature on it. I was concerned for a while there that I wouldn't get the bat back. There you go.