Long Shot

To be candid, when I was first approached about reviewing Mike Piazza’s autobiography “Long Shot,” at first blush, my reaction was: Do I really want to read this one?

But, I gave it a shot – no pun intended – and, was I surprised!

Piazza pulls no punches with “Long Shot.“  He’s brutally honest about himself – sharing that he was, at times, self-centered, surly, and often angry. Yet, don’t take that to mean that his book is a vent and bitch-fest. It’s also full of some very insightful and entertaining stories.

It’s amazing how hard Piazza’s father had to fight to get him into a college, then drafted, and later signed. And, once that was done, it became a target on Mike’s back for a long time. It’s also very interesting to see how the relationship between father and son changed over time.

And, with this book, Piazza addresses everything – including Sam Champion and Murray Chass (although the latter not directly by name).

Bottom line, “Long Shot” is a “page turner.” It’s one of the better baseball autobiographies that I’ve read in quite a while. Without reservation, I highly recommend this one – and you don’t have to be a Piazza, Mets or Dodgers fan to enjoy it.

I may have been unsure if I wanted to read Long Shot” when the chance first presented itself to me. But, that changed in hurry as I started to get into the book. And, I am very happy, now, that I had the chance to read it.