Actor Shia LaBeouf, who has been in Hollywood since a young age, spoke out about his issues with Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.
LeBeouf sat down for an interview with independent journalist Andrew Callahan recently, where they discussed a variety of topics and eventually his childhood encounters with the Los Angeles Dodgers star.
The actor grew up in the Los Angeles area and, due to problems with his family, ended up in the Big Brothers program, which provided emotional and academic support to youth.
Through the program, he would attend many Dodgers games, and after the games, he would do something that multiple fans used to do back in the day — hoping to catch a player heading to their car in the parking lot.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza in action during the 1996 season.
However, LeBeouf did not always have the best luck when hoping to catch one of these players, and that is what ended up being the case with Piazza, who ignored his 90 attempts to get a signature.
“We used to go to Dodger games. Big Brothers program used to give you these tickets … all of these dudes would be sitting in the parking lot,” he said.
“I remember trying to get Mike Piazza’s autograph — motherf–ker. Brett Butler always signed. Hideo Nomo always signed. Mike Piazza … Mike Piazza, you’re a b**ch, bro.”
LeBeouf claims that the moment with Piazza led him to engage with fans all the time, going out of his way to do so.
Mike Piazza’s history with the Dodgers
Piazza, a catcher who would go on to reach the Hall of Fame, started his career with the Dodgers, spending seven straight years with Los Angeles, before being traded to the Florida Marlins in a deal that has gone on to be extremely unpopular.
He racked up 32 bWAR in his seven seasons with the Dodgers, hitting .331/.394/.572 with 177 total home runs. Piazza reached the All-Star game six out of his seven seasons in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers got the peak of his powers, having the best season in their colors. His eight years with the New York Mets have made him synonymous with the East Coast franchise.
He entered the Hall of Fame as a New York Met, having played more games for the Mets than for the Dodgers.
“I feel the fans here (in New York) truly brought me into their family,” Piazza said about his decision.
LA Baseball Report
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