Mike Francesa tells the story of how Piazza became a Met.
According to Mike and the Mad Dog, they were the reason why Hall of Famer Mike Piazza was playing in New York as opposed the Chicago Cubs.
Back in 1998, just before starting their daily NY sports show on WFAN, Mike Piazza’s agent Dan Lozano called Mike Francesa and Chris Russo asking for help in getting his client signed by the Mets:
“Mike’s going to the Cubs tomorrow, but he wants to go tho the Mets. Can you do anything about that?”
Francesa jokingly said he would relay the message and were able to get Mets GM at the time Steve Phillips on the show. Phillips was quick to say that the Mets had no interest in Piazza.
After the interview, in true Mike and the Mad Dog form, the two radio hosts berated the Mets for again not doing what needed to be done to put a winner on the field and fans in the seats.
Lucky for Mets fans, Nelson Doubleday Jr. (co-owner of the Mets at the time) was listening to the radio show that evening and called a meeting of the Mets brass as soon as he got to the stadium to let them know they were going to sign Piazza.
And the rest is history.