TWIBO: Diane's Piazza Page

Melissa Hughes

Welcome to another installment of This Week in Baseball Obsession, an occasional series about the good-looking men of Baseball and the women who adore them.

Looking for a quick Mike Piazza fix? Check out "Diane's Piazza Page" (Note: site now down)

Created by Diane Tonne, a thirty-year-old from Jersey City, New Jersey, Diane's Piazza Page is "dedicated to the best player in baseball (and the best looking!)," and visitors are greeted with audio of "Parasite" by KISS because, as the site mentions, "Mike loves Heavy Metal!"

An Office Manager for a stainless steel food service equipment fabrication company, Diane has been a Piazza fan since the day he started with the Dodgers in 1992, but she's been a fan of the sport even longer. "I've been a baseball fan since I was a little girl, my dad brought me up that way, always taking me to the games at Shea every single year. He would sign me up for Little League each year and, even to this day, I still play softball!"

The main page is laden with photos of the Mets catcher, and features four links, one of which is a very extensive photo gallery. "Spring Training with Mike" is an account of her trip to Mets Spring Training Camp, while "Learn a Little Bit about Mike," features facts about Pizza from his shoe size to his favorite animal (the much overlooked black widow spider). The discerning Piazza fan should also check out the "Great Piazza Links and Webrings" section, with links sure to fulfill every Piazza curiosity.

Also included in this well thought-out site is a mailing list, a Mike Piazza Chat Board, a Guest Book, and a poll entitled "Which "look" do you like on Mike?"

So what is the most appealing thing about Mike Piazza (besides his looks, his eyes, his smile...)? Says Diane, "He's an amazing player with a lot of talent. Actually, he has it all! The way he kept himself together with all the changes last year, being traded twice. I admire him for his courage."

Diane had the pleasure of meeting her hero on Photo Day at Shea Stadium in August 1998. "I was able to take a few pictures with him, as you will see on my web page. It was so nice of Mike to take pictures with some of the fans. Really, it is a day I will remember for the rest of my life. I hope I get the opportunity to meet him again." Diane waited on line for photo day for over two hours in a crowd of 5,000 people in the middle of August just to see him. Diane's devotion also led her to Florida for spring training, where she gathered even more pictures of her hero for the web site.

In addition to the pictures of Piazza that she took in Florida, Diane has many baseball cards, magazines, newspaper articles and photos of him, but she's "still waiting to get that autograph!"

I think her purchase of a Mets Season ticket plan was a step in the right direction.

She has mighty expectations for her team as well. "I predict the Mets will do quite well this season, they got all the right players, and I expect them to go all the way this season. I know I won't be disappointed and I am looking forward to a great year."

Diane, a Dodger fan since she was little, became discouraged by what she views as shabby treatment of Piazza at the hands of the Dodgers. "I would have to say, I followed Mike to the Mets. It was also to my advantage that he is with the Mets because now, he is closer to home!"

When pumped for juicy Mikey gossip, Diane replied, "I think the most interesting thing I found out about Mike was a recent bit of info on why he is single. He mentioned how his mate would also have to be his best friend, and he hasn't found that yet, and that's why he isn't married. I think all men and women should think that way."

Diane's Piazza Page has been online since June of 1998 and has had almost 7,000 hits since then. "I don't know if Mike has seen it yet, I haven't been notified that he has, but at Spring Training we did give the site to Steve Phillips, the Mets General Manager, so hopefully it will get passed along. I think Mike would really enjoy the site and I hope he would let me know if he sees it."

Is Diane in it just for the cute boys in tight pants? Doubtful. "I love baseball because it's a great game. It's easy to understand, gives you time to see what's going on. You can second-guess the manager. Most of all, it's time I get to spend with my Dad. It's time reserved for just him and me."

about the author

Melissa Hughes has it bad for Derek Jeter and Scott Rolen. Explain to her how pathetically cliched this is.