ShareThisMike Piazza says he enjoys coaching, but isn't quite sure he's ready to make a career of it.
The retired catcher serves as a hitting coach for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, which was edged out by his former squad -- the New York Mets -- 3-2 in an exhibition game Thursday at Tradition Field.
"I just know it's a great way for me to not only give back to the game -- as far as instruction and coaching -- but also to dabble in that (coaching experience)," said Piazza. "Right now, I don't feel I am ready to take on a full commitment like that with a major league team. I needed to decompress and detach from the game a little, and now I am kind of falling back in love with the game."
Piazza, who played for Italy in the 2006 WBC, retired last year after a 16-year career in which he was one of the best hitting catchers of all time. He said he is still in the process of re-discovering himself now that his playing days are over.
"I had to recognize my career was ending," Piazza said. "It's like when a girl leaves you, you think, 'Well, I'm better off without you,' so you have to find that healthy separation."
Coaching with Italy is something Piazza -- whose grandfather was born in Sicily -- takes great pride in and not just because of the Italian blood that runs through his veins.
Piazza is a big believer in the WBC and hopes to see it turn into a World Cup-type event.
"It's one of the biggest honors of my life, actually," Piazza said. "The fact they feel I can help grow their program and not only help with the mechanics, as far as hitting on the coaching level, but also from just a promotional level and trying to fuel the interest in baseball, not just in Italy but all over the world."
Italy will play Venezuela Saturday night in Toronto in its first WBC game
(Laurel Pfahler is a sportswriter for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal.)
