|
 In the June 23-25 USA WEEKEND cover story, Mike Piazza and The
Rock talk about life on and off the field (and ring). We knew readers
would want to know more about these two star athletes (and certainly
more about Mike's good friend Fabio!), so we asked them and some
of their fellow ballplayers and wrestlers what they're reading,
watching and listening to during their off hours. (If you would
like to purchase any of the following, simply click on the title
and it will take you to its corresponding page on Amazon.com,
where you can follow the instructions for ordering.)
|
 |
 Mike
Piazza, ballplayer with many pals, is friends with Black
Label Society's lead singer, Zakk Wylde. Piazza sang backup on their
latest CD, Stronger Than Death. |
Mike Piazza's favorite CDs:
Stronger
Than Death, Black Label Society
No More Tears, Ozzy Osborne
Return of the Killer A's, Anthrax
Brave New World, Iron Maiden
Most influential book
The Art of War, by Tzu Sun, et al.
Favorite movies
Patton,
The Godfather and The
Godfather, Part II
|
|
 WWF
champThe
Rock
wrote his best-selling autobiography this year. |
 The
Rock is busy touring, but we think we know what his favorite book
is:
The
Rock Says, by The Rock, Joe Layden |
|
Red Sox pitcher Pedro
Martinez loves Latin music. His favorite
band is a Jamaican group called Banda Gorda. When he wants to relax,
he puts on bachata, folk music from the Dominican countryside, or
merengue, Dominican dance music. |
La Banda Gorda's U.S. releases
20th
Anniversary, Aqui
Pero Aya, Candela
Pura
Favorite book: The Bible
Favorite movie: The
Fugitive
Steep yourself in the fables of Fenway Park
Fenway:
A Biography in Words and Pictures
by Dan Shaughnessy, et al
Our
House: A Tribute to Fenway Park
by Curt Smith, George H. W. Bush
Fenway
Park: Legendary Home of the Boston Red Sox
by John Boswell, David Fisher
|
|
 Former
wrestler and current Minn. Gov. Jesse
Ventura likes conspiracy theory books. |
One of his favorites
Plausible
Denial: Was the CIA Involved in the Assassination of JFK?,
by Mark Lane.
On his summer reading list
The Fifteen Biggest Lies in Politics, by Major Garrett
and Timothy J. Penny
|
|
 Yankee
right fielder Paul
O'Neill is a major John Cougar Mellencamp fan, and sometimes
sits in with him on drums in the off season. Known for his strong
hitting, the stadium gets O'Neill psyched up by playing a Mellencamp
clip when he steps up to the plate. |
 On
Paul O'Neill's CD player
John Cougar Mellencamp: Rough
Harvest
Other Mellencamp CDs
American
Fool, The
Best That I Could Do 1978-1988, Big
Daddy, Chestnut
Street Incident, Dance
Naked, Human
Wheels, John
Cougar, John
Mellencamp, Kid
Inside, The
Lonesome Jubilee, Mr.
Happy Go Lucky, Nothin'
Matters And What If It Did, Scarecrow,
Uh-huh,
Whenever
We Wanted
|
|
| Scott
Spiezio, designated hitter with the Anaheim Angels, sings
in a band called Sandfrog. He's a serious music fan (he has between
600 and 700 CDs). Although Sandfrog plays hard rock, Spiezio favors
heavy metal. |
Scott Spiezio's favorite heavy metal CDs:
Need a little Angels history?
A lifelong baseball fan, Gene Autry was awarded the franchise in 1960
but his team never reached their goal of winning a World Series.
The Anaheim Angels: The Complete History," now in paperback, tells
the tale. |
|
 Noted
romance novel cover model and Piazza pal Fabio
is the author of many books. |
 Favorite
book besides his own
Jaws,
by Peter Benchley
Fabio's own books
Mysterious,
Wild,
Champion,
Fabio
Fitness: More Than 200 Get-Fit Tips
for Lifelong Health and Fitness Viking
Comanche,
Fabio After Dark (audio cd)
|
|
 During
the off season, former Kansas City Royals and currently Cleveland
Indians minor league pitcher Tyler
Green, plays and composes music, mostly country-western
and pop. He's also a movie fan, who favors those featuring his favorite
stars.
Check the prices on
autographed cards and sports collectibles!
|
Tyler Green's favorite stars and their movies
Tom Cruise: Days
of Thunder
Michael J. Fox: Back
to the Future, Back
to the Future II, Doc
Hollywood
Nicolas Cage: The
Rock, It
Could Happen to You ["even though it's sort of a chick flick"]
Harrison Ford: Indiana
Jones, Air
Force One, Patriot
Games
Meg Ryan: City
of Angels, Sleepless
in Seattle
Tyler Green's favorite CDs
George Strait: Pure
Country
Shania Twain: The
Woman In Me
Billy Joel: Glass
Houses, Greatest
Hits Vol 1-2, Greatest
Hits Vol. 3
Back Street Boys: Millennium
Vince Gill: "they're all good." His latest is Let's
Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye.
|
|
| Photos:
The Rock by Uli Rose/Stockland Martel, Tyler Green by Andy Lyons/Allsport,
Pedro Martinez by SUSAN RAGAN/AP, Ventura by Marty Lederhandler/AP,
Paul O'Neill by Staff/AP, Fabio by Julie Markes/AP |
|
