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Mike Piazza's career as a ballerino will commence in May [UPDATE]

UPDATE, 5/3: On Opening Night, the AP released some excellent shots of Piazza performing in a dress rehearsal, including him returning at the end of the show for a curtain call:

Piazzaballet

Check out more photos of Piazza in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue here.

UPDATE, 4/17: Piazza has begun rehearsing for his role, and the AP got pictures of him practicing with the Ballet's principal dancer, Patricia Delgado:

Piazza

As well as of him trying on his gangster costume:

Piazza

ORIGINAL TEXT, 4/3:

Mike Piazza is probably the greatest hitting catcher of all time. He's likely going to make the Hall of Fame. But like most catchers, he was never the most graceful of athletes. His swing was powerful and dangerous, but also workmanlike and not especially aesthetically pleasing.

That won't stop Piazza from trying out that most graceful of athletic/artistic pursuits: ballet. It was reported on Wednesday that Piazza will dance in a May 3 production of Slaughter on Tenth Avenue at the Miami City Ballet -- in the same city where he had a legendary five-game stint 15 years ago. 

It should be noted that, unlike the artist's interpretation of the performance seen above, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue takes place in the 1920s, and Piazza will appear wearing a gangster-style suit rather than traditional ballet attire.

-- Dan Wohl / MLB.com