Retired ballplayer delivers

The cliche of the retired jock struggling in a post-sports career doesn't apply to former major league baseball player Matt LaPorta.

At least that's what LaPorta, a first baseman for the Cleveland Indians for parts of four seasons, seeks with Pie Five Pizza.

Suburban Dallas-based Pie Five, a fast-casual pizza chain, recently awarded LaPorta and several business partners 18 franchise units in a territory that spreads from Pasco County to south Sarasota. A Charlotte County native who was an All-American and NCAA home run leader at the University of Florida, LaPorta and team will start opening the stores early next year, according to a release. LaPorta's business partners in the venture include fellow MLB retiree Josh Fields and restaurateurs Brandon Birdwell and Jeff Engle.