Shea says goodbye to Piazza

BY DAVID LENNON
STAFF WRITER

For all the Mets accomplished this year, for every significant step forward they made, the franchise lost a large chunk of its heart in bidding farewell to Mike Piazza during yesterday's season finale at Shea Stadium.

The game itself, an 11-3 rout by the Rockies, was barely acknowledged in what amounted to a 2-hour, 46-minute embrace of perhaps the most beloved figure in Mets history.

To those who might question that statement, consider this: Piazza received a standing ovation before and after every one of his three at-bats, all of them groundouts to shortstop, and was summoned from the dugout for three curtain calls when the game was interrupted in the seventh inning for a video tribute to his eight-year Mets career.

Piazza emerged and bowed to each corner of Shea, blowing kisses in appreciation. The whole affair lasted more than six minutes, and it was only fitting that Piazza, who always had so much pride in his position, took center stage in shin guards. "Their response was unbelievable," he said. "I really didn't expect it. It just kind of took on a life of its own. It was a little uncomfortable because there's so much uncertainty about next year. They just paid me this incredible honor. I can honestly say I'm honored, flattered, surprised.

All of those things. It was an amazing day for me. It's not the ideal game to go out on, but it didn't matter." Piazza is the greatest-hitting catcher of his era, and undoubtedly a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but his time with the Mets was never perfect. There was the failed switch to first base, injuries that cut into his last three seasons, and his gradual phasing out this year.

Even yesterday had an awkward moment. Manager Willie Randolph, trying to get one last ovation for the 12-time All-Star, called him away from the plate in the top of the eighth inning to replace him with Mike DiFelice. Instead, the fans turned on DiFelice when they realized Piazza was gone. They booed the backup catcher when he singled in the bottom of the inning. "We had an understanding of that going into the game," Randolph said. "If we had a chance to win the game, he would have stayed in."

Piazza said he was emotionally drained by that point, but when asked later if he might have liked another at-bat, he cracked a smile. "It would have been nice to get one more shot," he said. "But I think my tank was a little empty."

That was understandable. After the video tribute, Piazza descended the dugout stairs and celebrated with his teammates, either hugging or high-fiving everyone in a Mets' uniform. Cliff Floyd, Mike Jacobs and Victor Diaz each made an impact yesterday with a solo home run, but Piazza was the unquestioned star of the show.

"You look in the stands and you see grown men crying," David Wright said. "It was special to be a part of it as a player. You've got to be The Man to have a major-league game stop for you. As a teammate you go through a wide range of emotions. It's obviously sad. I saw a tear come from his eye. But it's also great to see the fans respect and support him the way they did."

Someday, that could be Wright in that same spot, and he is the most likely player to fill that void now that Piazza is moving on. Piazza intends to sign with another team this offseason -- he is only three homers shy of 400 -- but also is a bit saddened that this chapter with the Mets is over.

"This has been a huge part of my life, the great times and the tough times," Piazza said. "You can't describe the emotion leaving this ballpark some nights when I actually was walking on air and others when I just wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out.

"It brought out every ounce of emotion, the time I was here. I'm glad that it happened this way."

The feeling, Mike, was mutual.

Source: NY Newsday

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