There is no doubt that Mike Piazza is the Mets all time hero. What a perfect evening. The Mets win and the Mets fan show how classy they can be by bombarding Piazza with standing ovations every trip to the plate. It was very moving and when you consider what Piazza meant to this team, it’s a bit of a shame that he cannot be enjoying this season as a Met.

But would the Mets be in the same place had Piazza stayed on as the primary catcher? If that occurred it would have been unlikely that the Mets would have made the trade for Paul Lo Duca. It doesn’t take much to realize what Lo Duca has meant to this year’s version of the Mets. He is a major club house leader. He is the hard nosed, get in your face, unofficial captain of the Mets.

On paper, the Mets pitching staff looked suspect coming out of spring training. Lo Duca has handled the pitchers brilliantly, getting great efforts out of the starters and bullpen personnel. Lo Duca has also been a major asset in the lineup. Batting second, Paul, makes great contact and even when he doesn’t get a hit, his outs are usually productive. Since the All Star break, Lo Duca has been knocking the cover off the ball and doing so with recent off field distractions. He’s not the player that Beltran, Wright, or Reyes is but he is as much a reason the Mets have a 13.5 game lead as any player on the team.

Now this is not to denigrate Mike Piazza, it’s just a matter of fit. If Mike were in his prime, blasting 35 to 40 home runs a year, you know he still would be here. But unfortunately time marched on. Piazza’s skills as a hitter diminished and exposed his less than adequate catching abilities. In other words, with the players that have come up through the system like Wright and Reyes, and with the acquisitions of Beltran and Delgado, a less than super star Piazza was no longer a necessity in the Mets lineup. As Mike said yesterday in countess interviews, “it is what it is”.

If Piazza had said he would have assumed a backup catcher’s role, perhaps something could have been worked out. But Piazza still felt there was something left in the tank and decided it would be better to move somewhere else to prove it. And you know what; he has more home runs this year than any other catcher in the National League. He still is an offensive threat, just not the one we remember from ’98 through 02’.

The ovations and love the fans showed last night was touching and made Mets fans everywhere misty eyed. Piazza will be remembered as one of the all time greatest Mets. He should go into the Hall as a Met. Being a Mets fan, of course I’m going to say that but he was more productive in New York then in LA. And perhaps more importantly, LA ran him out of town when there was a report that he was not happy with a contract offer made by the Dodgers. New York embraced him, gave him a contract he deserved. Unlike Seaver, Piazza and the Mets parted on good terms. It’s hard to say but it is true, the Mets are a better team without him, just look at the standings. And Mike is a better player without the Mets. In San Diego, Mike can stay under the radar and relax. He no longer has to be the big player on campus. Piazza has stayed healthy and is being productive once again.

Hopefully, the Mets will sweep the Padres. And maybe in one of the games if the Mets are up a few runs, Mike might launch one into the picnic area for old time’s sake—that I would love to see.

Being Picky: Now that the football season is almost upon us, I have a picky point to make. Why do the New York media refer to the Giants as the New York Football Giants? Of course they’re the football Giants; the baseball Giants left New York forty-nine years ago. Is there any sports fan in the city that gets confused and thinks the San Francisco Giants moved back? From now on, please, it’s the New York Giants.

Extra Innings: With their win last night, the Mets have moved to 23 games above .500 for the first time this season. They lead the Phillies who lost to the Braves last night by 13.5 games. The Mets magic number is 38.

Steve Trachsel looks like he is always in trouble out there on the mound. But yet he has eleven wins for the season. He certainly has a knack for not making it look easy.