While noting that the Mets have finally called up Anderson Hernandez, the NY Post’s Mark Hale and Andrew Marchand speak to Mike Piazza about the love he’s getting during his (likely) final days in Flushing.

After Mike Piazza smacked one of his classic homers yesterday ” a 420-footer into the left- field bullpen off Tim Hudson in the fourth ” the announced Shea crowd of 34,191 just kept clapping in the same way fans do at a rock concert when they ask for an encore.

As the noise grew louder, Piazza sheepishly jumped to the top step of the dugout, turned and took in the cheers with waves that said, “You’re welcome.”

“It’s been great,” said Piazza, whose 16th homer wasn’t enough as the Mets lost 7-4 to the Braves.

While Piazza appreciates the fans’ sentimentality, he is slightly “embarrassed” by it. The video tributes that have littered the scoreboard the past week are nice, but Piazza feels they might be a “little overkill.” He is 37 and doesn’t really want to be eulogized before he is dead, he explained.


(just for Mike : a little picture of Overkill)

Yesterday’s tribute has become a ritual as the fans here realize that Piazza is finishing up at Shea over the next few weeks.

Piazza ” who is still feeling some pain from the broken bone in his left hand ” now has 394 career homers. With 14 games remaining, he would love to hit No. 400 as a Met.

“I’d better get hot,” Piazza said. “It would be nice.”

It’ll be Tom Glavine vs. John Thomson at Shea this afternoon, as thousands of patrons will be forced to adopt a Willie Randoph bobblehead doll, whether they want him or not.