Goodbye Mike!

With Mike Piazza basically out the door, I for one, would love to see him stay and retire a Met. A Mike Piazza/ Ramon Castro platoon again wouldn't cross my mind. Piazza and Castro hit 27 HR's and drove in 103 RBI from this spot, hitting at a clip of .248/.324/.444. Not bad, but not great.

Even though many Mets fans, including myself, know that he's leaving, think about how much he has done for this franchise. Hitting homeruns that counted in years past... think back to June 30, 2000... ring a bell? Well Piazza did and smacked a homerun that capped one of the best comebacks in a game in Mets history, against the always despised Bravos. Now think September 11, 2001. We all know what happened then. Every human being in the country felt shockwaves from this disaster. But on September 21, 2001, the Mets were still in a pennant race. One of the best known and memorable homeruns in Mets history happened at the first baseball game played in Queens, and for that, New York since the tragedy. In the eighth inning as the Mets were losing 2-1, Steve Karsay planted one where Piazza could crush it... and did. Piazza struck with a huge shot hitting the camera tower in center field, sending 41,275 fans screaming at the top of their lungs, as Mike delivered a fresh pizza, one that Mets fans will remember for their lifetime.

Piazza, the best hitting catcher in major league history, is Cooperstown-bound, with many Mets fans to be there when he is elected in as a New York Met. There will be plenty to support him when his number is unveiled in left field, next to Tom Seaver, Casey Stengel, and Gil Hodges, as Piazza will be one of the greatest players to ever don a New York Mets uniform, and he should be darn proud of it.