So after Piazza came out of the dugout to acknowledge the roaring fans at Shea after his seventh-inning video tribute yesterday, his routine was just starting. When he went back into the dugout, the 47,718 fans cheered enough for him to take a second curtain call.

Then they cheered more, demanding a third.

It was the fans' way of thanking Piazza yesterday for all he had done for them and for the team. In the Mets' final game of the year, Piazza was honored in what was probably his final game as a Met. Indeed, if the promotions schedule said the day was Fan Appreciation Day, it lied.

It was Piazza Appreciation Day.

"The response was unbelievable," Piazza said. "I really didn't expect it and it just kind of took on a life of its own."

Piazza deserved the sendoff. Of course, he also deserved every at-bat he could get during yesterday's farewell. But after going 0-for-3 with three groundouts in his first three times up, Piazza was taken out of the game right before the top of the eighth inning.

Manager Willie Randolph waited until Piazza was on the field, then had him replaced by Mike DiFelice so he could apparently get the ovation. Still, with Piazza due to bat for the fourth time in the eighth, it was a stunning move by Randolph to pull him at that point.

"It was a blowout game, and we wanted to give him two or three at-bats and I just wanted him to be able to walk off the field and get his recognition," Randolph said.

Before the game started, Randolph made a fine gesture of hitting Piazza cleanup. The big screen showed video clips of him three times during the game before the seventh-inning tribute, and Piazza was greeted with standing ovations every time he came to the plate of yesterday's 11-3 loss to Rockies.

In the seventh, the fans began cheering even before the video ended, and after it did, Piazza came out of the dugout. He blew kisses to the crowd and took a bow to both sides of the stands,

Piazza said he felt the emotions a few times yesterday.

"I had a couple moments coming to the ballpark, walking through the tunnel," he said. "There was a moment, we had Mass here [yesterday] morning that I kind of went in the back and just had to kind of collect myself because I was getting a little emotional because this was a huge part of my life. It will always be a big part of my life. The fans and the great times and the tough times."