Goodbye, Mike

No one could hit a ball quite like Mike Piazza. I could never leave the room for fear of missing something remarkable.

Thanks for the memories, Mike. I know that you left here under less-than-happy circumstances, but most of us loved watching you play and are still very upset that you were not able to finish your career here. I hope that things are better now and that in five years we can hang up that No. 31.

Eric Monson

Temecula

When I read about Mike Piazza’s retirement, it brought up plenty of memories. As a longtime Dodgers season-ticket holder, I saw him hit many memorable home runs, including one when the ball went completely out of Dodger Stadium. But the most memorable homer I witnessed happened in New York, at Shea Stadium when he was with the Mets. It was Sept. 21, 2001, and it was the first major league game played in New York after the World Trade Center attacks. The Shea parking lot was being used as a dropoff point for donations and volunteers were working hard during the game. The players wore hats with NYPD and FDNY logos. There was a long moment of silence. The mood was uneasy.

Piazza hit a blast and the Mets beat the Braves. The crowd went wild. It was a powerful signal to the world that New York was back in business.

With apologies to Bobby Thomson, that was the most emotional home run in New York history.

Michael Horowicz

Sherman Oaks