Piazza happy in San Diego

Mike Piazza crossed over from the home dugout at Petco Park to the crowd of Mets loosening up in front of the visitors' dugout. He shook hands with Jose Reyes, joked with batting coach Rick Down and new closer Billy Wagner.
And then he went back to his side of the field, leaving behind the team he had been a part of for nearly eight years. While the Mets entered this series in San Diego with the best record in the National League, Piazza was no longer a part of it, pushed from the spotlight of the Big Apple toward the obscurity of a sub-.500 team for what he even acknowledged was the twilight of his career.
"I'm a realist," Piazza said. "I'm happy for their fans because I think the fans deserve a good ballclub. They stood by us through some lean years recently, a lot of expectations that were unfulfilled. It was sad.
"It's always frustrating and sad for me. I felt like I would have been a big part of that, we had some experiments, at least some gambles that didn't work out. When we're not playing them and we're not doing our thing, obviously I'll be following them a lot."
While the Mets have ascended with the latest round of acquisitions -- including Paul Lo Duca to replace Piazza behind the plate -- it was a parting that seemed one-sided at the time. Piazza came to the Mets and signed a seven-year, $90 million deal after his first year. But he never got the ring he wanted in New York, spending most of his time as the most visible face to blame when things didn't go right.
But in the rebuilding, it was obvious last year that the Mets -- trying to focus on defense, speed and youth -- would have little interest in retaining Piazza as he battled knee and arm troubles that reduced his production at the plate as well as his more obvious struggles throwing. The Mets mouthed the polite answers for a year, but never made a bid to keep him in New York. Piazza finally signed a one-year deal worth $2 million with the Padres, with a team option for 2007 at $8 million.
"It just seemed pretty mutual," Piazza said of his departure as a free agent this past winter. "They were obviously looking in another direction and I understand that. It's just one of those things. I've never really looked at it.
"It just seemed like they wanted to kind of move on in a way that anytime a new organization or at least a new kind of realm comes in as far as the general manager, he kind of wants to put his own spin on things.
"And it was nothing personal between me and Omar [Minaya]. It was just one of those things. It just kind of seemed like they wanted to go in a different direction, which is fine. I totally understand that, and I've never had a negative sentiment at all.
"I feel like I fulfilled my commitment there and they were very generous to me at the time," he added. "I feel like I gave them everything I had on the field. So there wasn't any animosity or anything. A little sad, sure, anytime you turn the page and end a chapter of your career. But again, I'm in such a good place and I'm happy getting an opportunity here, so again, I'm definitely in a good place."
Piazza homered in his first at-bat for the Padres, but has not hit one since. Piazza was the Padres' starting catcher Thursday, going 0-for-3 and lowering his average to .214 before Doug Mirabelli came in as a defensive replacement in the seventh. Before the game, Piazza talked about his role with the Padres, serving as a leader for a young team. But he rarely spoke with teammates last year in New York -- an elder statesman who seemed to have little in common with the youthful team around him. Even Thursday when asked if he had spoken to any of the Mets, he named only assistant trainer Mike Herbst and clubhouse manager Charlie Samuels.
Still, he missed New York -- the pace and the excitement. And he missed the Mets, too, hoping that he would wear a Mets cap when his likely induction to the Hall of Fame comes.
"I'm a little nervous," he said of facing the Mets. "I've been trying to downplay it a little bit, but I am nervous. And they're a good ballclub, so obviously you want to play well, too. I've had a lot of calls from friends in New York and they all said, 'Well, we're rooting for the Mets, but we hope you have a good game.' So I'm like, well, I don't know how I should take that, but it's kind of funny."

Cameron returns to stadium where his 2005 season ended

The San Diego Padres activated Mike Cameron from the disabled list and sent Jon Adkins back to Portland.
Cameron, while with the Mets, was involved in a horrific collision at PETCO Park on August 11, 2005 with teammate Carlos Beltran that left him with several facial fractures. Cameron was traded to San Diego in the offseason, but had been out with a strained left oblique.
Cameron played Sunday and went 0 for 3 with two walks and two strikeouts

New York at San Diego

Final Score: San Diego 7, New York 4
San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Brian Giles hit a fourth-inning grand slam to guide the San Diego Padres past the New York Mets, 7-4, as the two teams split a four-game series at Petco Park.
Josh Barfield went 3-for-5 -- including his second homer of the season -- and scored three runs and Vinny Castilla had a trio of hits for the Padres, who have won three of their last five contests.
Mike Cameron made his season debut and went 0-for-3 with a pair of walks against his former team. San Diego activated Cameron off the 15-day disabled list and optioned pitcher Jon Adkins to Triple-A Portland on Sunday. Cameron, who has missed the entire season with a strained left oblique muscle, was traded to the Padres in the offseason by the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Xavier Nady.
Clay Hensley (1-1) recorded his second major league win, allowing four runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Trevor Hoffman notched his third save of the season.
David Wright went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Endy Chavez knocked in two for the Mets, who have lost four of their last six games. Victor Zambrano (1-2) lasted just four innings, yielding five runs on seven hits and three walks for the loss. Carlos Delgado had a pair of hits but ended his home run streak at three games.
The Padres plated a run in the home-half of the opening frame as Barfield smacked an 0-2 offering over the left field fence for a 1-0 margin.
San Diego used a two-out, four-run rally in the fourth to grab a comfortable lead. Hensley singled to center, followed by a walk to Dave Roberts and a base hit from Barfield. Giles came to the plate and worked the count to 3-2 before lifting a grand slam to right field for a 5-0 advantage.
However, the Mets got back in the game with a four-run sixth inning. Paul Lo Duca drew a one-out walk to get the frame started and Delgado's single sent the catcher to third. Wright's base hit scored Lo Duca and Cliff Floyd singled in Delgado before Hensley was lifted.
Scott Cassidy retired Nady with a pop fly and Chris Woodward's free pass loaded the bases. Chavez capped the scoring with a two-run single to pull within 5-4. New York had a chance to score more as pinch hitter Jose Reyes walked, but Alan Embree, who replaced Cassidy, struck out Kaz Matsui to end the threat with three runners left on base.
The Padres upped the lead to two in the bottom of the inning. Barfield picked up his third hit of the game, a single to third, and moved to second on Giles groundout. Adrian Gonzalez's soft line drive single knocked in Barfield for a 6-4 edge.
San Diego added another run in the eighth as Castilla and Khalil Greene singled and pinch hitter Mark Bellhorn knocked in a run with a grounder to second.
Game Notes
The Padres begin a three-game set with Arizona, while the Mets continue their 10- game road trip with three games in San Francisco on Monday...Barfield has five three-hit games on the season...Hoffman is 40 saves shy of Lee Smith (478) for the all-time lead...The Padres are 6-2 during the day...San Diego leads the series 205-202.