Piazza feels OK catching, hitting, eyes 1st

NEWSDAY
NORFOLK, Va. -- The biggest news coming out of Friday's Triple-A Tides game was expected to be how Mike Piazza felt in his first stint behind the plate since partially tearing his groin May 16.
Few story lines could've upstaged that one, but Piazza himself managed to pull it off by revealing that he might see time at first base before concluding his rehab assignment Tuesday.
"We're talking about it," he said. "The key is, there's no plan etched in stone. We're just going out and flying by the seat of our pants, really."
After being the designated hitter Thursday -- going 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk -- Piazza caught four innings Friday and said he felt good at the plate and behind it. He also said he could temporarily relocate.
Piazza told Gary LaRocque, Mets assistant GM for amateur scouting, he had brought his first baseman's glove. LaRocque's reply, according to Piazza: "If you want to take a couple ground balls, go ahead."
LaRocque, who attended both games, said he was satisfied enough with Piazza's recovery to green-light the first base idea.
"The most important thing is that he's ready to catch when he leaves here," LaRocque said.
Piazza intended to catch six or seven innings today and work his way up to nine by Tuesday. Somewhere in between, he may log time at first base.
"It's all about how he feels," LaRocque said.
Behind the plate -- catching Jeremy Griffiths, who allowed three hits in eight shutout innings -- Piazza said his groin was sound.
"Crouching felt good, coming out of the crouch on a couple of groundouts, a couple of pop-ups felt good," he said.