ANGRY FANS TRY TO CREATE A DISTRACTION FOR PIAZZA.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI

Mike Piazza didn't just fall off the turnip truck. He arrived in Los Angeles on a cheesesteak wagon, a product of Norristown, Pa., and the box seats of Veterans Stadium. He was a Philadelphia Phillies fan growing up.

As a Philly guy, Piazza knows more about booing than the people who were booing him Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

``Yeah, it was kind of like growing up,'' he said with a laugh more than an hour after a 9-1 Dodgers victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the home opener.

Piazza, 29, is too young to remember how they booed Dick Allen in Philadelphia. But he's not too young to remember how they booed Mike Schmidt. Who was this Mike's idol.

``I was sticking up for him,'' Piazza said of Schmidt, describing himself as a ``quiet'' fan.

They boo superstars in Philadelphia, one of the toughest rooms in sports.

But at Dodger Stadium? Only childhood could have prepared him for this.

It was a weird atmosphere for the first Dodgers home game under Fox ownership, which just happened to be the first Dodgers home game since Piazza's rash statement that his slow-paced negotiations for a contract extension ``has the potential to become a distraction.''

There was well-planned festivity - bands, pigeons, the unveiling of the Dodgers-history mural on the outfield wall, the introductions of past Dodgers greats, and the first-ever playing of a Led Zeppelin song on the stadium's PA system. (Note to Peter O'Malley: Led Zeppelin was a rock band.)

Then the players lined up on the baselines to be introduced, and a significant portion of the sellout crowd of 52,424 was laying for Piazza. At least this time, the boos were drowned out by cheers.

The fans were just warming up. As Piazza walked to the plate for the first time with the bases empty in the first inning, the boos came faster and harder, and swelled after he flied to left on a full count. Only a ground-ball single to left in the fourth inning, a quiet contribution to the game-breaking, five-run Dodgers rally, quieted the jeers.

Piazza wound up 1 for 4, raising his batting average in the week-old season to .200, and caught nine innings of sharp pitching by Chan Ho Park and three relievers. Being a catcher, always involved in the game, made it easier to block out the malcontents in the crowd, he said.

``I've got a lot of responsibilities out there,'' he said. ``I can really be engulfed in the game. That's kind of your escape.''

But he had to hear it.

His teammates did.

``I didn't expect it,'' said rookie first baseman Paul Konerko, who must have gotten the wrong impression about L.A. fans. ``Players who have been around (here) said they'd never heard that.''

Cases of Dodger Stadium fans booing local stars are rare. The last was Brett Butler, and then, too, it was because of off-the-field stuff, namely his snubbing of non-union teammate Mike Busch in 1995.

But if Piazza was surprised, he wouldn't say so after the game.

``I'm not the first guy in baseball to be booed and I won't be the last,'' he said. ``It's part of baseball, whether you like it or not.

``They're entitled to their opinion. I don't think anybody is exempt from being booed.''

He made sure to add: ``There were a lot of people who were very supportive.''

And: ``Winning is the best medicine for a lot of different things.''

Either Piazza really was expecting it - he should have been - or he has learned to say the right things. Which would be a step in the right direction. The ``distraction'' remark was a three-base error, whether it came from the heart or was a message calculated to put public pressure on Dodgers management.

The immediate, practical question, if you're a Dodgers fan, is whether this will cut into Piazza's .360 average, 40 homers and 120 RBI. I don't think so.

Piazza's critics say Butler was right when he called his former teammate selfish - which is facile - and looking for signs he actually is distracted. But judging by performance, the only Dodger distracted by Piazza's contract negotiations Tuesday was Trenidad Hubbard, whose error in center field led to the Arizona run. Piazza himself did nothing wrong on the field.

If you think Piazza is selfish, you also have to think he won't let his numbers slide, and ultimately what's good for Piazza's numbers is good for the team. So what if he falls out of love with Dodgers management? What's he going to do? Stop passing the ball?

Piazza admits he's ``continuing to mature.'' Mistakes are part of the process.

So are boos. ``It can only make me stronger,'' he said hopefully.

As he knows, boos didn't keep Mike Schmidt from the Hall of Fame.

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Photo

PHOTO (Color) Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza went out for pregame introductions to a mixed fan response.

David Crane/Daily News