“We’re going to make the best of the situation.”MIKE PIAZZA

Memo to Mets management: When Mike Piazza pleaded on Thursday, “We have to get on the same page,” he wasn’t referring to the back page.

After being roundly criticized in the New York media for rashly announcing their plans to experiment with Piazza at first base, Mets officials attempted to put the issue behind them yesterday. Manager Art Howe and GM Steve Phillips leaked the news to the media on Thursday afternoon before giving the 10-time All-Star the proper respect of informing him first.

“The way it was presented was a little unorthodox,” Piazza said yesterday, before adding moments later, “I’ve always considered myself a professional.”

“Obviously we wish it didn’t play out the way it did, but we can’t go back on it,” said Phillips, who insisted he has no regrets. “We’ll move forward.”

Howe, who seemed bothered by having to field a litany of questions again, finally asked, “Anybody know anything about San Diego?”

With the Padres in town and the Mets stuck in last place with a 14-20 record, there was precious little else to talk about at Shea yesterday. Howe and Phillips couldn’t put a time frame on when the experiment would begin.

“We’re not going to give you a blow-by-blow,” Phillips said.

It was a week that began with rumors of Phillips’ imminent firing, continued with the revelation of Rey Sanchez’s clubhouse haircut and ended with one of the club’s true all-time public relations disasters.

“It’s just another blunder on the way to a bad season,” said someone who deals with the Mets’ front office on a regular basis.

Piazza played last night after being out of the starting lineup for the last three games. He brought a little levity to the insanity when he told reporters before batting practice, “I’m gonna play in tonight’s game . . . behind the plate.”

The catcher was in a better mood because the mole that was removed from his abdomen earlier this week was found to be benign, which was a big relief. Piazza’s father was treated for skin cancer last year.

As far as being peeved about how he was told, there still seemed to be some lingering hard feelings. Publicly, Piazza was moving forward.

“My feeling is we are where we are,” he said. “At least for this week, I’ll be behind the plate.

“I’ve stated my position and we’ll go from there. Really it’s not an overnight process. I want to know what they have in mind. We’re going to do it like an organization should.”

When the Mets decided to move Roger Cedeno from left field to center, they gave him the entire winter to mentally and physically prepare.

It was a position that Cedeno last played in 2001, and the Mets thought so little of him, they were desperately hoping to unload him in an offseason trade. Cedeno was a disaster, even after six weeks of spring training.

But Piazza, the cornerstone of the club, was abruptly asked, during a week in which he overcame the cancer scare and all hell broke loose in the tabloids, to move from a position he has played virtually his entire professional career to one he played as a rock-and-jock high schooler.

Mets officials didn’t seem to grasp the concept of giving Piazza his respect until yesterday morning. They discussed their disastrous PR decision during a team meeting yesterday, a source said.

“There’s always concern for change, but we’re going to make the best of the situation,” Piazza promised.

As of yesterday, that still seemed in doubt.