NEW YORK -- Mike Bordick quickly found his place at Shea Stadium.

In the clubhouse, the newly acquired shortstop already had a permanent nameplate above his locker. On the field, the All-Star homered on the first pitch he saw Saturday.

	The Mets acquired Mike Bordick for his defense, but he made a good first impression offensively by hitting a first-pitch homer Saturday.

The New York Mets' other arrivals, Bubba Trammell and Rick White, needed a little more help to find their way around.

Robin Ventura pasted a sticker above White's locker that said: "Hi, my name is Rick." Trammell had no marker at all.

All three were acquired in trades Friday. Bordick came from the Baltimore Orioles for shortstop Melvin Mora and three minor leaguers. Trammell and White arrived from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for pitcher Paul Wilson and outfielder Jason Tyner.

Mets manager Bobby Valentine predicted Bordick would make an easy transition.

"He'll be comfortable within a quicker amount of time," he said.

Agreed a wide-eyed Trammell: "It's like the first day of school."

The trades gave the Mets the everyday shortstop they sorely needed as well as some help in the bullpen and off the bench.

Along with his solid fielding and experience, the 34-year-old Bordick brought a .297 batting average, 16 home runs and 59 RBI to the Mets.

He showed some of that power when he led off the second inning with a home run against Andy Benes of the St. Louis Cardinals. The crowd that cheered him in pregame introductions gave him a long ovation and he responded with a curtain call.

"Being that we were going through a tough season in Baltimore, it was good to have an opportunity to win," Bordick said before the game. "I just want to settle in and adjust as soon as possible."

White, a reliever, and Trammell, an outfielder, were also treated to some New York hospitality.

Fans called White's name during batting practice. Trammell was eager to play in front of Mets fans.

"Every time I've come here I've enjoyed it. It's good to play where fans know some history," Trammell said.

White looked forward to being in a pennant race.

"It's a night-and-day situation," he said. "I went from a last-place team to being right in the middle of contention."

"You look around and you see a lot of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers," he said. "I'm very excited to be here."