During his confinement as a prisoner of war during the Persian Gulf war, U.S. Navy Lt. Robert Wetzel dreamed about going to a baseball game after his release.

"I dreamed of good things," he said. "Things that I would experience when I got home, things like going to a ballgame with my brothers."

Wetzel threw out the first ball on Opening Day at Shea Stadium in New York yesterday, along with three other Gulf veterans.

"It is the thrill of a lifetime," he said. "I've been here many times to see the Mets, but never like this."