Three cheers and a beer for workingman's hero SIMON BAKER, the bighearted star of "The Mentalist," who rescued cast and crew from slaving way into the wee hours.

 

After several episodes of late-night filming, Simon simmered as crew members grumbled that they weren't getting home until after 2 a.m.

 

In a showdown with the show's brass, Simon negotiated a deal to limit night shooting - and even when it was unavoidable, all filming had to be completed at a reasonable hour so everyone could be home by midnight.

 

The grateful crew's dubbed him "Sensational Simon."