Post columnists Mike Vaccaro and Kevin Kernan slug it out over whether Randy Johnson or Pedro Martinez will be Apple’s best pitcher when the season’s done
Mike Vaccaro: Kevin, there are a hundred different reasons to dislike Randy Johnson, and we don’t have to list every one of them here. But the fact is, the only reason why people are panicking about the start the Big Unit’s is off to is because they measure him against what he used to be. You give me a lefty who can hit 95 on the gun and has the experience he has? I’ll sign him up. Pedro’s been wonderful, better than the Unit so far. But by August, we’ll be singing a different tune about this. And Johnson will be singing it.
Kevin Kernan: Vacman, I actually agree with you about Johnson’s ability, but I’m looking at the entire Unit. Last year, I began lecturing the Yankees on the need to sign Pedro up in The Bronx. It was clear Pedro was begging the Yankees to take him aboard. As usual, the Yankees didn’t listen to what I had to say and went off in their own direction. People don’t understand that Pedro brings more than great stuff to the mound, he brings unity and an understanding of the game that is unique. Pedro is one of the smartest players I’ve been around the last 20 years. He is like having an extra manager, cheerleader, comedian and trainer. He makes the game fun. The Yankees are not allowing themselves to have fun.
Vaccaro: Kevin, we both know that’s what the Yankees have always been about: taking the fun out of baseball, putting the wins in. And the fact is, come September, the Yankees are going to find themselves in a hot race for the pennant and the Mets are going to find themselves in a hot race to stay above .500. Pedro may well be the difference between the Mets being respectable this year and being as unwatchable as they’ve been the past few seasons, but Randy’s going to be the reason the Yankees have so many important games to play in September.
Kernan: That might happen, but just like the Yankees missed on Carlos Beltran and Bartolo Colon, they missed on Pedro. The money they spent on Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright could have bought them Pedro. Look at what Pedro did the other night when the Shea sprinklers soaked him – he made it fun. Johnson would be blaming his next four bad starts on getting wet. Steinbrenner would have issued a proclamation through his PR mouthpiece and we would have put it on the back page. Instead Pedro had fun with it, shut down the opposition (again) and don’t look now, but the Mets went into the weekend 1½ games out of first while the Yankees were five back.
Vaccaro: Kevin, I’ll bet you one of your pal Jack McKeon’s finest cheroots that by the last month of the season, it will be Randy making a critical start for the Yankees, while Pedro’s making a start to try and cinch the Cy Young Award. This is no knock at Pedro, who has been wonderful, but on a team with lower expectations, like the Mets, the need for an ace’s ace is a lot slimmer. The fact is, in September and October, Yankees fans will breathe easier knowing they have the Unit on their side, no matter how much trepidation they have now.
Kernan: And over on the other side, Pedro will also be making a critical start that month. The teams in the NL East are flawed. If you look past McKeon’s cigar smoke, you’ll see the Marlins have the best pitching, but their hitting does not scare anyone. If Pedro keeps pitching the way he has pitched the first two months, the Mets will have meaningful games come September. It’s not often that one pitcher can lift his club to such heights. That’s what the Big Unit was supposed to do. So far, it’s what Pedro has done.
