Who's the man in NY?

Right now, Pedro. In the future, David Wright.
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Who's the man?

News votes for Pedro as king of New York

BY MICHAEL O'KEEFFE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? And Joe Namath, Mickey Mantle, Reggie
Jackson, Walt Frazier and Lawrence Taylor?

Every era in New York sports history has The Man, the athlete who symbolizes
the times, the athlete who both inspires and reflects his generation. The
Man, obviously, is a great athlete. But The Man also has a charisma, a
style, a je nais se qua that transcends his game. The Man is confident,
often cocky, always cool. The Man has class.

The Man is James Bond in pinstripes. The Man is James Dean at point guard.
The Man doesn't hit home runs; the Man hits tape-measure blasts. The Man
doesn't win football games; the Man predicts a Super Bowl win and delivers.

In the '90s, The Man was Derek Jeter. World Series rings on his fingers,
models on his arm. But the Captain hasn't done much for us lately. After
all, the Yankees haven't won a World Series since Giuliani was in office.
He's just another pretty face these days.

So who is The Man for the '00s?

While other newspaper types were lounging on the beach or at the track, the
Daily News sports staff has been conducting a sophisticated and rigorous
analysis of biographical data, statistics, win-loss records, weather
patterns and astrological shifts to determine who The Man is. We've also had
fist fights and name-calling. But we finally came up with a winner, a fair
and square, Katherine Harris-approved secret-ballot winner.

And our MAN is...

Pedro Martinez.

Now it's your turn. Below, you'll find our rankings, with pros and cons for
each. Tell us who your Man is and give us a couple of reasons why. We'll run
your selections and comments next Sunday.

1. Pedro Martinez

Pros: The Mets may be destined to be a .500 team this season, but on every
fifth day, at least, fans at Shea Stadium can expect something truly
wonderful. Martinez is having a Cy Young Award-worthy year, but when Omar
Minaya signed Martinez to a four-year, $54 million deal last winter, he got
more than an ace: He got a larger-than-life personality. Martinez was
already a fan-favorite in the Latin community, but any player who runs
through the infield sprinklers like a little kid or wears a trash can on his
head to crack up his teammates has what it takes to be The Man for all New
Yorkers.

Cons: Pedro can't pitch every day. He's more likely to have a midget than a
model on his arm. The Yankees are his daddy. He used to play for the Red
Sox.

2. Alex Rodriguez

Pros: Rodriguez may be the most complete player in Major League Baseball
history. His career batting average is over .300 and he's already notched
more than 400 home runs - in fact, he may one day threaten Hank Aaron's
all-time record. A-Rod is also generous with his time and money; he's a big
fund-raiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other charities. He's
handsome, articulate and his wife Cynthia is as smart as she is sexy.

Cons: No ring, no king: The Yankees didn't bring A-Rod to New York so they
could battle for a wild-card berth.

3. Derek Jeter

Pros: Jeter was definitely The Man in the '90s, when his on-field heroics
helped the Yankees win four World Series titles in five years. Jeter is cool
under pressure and he comes up with big plays exactly when the Yankees need
them most - his legendary flip during the 2001 Division Series against the
Oakland A's will be a staple on highlight videos for decades to come. Jeter
has leading-man good looks, he's a regular at the city's coolest nightspots,
and he dates the most gorgeous women in the world (Lara Dutta, Jordana
Brewster, Jessica Alba and Mariah Carey, to name a few).

Cons: Until Jeter wins another World Series, he's yesterday's newspapers.

4. Mariano Rivera

Pros: Rivera is the most dominant closer in the history of the game and
deserves all the credit he's received for the Yankees' success during the
past eight years. When he does occasionally stumble, Rivera bounces right
back. He recorded a remarkable 31 straight saves this season before he
finally cooled off, and he will be the most important player on Joe Torre's
roster if the Yankees make it to the postseason.

Cons: When was the last time you read about Mariano Rivera in Rush & Molloy?
It's admirable that Rivera spends his free time with his family instead of
starlets, but if he wants to be The Man in New York, he needs to get out of
the house more often.

5. Joe Torre

Pros: Torre is arguably the greatest baseball manager in New York history,
and what he's done since he took the Yankee helm in 1996 has set the bar at
an impossible height for the guy who will eventually succeed him: eight
first-place finishes, six American League pennants, four World Series
championships. He's the only manager in the Steinbrenner era who has held
his own against The Boss. Plus, he's thrown heart and soul into the battles
against domestic violence and cancer.

Cons: If the Yankees fail to make the postseason, Torre might very well be
unemployed in October.

6. Jason Kidd

Pros: The historically dismal Nets became legitimate threats overnight when
Kidd, perhaps the best floor general in the NBA, arrived in New Jersey in
2001. He's one of those guys that makes everybody around him better, which
is one of the main reasons the Nets went to consecutive NBA Finals
appearances in 2002 and 2003. His wife, Joumana, a TV correspondent and
actress, is a star in her own right.

Cons: Plays in New Jersey. Plays in New Jersey. Plays in New Jersey. Did we
mention he plays in New Jersey?

7. Curtis Martin

Pros: The durable and reliable Martin is by far the best running back in
Jets' history. He's the NFL's leading active rusher and is on the verge of
overtaking Emmitt Smith's all-time record. He's got a Long Island penthouse
that was featured on "MTV Cribs" and an art collection with objects dating
back to the 17th century. He made Esquire's best-dressed list in 2004 and
has been romantically linked to soul hotty Toni Braxton and Destiny's
Child's Michelle Williams.

Cons: Martin's Jets are chronic underachievers; he prefers Bible study over
booze and broads.

8. Mike Piazza

Pros: Piazza, a lock for Cooperstown, may be the best-hitting catcher of all
time. He used to hit the nightclubs as hard as he hits baseballs, and the
eye candy on his arm were often Playboy models, including Playmate of the
Millennium Darlene Bernaola. He's slowed down since he got married, but who
wouldn't want to be a homebody with former Baywatch star Alicia Rickter?

Cons: Competent - at best - behind the plate. And although he's had a great
run, Piazza is in the twilight of his career and he may not be in New York
for very long.

9. Tiki Barber

Pros: Barber is one of the most productive running backs in Giants' history
and posted the best stats of his nine-year NFL career last season. Barber is
actively involved with numerous good causes, and he's a smart, articulate
guy who will be a terrific sportscaster when he decides to finally hang up
his helmet.

Cons: Too many lackluster seasons; Giants aren't going anywhere again.

10. Larry Brown

Pros: Brooklyn-born Brown is one of the best coaches in basketball history,
the only head coach to win NBA and NCAA championships. He gave the moribund
Knicks a whole new lease on life when he was hired last month; he was
featured on the back page of the Daily News six out of seven days last
month.

Cons: Brown faces an uphill battle to make the Knicks a contender. His
attention span is short and if history is our guide, he's not likely to
stick around for more than a few seasons.

Man hall of fame


A look at The Men of years past:


JOE NAMATH: Booze, broads and swagger.
JOE DIMAGGIO: He was married to Marilyn Monroe for cripesake.
WALT FRAZIER: Cooler than Superfly, tougher than Shaft.
MICKEY MANTLE: The Man for the Howdy Doody generation.
MARK MESSIER: The Man who brought home the Cup after 54 years.
REGGIE JACKSON: He was The Man when the Bronx was burning.
BABE RUTH: The original Man.
LAWRENCE TAYLOR: Tackled nightlife & QBs.
TOM SEAVER: The Amazin' Man.
PATRICK EWING: When the Garden was sizzling, Patrick was The Man.
JACKIE ROBINSON: The Man who beat Jim Crow.
FRANK GIFFORD: The Man at three positions.
WILLIE MAYS: Say hey, he was no kid; he was The Man.


Man of the future


A look at The Men to come:


N.Y. athletes who look like they have what it takes to be The Man:


CHAD PENNINGTON: If he can stay healthy and win a few big games, he'll be
the toast of the town.

DAVID WRIGHT: We already knew the Mets third baseman could hit, but did you
see that bare-handed catch in San Diego?

ELI MANNING: He struggled in his first season but showed enough flashes of
brilliance in final three games last season to be The Man.

JOSE REYES: He still has a lot to learn, but Reyes is an exciting cat who
has the tools and the potential to be The Man.

STEPHON MARBURY: Can Larry Brown make him The Man?


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Let's Go Mets!!!

Met-in-PR


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