Don't hate …

Think Mets vs. Yankees. Think about Chien-Ming Wang vs. Johan Santana at Yankee Stadium. Now think about Wang and Santana on the same team.

The prospect of the dynamic duo in pinstripes sure does look a lot better now than when the subject came up during the winter. It’s never going to happen. If there was ever a time to reinforce how important it was for the Yankees to go after, then fail to get Santana this offseason, this is it. If there was ever a time to look back on the immediate past and shake your head, now is the time.

The Yankees could have had Santana from the Twins but didn’t want to part with Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy? I’m not going to say “I told you so” but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to think it.

Santana is 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA in seven starts. His presence on the mound makes batting instructors nervous and his teammates feel at ease. He’s a two-time Cy Young Award winner and there is little doubt the Mets believe he is going to win every time he steps on the mound.

Kennedy is 0-2 with an 8.37 ERA and now back in the Minor Leagues. For all of his promise and obvious talent, Hughes is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and on the disabled list. I’ve never been a big fan of how the Yankees always acquire big names, trade the farm, and pay the most money for players because they can, but I’ve never hate them for it either. That’s how the Yankees operate and that’s how it worked for them in the past. If other clubs had the means, I’m sure they would operate the same way. But changing the philosophy and deciding against acquiring Santana because the club wanted to keep the organization’s top pitching prospects was a not the best idea in this case.

Yes, the season is young and so are Kennedy and Hughes, but that’s part of the issue at hand. The two Yankees pitchers are so young I don’t believe anybody really knows how good they are going to be in their careers. There are people who have “hope” they will be great pitchers and people who “believe,” “project,” and “envision” these youngsters as superstars one day, but there are no guarantees.

Santana is a guaranteed winner. The Yankees should have acquired him and added another big name to the team no matter the cost. Wang is 6-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Two aces in the Bronx sounds pretty good right now doesn’t it?

Will Hughes and Kennedy rebound? I’m sure they will. Will either ever be Santana? Likely not. Will the young duo get their act together in time for the talented (and aging) Yankees roster to put together another championship run? That’s the real question.

The good news for Yankees haters (a group which does NOT include yours truly) is that the window is closing. Jason Giambi is 37, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu are both 34, Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter will be 34 next month. Mike Mussina is 39 and Andy Pettitte is 35. Even Alex Rodriguez is on his way to 33 although he shows no signs of slowing down.

The great Mariano Rivera is 38 and Jorge Posada is 36. Speaking of Posada, his contract along with the club’s failure to acquire Santana is coming back to haunt the Bronx. Posada has been a solid catcher for years but a four-year deal for a catcher that age was a huge risk. It’s easy to say that now, but the reality is that aging and Father Time waits for no man, not even Posada. The veteran is on the disabled list with shoulder problems and when he returns (whenever that is), there is no guarantee he is going to be the same.

I can hear the Yankees rebuttal now. “But wait, we have Melky Cabrera (23), Joba Chamberlain (22) and Robinson Cano (25).”

Yes you do. Cabrera is doing his part but how’s that .154 batting average and four-year deal looking for Cano these days? Chamberlain is an obvious talent and appears destined for great things. But let’s just reserve judgment for a season or two until he becomes who he is going to become on the mound. Pitchers change. Sometimes they get better with more experience. Sometimes they don’t.

What won’t change, barring injury, is Santana. He is who is he is and what he is right now is a Met. Think about that when he faces Wang.