One of the more pointless debates on May 2 of any season is "Who's been the MVP so far?", but pointless debates are a great time-filler on talk radio. So that was the topic on Boston's main sports blab station this morning, and both hosts extolled the virtues of the obvious choice (Manny Ramirez). But in making his case, one of them insisted Ramirez was extra important because "Pedro hasn't been Pedro so far this season".

I almost drove off the road. Excuse me? I near shouted at the radio, as if I had his ear.

Oh, yes, he plowed on as if I actually did, the Sox are just .500 in Pedro Martinez starts. .500!! And yet they're still 17-9, and that's why Manny has been so valuable.

Come on, I screamed at the other host, slap him upside the head. Shake him by the shoulders. Inject him with 10 CC's of common sense. It's not that I'm arguing that Manny Ramirez hasn't been valuable; in fact, I probably agree with the position that he's been the team MVP through the first month of the season. But Pedro hasn't been Pedro? Hah?

The other host's counter-argument? "Pitching is 75% of baseball." ARRRRRGHHHH!!! I screamed as he walked us through the Sox' pursuit of Mike Mussina prior to their courting of Ramirez.

As I changed the station in utter disgust, I couldn't stop thinking: Has it come to this? As we so spoiled that we can't recognize greatness -- we can't recognize immortality -- when we see it? Are we so blinded by the won-loss record that we actually think the fact that the Red Sox haven't won all of Pedro Martinez's starts this season means that Pedro hasn't been Pedro? Are we that stupid?

Let's see. Pedro Martinez is 3-0 in his six starts. The three starts he made that the Red Sox -- not Martinez, but the Red Sox -- lost were Opening Day in Baltimore (when the Sox scored one run), April 14 against the Yankees (when they scored two) and last Wednesday against the Twins (when they scored three, and Rod Beck blew the save with two outs in the ninth). Martinez didn't lose any of those games; he pitched seven innings in each one, and his ERA in those starts is 2.14 with 25 strikeouts (and only 5 walks) in 21 innings. Had the Sox approached -- not matched, but approached -- their seasonal runs-per-game average of 5.63 in each of those starts, Martinez would be 6-0 and the Sox would be 20-6.

And the three he won? They included a 16-strikeout effort, a 13-strikeout effort, and an eight-inning shutout of the team with the best record in baseball on a night when he says he "didn't feel right the whole game".

Martinez has a 1.47 ERA, which easily leads the league. (League average ERA: 4.38) He has 66 strikeouts, which easily lead the league. (The No. 2 man, Barry Zito, has 22 fewer K's.) He's yet to allow a home run so far this season. Opposing hitters are batting .203 against him, which, among starting pitchers, is bested only by Joe Mays and Hideo Nomo. The oppositon on-base percentage is .269, which is fifth-best in the league. The opposition slugging percentage, .248, is second only to Nomo.

But forget the numbers. Have you seen him pitch? Did you watch him last night, when he blew that 98-MPH fastball past David Bell on a 3-and-2 count with the bases loaded -- and the Seattle fans standing and screaming and stomping -- in the fourth inning? Is there anyone you'd rather have on the mound, anyone you'd rather see with the ball in his hand?

I'm just as guilty as anyone, I have to say. He did look like he was struggling last night. He surrendered some line drives, and Darren Lewis saved his bacon with a great diving catch -- couldn't do that last week for Nomo, eh, DLew? -- that he turned into a double play in the third. I went to bed worried that he wasn't himself . . . on a night when he allowed three hits and four walks, with 12 strikeouts, in eight shutout innings. Against Seattle, no less.

However, I know I'm crazy. I get the sense that other people are utterly convinced "Pedro hasn't been Pedro".

If that's the case, God help the American League when he goes back to being Pedro.