WHACK BACK AT VAC

Kim Soriano: Mike, in your heart, do you believe, after the column you wrote, the back-and-forth negotiations, and Max Scherzer’s statement, that baseball will return?

Vac: I do. I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better, uglier before it gets prettier. But I can’t believe both sides are destined for a “Planet of the Apes” finale here (“You blew it up! Damn you!”). Ray Martin: Personally, I am not surprised that MLB negotiations are at an impasse, because nobody in baseball knows how to sacrifice anymore. Vac: Try the veal! Tip your waitresses! (Gosh … I miss waitresses …) @JosephGentile: Brian Cashman has one World Series title in the past 19 seasons, the longest such stretch of futility in franchise history. Yet, for some reason, Cashman has zero accountability.

@MikeVacc: Here’s a funny thing I’ve noticed about some Yankees fans: If you praise Aaron Boone too much, they are quick to remind you that your pet labradoodle could’ve won 203 games the last two years with that talent. But when you also mention that someone had to assemble that talent, they’ll kill Cashman, too.

Jimmy Franco: Thank you for the terrific column about Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo. It was a very moving tribute and brought back such wonderful memories of the time I watched “Brian’s Song” with my dad. It’s also reminded me that I need to find a way to watch it with my boys, so they can appreciate what Piccolo endured and the rewarding friendship that he and Sayers had with each other. Vac: My profound thanks for the many who responded to that column. It is amazing how profoundly the power of friendship resonance over the decades. Especially THAT friendship.