Braves to learn Rocker’s value

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June 27 — John Rocker has looked as unsteady as a 2-year-old on a walk with a full cup of water. One pitch it’s groove, the next pitch it’s grope. You wonder if the Braves are ready to trust him in the ninth inning in Shea Stadium this week. His control on the mound sometimes seems no better than control of his emotions.

ALAS, THE BRAVES have no choice. They have to trust him. They need him …. at least until they can pry some relief help from another team by the July 31 trade deadline.

The Braves could come home in second place in the NL East if their relievers can’t compete with the Mets. The fact is, Atlanta needs to discover a closer who can match up to Armando Benitez and deal with the Mets in the bottom of the ninth. Rocker can throw a 97 mph fastball and then come with a slider that can produce some of the weakest swings you’ll ever see.

That’s why the Braves cling to Rocker. The left-handed mouth is untradeable right now not only because no one wants to touch his personality, but because no one can touch his best stuff with a bat.

So the quest this week — other than holding off the Mets — is to find out if Rocker can be a dominant pitcher under pressure. Better to find out now than in October, if he’s still around.

Of course, Atlanta would have preferred better circumstances for Mr. Ball and Chain’s first New York visit. Like a 10-game lead. Headed into Wednesday night’s action, the lead over the Mets was a mere two games. A month ago it looked like New York would be playing for the wild card because the Braves seemed ready to pull away. Many were calling this edition the best Atlanta club of the last 10 years after a 15-game winning streak.

But Atlanta has cooled off and been reeled in while the Mets finally skipped past the Expos and Marlins in the standings. New York seems to be a better team with Melvin Mora’s hot bat in the lineup in place of injured shortstop Rey Ordonez. New York could be even stronger this week if they acquire Scott Erickson and Mike Bordick from the Orioles. We now have a race.

We also have a few million rubberneckers anxious to see a bloody crash. The Rock vs. New York. Shea is the perfect venue for this sideshow. It’s built on a landfill.

Sadly, the sideshow will seem like the main event. Cops everywhere and a wall erected to keep the fans away from Public Enemy No. 1. If you thought his teammates were already treating Rocker like he had the plague, wait until the Braves get to New York. He won’t have a teammate within arm’s reach for fear of getting hit with a battery or some other flying object.

Chipper Jones says he and the rest of the Braves are sick of the Rocker morass. How can you blame them? They will be swarmed over by media in New York. I’ll be surprised if the clubhouse is open to reporters Thursday for more than 30 minutes. If it is open, a lot of Braves will be competing for spots in the training room “getting treatment” for imaginary injuries. None of them want to deal with this mess.

Rocker, of course, has to deal with a bigger mess. Wouldn’t it be just lovely if the Mets fans throw him kisses? Rocker claims the hate fuels his pitching, so if New York fans really want to help their team they’ll throw bouquets, not barbs.

That’s as unlikely to happen as Rocker jumping into the stands for a group hug.

There will be no calm from Mets fans. If Bobby Cox does put him in a game, they will be at their venomous worst. If Rocker loses control and can’t throw a strike you’ll have to cover your ears from the explosion of glee and vile. Cox won’t shy away from this. If he needs Rocker to pitch, he’ll put him in the game.

The key for Rocker is strike one. He has to get to 0-and-1 on the first pitch or doubt seems to creep in to his skull, which has been too thick to absorb common sense about how to act. If Rocker gets strike one, he is emboldened. If he goes to 2-and-0, he’ll think the umps hate him as much as reporters. He goes downhill from there.

The Mets, if they are smart, will sit back and wait for a strike. They need to see if Rocker can get some traction or whether he’ll melt on the mound in the edgy atmosphere.

Me, I’d just as soon be deprived of the Rocker vs. New York sideshow. I’ll beg for four complete games from Atlanta pitchers, or some 12-2 routs. I don’t care if the Braves win, but I do care that I not see Rocker sprint out of the bullpen.

Maybe I’ll keep on my eyes on the road and not look at the wreck in the other lane. Maybe I’m turning the TV off after the eighth inning and wait for baseball — not John Rocker — to be center stage again.

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