BLOTTER

It was the first day of Spring. Everyone had been looking forward to this day throughout the long, mild winter. One guy even jumped the gun back in February during a road rage incident, but that didn't count. Everyone knows that machete season in New York doesn't officially begin until the first day of Spring.

Whoever gets out there first will be named Machete King for that year. So contenders polish and sharpen and practice on sawdust-filled dummies in their basements. As it happened, this year's Machete King is one of your shy types.

A man-or madman-of mystery.

On Monday afternoon, according to sources, he walked up to a man in Bed-Stuy and yelled "Where's Kerry?"

The helpful neighbor pointed him towards Kerry's place on Prospect Avenue, and off he went.

Ten minutes later, according to this same neighbor, Kerry's door flew open, and out came the two men, Kerry in the lead and the stranger following close behind, allegedly waving the season's first machete.

The chase didn't last too long, and Kerry was allegedly hacked across the chest by his pursuer, receiving a nasty, but non-life-threatening gash.

At last word, police were still looking for him, in hopes of presenting him with his crown.