John Rocker - Politically incorrect relief pitcher

Articles in this Topic Discussions in this Topic

Feb 17, 2000

Say what you will about John Rocker, one fact about the man cannot be denied. He certainly has personality. It's abrasive, obnoxious, ignorant and unrepentant. But definitely not bland.

By now, sports fan or not, the average American probably knows who Rocker is, and many of them have been offended by him. Particularly if they belong to a minority group, are homosexual, or aren't native born citizens of the U.S. Particularly if they live in New York city and ride the 7 train. I myself am a regular subway passenger in the Big Apple. Therefore, I can say in John's defense that being jammed into a metal box with the huddled masses yearning to get to work can be quite aggravating. I will also admit, because I want to be as fair as possible, that if beer, batteries and curses had been flung at me for the sin of trying to do my job, I might be inclined to hold a grudge as well.

Here is one of many ways in which I differ from Rocker. If I was sitting next to a reporter from Sports Illustrated, I would make a concentrated effort not to spew the most vile, hateful commentary I could think up. That would make me more than just a bigot. It would make me an idiot. Or am I repeating myself?

And yet there is a part of me that applauds anyone who defies the regulations of political correctness. These rules do tend to be somewhat strict. Honesty is supposed to be an admirable trait, after all. Does the commandment about truthfulness become obsolete if the truth believed strikes some as tasteless and cruel?

Had Rocker remained true to his less than enlightened convictions, I may have formed a begrudging respect for him. Once the you-know-what hit the fan, however, he resorted to self-serving excuses and flat out lies. Suddenly he did not mean the things he said in that interview, they were taken out of context, were the result of stressful circumstances. "My words got ahead of my head", is how he explained himself. He wanted to retaliate strictly against rabid Mets and Yankees fans, but ended up offending everyone who isn't a member of the Aryan race. He now hopes to convince us that he doesn't really consider a teammate of his to be a "fat monkey". That was just light hearted humor. I suppose we're also supposed to believe that John is a proponent of immigration and does not have a racist or homophobic bone in his body. For his last trick, I'm guessing he tries to sell us all the Brooklyn Bridge.

Go To Page: 1 2 3