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Some people don’t change.
Former Braves pitcher John Rocker still seems to have an issue with New York as he marked the 25th anniversary of his first game back at Shea Stadium after making incendiary comments in an infamous Sports Illustrated article bashing the city as a whole and taking aim at gays, minorities, women and immigrants.
Rocker made his first visit back to Queens on June 29, 2000, in front 46,998 angry New Yorkers, who rained down boos on him the entire night and drew a massive police presence at the former home of the Mets.
On Sunday, Rocker, now 50, reminisced about the experience on social media.
“25 years ago today I pitched at Shea Stadium for the first time since the Sports Illustrated article released,” he wrote on X. “More than 700 NYPD were on site. Police escorted one person out of the stadium for throwing a beer bottle at me.
“We ended up winning that game.”
Rocker ended the post with a message for the city: “F–K NEW YORK.”
The Mets did lose the game to the Braves 6-4 and Rocker came into the game in the bottom of the eighth, putting down Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile and Jay Payton in order to retire the side before Kerry Ligtenberg took over the following inning.
Rocker’s issues began after Sports Illustrated published a feature written by Jeff Perlman in which he espoused plenty of vitriol toward New York Yorkers, complaining about the number of foreigners — “How the hell did they get in this country?” — and comparing a trip on the 7 train to riding through “Beirut.”
“Next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing,” he said in the article.
The comments created a whirlwind of controversy and when Rocker returned to New York, an army of NYPD officers was assigned to the game to keep the peace.
The Post and NY1 reported that 600 officers had been at Shea Stadium for the game and footage from the Fox Sports New York broadcast showed officers in riot helmets standing behind the backstop while Rocker was pitching in the eighth inning.
Rocker was driven to and from the game by a police detail separate from his Braves teammates and a taped apology was played on the Shea Stadium video board before the game.
“I have apologized and have felt badly for anyone who took my comments personally,” Rocker said in the pre-recorded message, according to an ESPN report.
“I also am fully aware that the overwhelming majority of the people in this city are extremely charismatic and full of personality, although a bit spirited at times, but, you know, that doesn’t make them bad people.”
Rocker dominated the Mets during his career, pitching to a 1.93 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in 18.2 innings while collecting eight saves. He also saved two of the games in the Braves’ 1999 NLCS win over the Mets.
The comments in Sports Illustrated were not Rocker’s last controversial comments and he spent another few seasons in the majors until 2003.
In a twist of fate, Rocker signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League in 2005, spending a brief stint with the Suburban Long Island ballclub a short distance outside of the city he had slammed.
English (US)