Friends Relieved With First Disciplinary Step
John Rocker has expressed remorse about the massive backlash following his comments in last month's Sports Illustrated story.
Suspense for friends of his turned to relief Thursday with the news that at least so far, no hammer will come down on the 25-year-old pitcher from Macon.
Instead, at a minimum, Rocker will undergo psychological tests as mandated by Major League Baseball. After that, Commissioner Bud Selig will determine any ensuing punishment.
Equally comforting for those who've known Rocker and perhaps most important was the tone taken by Atlanta president Stan Kasten and general manager John Schuerholz at a press conference Thursday.
Kasten said Rocker's immediate words upon the start of their meeting last week made it clear that he wasn't, as Kasten said, "an unrepentant bigot" and that Rocker's whole demeanor convinced the Braves that working with the pitcher was worthwhile.
"John's a nice guy; those guys know that John's a nice guy from sitting down with him," said Barrett Daniels, who's known Rocker since seventh grade. "John's been very, very upset. I know him, and I know the article was very outlandish, but it's not John.
"I think they saw that once they sat down with him."
That Kasten and Schuerholz waited and allowed opinions to be formed after talks began were a good sign.
"The thing that stands out to me was that they really wanted to help John get through this," said Jake Fincher, who has known Rocker for about 20 years and graduated from First Presbyterian Day School with him. "It really did seem like they cared about John, which is what we wanted."
Eric Newton, another classmate of Rocker's from FPD, is one of the few to have a public sighting. He said the relief pitcher showed up between Christmas and New Year's Day at a local nightspot with a few friends, but only for about 10 minutes.
"It wasn't the normal John Rocker, walking around and talking to everybody he knew, "said Newton, who lives in Chicago and was in town for the holidays. "That night, he came in, talked to me for a few minutes, and they left."
That was one of the few times Rocker has ventured out in public in Atlanta or Macon, a change of social scenery for a guy not known for being shy or reserved. That much down time away from people could have an impact on somebody as outgoing as Rocker, who said during the playoffs that he could foresee himself burning out and dying young.
Such comments, ironically, inspired a New York Post story during the World Series delving into Rocker's mental outlook and intensity, and if he could, in so many words, go off the deep end.
The testing combined with an unspecified punishment that won't end Rocker's career in baseball nor most likely with the Braves was comforting to friends, although even a fine and suspension would be a breeze compared to what is ahead of Rocker.
"Well, it's not for me to say what's going to happen, what should happen," said Newton. "To put it into perspective, John's going to have to deal with a lot of stuff from the comments that he made. Is it going to be easier than fining him 10 grand? No, it's going to be worse. It's going to be worse than suspending him for a half year, it's going to be much worse.
"When he goes into every city and can't go out in public or he goes to every ballpark and gets booed, including Turner, I mean, that's going to be better than getting fined or sitting out for awhile? No."
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