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6/29/00 * The day we've all been waiting for. John returns to New York. John who didn't ride the number 7 train, instead rode in an unmarked police van, started his day by reading a statement he wrote the night before the game. To read the statement Click Here! John surprised the Mets fans by coming into the game in the eighth inning instead of the ninth to replaced Jason Marquis. A few objects, including what looked like a golf ball and a bottle, were thrown at Rocker in left field as the crowd stood and loudly booed him. John seemed very calm while he was on the mound. Didn't twitch as much as we've seen him do on the mound in the past. John got Robin Ventura to strike out and got Todd Zeile to hit a ground ball to short for the 2nd out. By this time the crowd seemed to quiet down. Then John got Jay Payton to ground out to Third for the third out. The cameras stayed with John as he walked back to the dugout. He only looked up at the booing crowd and smirked. His teammates greeted him with high five's. Great night for John and the Braves who beat the Mets 6 to 4.
I was VERY glad to see Rocker pitch so well and stay so relaxed and calm on the mound. I was also glad to see that John survived his first day in New York!
6/26/00 * John has been using silver nitrate to treat a callous on his left thumb which has been affecting his release. "You can still feel it but what hurts is all the inflammation; most of that was caused by the infection," said Rocker. "I'm hoping this will keep it from re-opening and will prevent infection."
6/25/00 * John got the victory even though he walked two batters and only throwing 11 of 21 pitches for strikes.
6/23/00 * After a one-out walk, Rocker struck out the last two hitters in the ninth inning to earn his 12th save of the season.
6/21/00 * Not a very good night for poor John. He entered the game in the ninth inning to the cheering of the crowd, but after throwing 20 balls and just 10 strikes he left the field to to a different tone. He allowed five runs, four walks and hit a batter, his ERA swelling to 5.85 Manager Bobby Cox had this to say, �He didn�t throw well at all. The game got out of hand."
6/18/00 * Rocker got his first save in a month, striking out three of four batters he faced Sunday in the Atlanta Braves' 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. After a 35-minute rain delay with two outs in the eighth, Rocker relieved Mike Remlinger with a runner on first and struck out Desi Relaford on a 2-2 pitch. Look for Rocker to get more save opportunities, and if his control is good, (both on the mound and in the clubhouse), he'll go back to being their closer.
6/14/00 * John rejoined his Atlanta Braves teammates today following a three-outing stay in the minors. Rocker came into the game during the eighth inning and threw six consecutive balls. Manager Bobby Cox came to the mound, talked briefly with him and then signaled for former closer Kerry Ligtenberg to come into the game.
6/13/00 * After finishing the least impressive of his three one-inning stints for Richmond, Rocker was recalled by the Braves due to an injury to Rudy Seanez. John got the news after working the ninth in a 6-2 victory. He then thanked the Richmond Braves for having him and helping him during a six-day stay, his first in the minors since he pitched here early in the 1998 season.
6/12/00 * John was backstage at WCW's Monday Nitro at the Richmond Coliseum. He was said to be pretty much quiet and just in awe of all the wrestling personalities around him as he is a huge wrestling fan, especially of Bill Goldberg.
6/11/00 * Rocker recorded his second save in two appearances since being sent to the minors, striking out three in the ninth inning.
6/10/00 * Rocker pitched a scoreless inning for Triple-A Richmond. He struck out the side, and walked one batter
6/8/00 * After waiting two days to report to his minor league assignment, Rocker arrived Thursday for the Richmond Braves' game with the Toledo Mud Hens. Although Rocker didn't pitch he did spend 20 minutes throwing in the bullpen before the game, working on smoothing out his delivery. John walked out onto the field to a standing ovation and a few boo's just before the opening pitch. He then signed autographs for fans. During the late innings, when it became apparent that Rocker would not pitch, some fans booed and many left. The game drew a crowd of 6,212, about 60 percent of capacity. John is expected to pitch in Friday's game.
6/7/00 * In a radio interview on 96 Rock, John said he was thinking about quitting baseball, returning to college and becoming a stockbroker. Rocker also said he was tired of dealing with the attention from the media about his controversial remarks. When asked what really happened between him and Pearlman Rocker had this to say, "For a minute and a half, I yelled at him. I didn't use profanity. I told him that I thought it was a bad article. I told him a lot of stuff he put in the article didn't need to be said." When asked why he felt compelled to yell at Pearlman, Rocker said he thought that the sportswriter was at fault for the public outcry against his remarks in a December issue of the magazine. Rocker also said he thought that Pearlman should have given him an apology. "He, of course, put the blame for everything on me. He said he was just doing his job," Rocker said. "Instead of having a little sympathy for the pain and suffering he caused somebody else. And after all that, I scold this guy for a minute and a half, and instead of standing there and taking it like a man, he has to run back and say John Rocker yelled at me. Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have yelled at him. But the only repercussions that guy got to face was to get scolded for a minute and a half. Instead of being a man and saying 'I'm sorry for everything you've been through." When asked about the media Rocker said this, "You can only politely decline so many times," Rocker said. "Every second or third question is about that. They don't have any respect for your wishes. They're trying to stir up a can of worms."
6/6/00 * Rocker has 72 hours to report to the Triple-A Richmond Braves, or face being fined. Rocker didn't imply that he would refuse the assignment, but he wanted to consult with his agents, first. Under baseball rules, Rocker must remain in Richmond for at least 10 days.
6/05/00 * The Braves optioned Rocker to Triple-A Richmond Monday. The Braves claim Rockers demotion to the minors had nothing to do with yesterdays confrontation, but was due to Johns lack of performance on the mound. The team also fined him $5000 for "inappropriate conduct" for the run in with Jeff Pearlman.
6/04/00 * Rocker had a heated confrontation Sunday with Sports Illustrated reporter Jeff Pearlman. Pearlman, was in Atlanta to do a story on the Braves taking on the New York Yankees in a rematch of last year's World Series, met up with Rocker in a service tunnel near the clubhouse about two hours before the final game of the series. According to Pearlman, Rocker made threatening comments such as, "This isn't over between us," and, "Do you know what I can do to you?" The Braves are investigating and Rocker's teammates were clearly disturbed by the latest outburst.
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