August 28, 2014

John Rocker — the baseball player destroyed by a Sports Illustrated profile in 1999 — comes back into the culture spotlight as a contestant on "Survivor."

The new season starts on September 24, so let's talk about the old SI article that ruined his career.

I don't remember the old controversy, but I'm interested in looking at what sort of sexist-racist-homophobia material was stirring people up back in the year when Bill Clinton was acquitted in his impeachment trial, "The Sopranos" TV show began,  Dr. Jack Kevorkian was convicted of second degree murder for assisting in the suicide of a terminally ill man, there was a war in Kosovo and a massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado,  "Fight Club," Being John Malkovich," and "The Matrix" were playing in the movie theaters, and — most memorably — Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Al-Haj, Sultan of Selangor became the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

Here's the SI article. He doesn't like "foreigners":
"The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. I'm not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?"
And:
Rocker is rarely tongue-tied when it comes to bashing those of a race or sexual orientation different from his. "I'm not a racist or prejudiced person," he says with apparent conviction. "But certain people bother me."
People have learned to tie their tongues since then. It will always be the case that people "bother" people. It's just harder to hear about it these days. But we're always hanging around ready to pounce on those who do violate the new speech norms.

27 comments:

Gahrie said...

But we're always hanging around ready to pounce on those who do violate the new speech norms.

Not all of us. Some of us are pretty tired of it.

Lewis Wetzel said...

In a PC atmosphere, the arts will suffer. The PC types control the arts funding.

Unknown said...

Thanks Gahrie. I was about to ask the professor if she had a mouse in her pocket.

Joe said...

John Rocker was a shit player with a big mouth; Sports Illustrated itself had little to do with it.

Quaestor said...

All these many years later I'm still not sure how I should have reacted to Being John Malkovich, but then I've never enjoyed The Bald Soprano or Waiting for Godot even though as an educated person I'm suppose to. To me observing these pieces of performance art is kind of like reverse pornography. Pornography is something you're suppose to despise for all the correct reasons: Pornography objectifies women. It promotes disrespect, and reduces the expectations of the sex act to it's lowest terms. And yet... I can see it and not turn away ("Look at the tits on that babe!" says the little demon Quaestor sitting on my shoulder.) Maybe the worst thing about porn is that it compels one to commit a fundamental dishonesty: We must tell everyone who'll listen that we hate it, but we really don't. It seems there's an unspoken agreement to lie to ourselves and others about porn. Post modern art, or more precisely our response to it, is the exact reverse. We must tell everyone who'll listen how moved we were by this highly significant exhibition or that influential play, when in reality we all feel somewhat defrauded, and regret the waste of time and money involved.

All that being said seeing John Malkovich in drag was worth the ticket price.

Achilles said...

Truth was the first casualty. Try putting on a pink scarf from a crowd while doing stand up like a hijab and pretending to be a woman from Iran who wants to be saved. Even if it is true you get to be called a racist for pointing it out.

donald said...

John Rocker was an overwhelming baseball player till his shoulder went.

Say whatever you want, but you sure don't know anything about his baseball ability.

I know Rocker a little. He's a meat head jock kinda guy, but that whole SI thing was bullshit.

The day that story broke, none less than the sainted Henry Aaron went on The Bottom Line and dismissed the story. He had scouted Rocker, and had developed a solid relationship over the years.

As a bonus...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBH6ZSUu7Kc

If you know what this is about, and who these people are you will never stop laughing

damikesc said...

He was lambasted because he openly hated NYC and the media cannot possibly have that.

John Rocker was a shit player with a big mouth

He was an excellent closer at the time.

Hating NYC openly (which, to be honest, is something MOST of the South does anyways) was his biggest sin.

Hell, I'm laughing that crime is going up there.

traditionalguy said...

John has used his worst person on earth persona as a niche market representing all straight, white, southern male native born guys. He is used as the poster boy for the multicultural politically correct Hour of Hate performance art..

He has handled himself well.

sean said...

Let's just hope that Prof. Althouse reaches retirement age before her opposition to gender-neutral bathrooms derails her career.

Tank said...

He noticed a bunch of stuff you're not supposed to notice and then, Omigod, talked about it.

Ewwwwww.

He was a very good pitcher at the time.

He was a southern boy riding the subway and was probably shocked by NYC.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Cracker Rocker mocks Queens.

George M. Spencer said...

donald--

Re: Henry Aaron

The day after opening day this year, following a pre-game ceremony honoring his career, he was quoted saying of white people — "The bigger difference is back then they had hoods. Now they have neckties and starched shirts."

Amusingly, that quote is an Daily Kos article which goes on to say: "Hank Aaron's crime was recognizing that the Republican party has treated President Obama with a level of disrespect that no other President has ever been asked to endure."

Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today? And what did LBJ do to that exit wound......?

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure why so many terrorists want to attack New York. You would think they would be more interested in attacking the United States.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

My previous comment should read:
Cracker Rocker Mocks Queens!
Because it's not what you say, it's how you say it...

Michael said...

Rocker was a great closer. As a kid his family hosted a black kid who roomed with Rocker, a kid who became a friend. Rocker was deemed a racist by New York writers because he dissed NY: that was the end of Rocker. Rocker was mainly a racist because he was from the south.

Mark said...

He had a career for a few years after that, though never in one city too long nor with much athletic success.

Looking at his career, this article did not doom him his pitching did.

West Town said...

Didn't he date a Black, Republican (GASP!) model?

bgates said...

My previous comment should read:

Cracker Rocker-Queen Mocker Sis Boom Bah!
Bugs Bunny! Bugs Bunny! Rah Rah Rah!

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Just a reminder, HBO's Eastbound & Down is available through Amazon...

mccullough said...

Rocker was good for awhile. He was not a great closer.

Mariano Rivera was great. Trevor Hoffmann was great.

Great means Hall of Fame.

Henry said...

Rocker was deemed a racist by New York writers because he dissed NY: that was the end of Rocker.

The end of Rocker was this:

2001 Cleveland, 5.45 ERA
2002 Texas, 6.66 ERA
2003 Texas, 9.00 ERA

Even in his best years, in Atlanta, Rocker walked a huge number of batters. In 2000, after the profile that "destroyed" him, Rocker had a 2.89 ERA and 24 saves. But he also walked almost a batter an inning. His implosion was inevitable.

Kevin Walsh said...

The sad part is, I know what cartoon that's in.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Bugs Bunny! Bugs Bunny! Rah Rah Rah!
LMAO! Now Bugs Bunny was a great closer- That's all folks!

Audacity17 said...

I remember Madonna once said people didn't like her because she said what everybody else was thinking. Like Joe Biden and 7/11s.

donald said...

Believe me, when I read that shit Hank said this year, it was literally heart breaking for me

See, I know Hank a little also, he used to come to my elementary school every year, later as an adult, he did a lot of business with my late wife, he also spent some time with Rick Behenna's team every year just cause he liked Rick and helped him get drafted.

Hank has been nothing short of worshipped in this town and has become amazingly rich.

My dad and Hank man. That's how much I thought of him till that very second.

The talk show guys here in town? Wouldn't touch it. The AJC? Nope. TV stations? Probably not a good visual.

Now he's just another race hustler.

donald said...

His implosion was due to multiethnic arm injuries and stopping steroids.

Dude was a flame thrower with a knee buckling curve he could throw for strikes. Once he got hurt it was all gone.

Notice I didn't call him great, I said overwhelming. And he was.