Has it really been 15 years since John Rocker debuted in Major League Baseball? It certainly is, and the life and times of Rocker in his time in baseball are notorious to this day. Jeff Pearlman, the man who wrote the piece that revealed who Rocker really was, sat down and wrote about the story he wrote 15 years ago that never got printed and the one that took it’s place.
Pearlman wrote for Bleacher Reports as an attempt at penance for the wrong, he believes, he did to Rocker. The amazing piece of writing is very heartfelt and sad in a way and the pseudo introduction serves as a great start to an incredible story.
“Over the course of that span, I've written for Sports Illustrated, left Sports Illustrated, written for Newsday, left Newsday. I've published six books. I got married, bought a house, had two children. I've seen friends and relatives die, other friends and relatives experience weddings, bar mitzvahs, christenings. Highs, lows. Ups, downs.
And yet, through it all, he remains there—looming, hanging, wandering around, tweeting angrily, aggressively and irrationally.
There is no escape.
We are eternally attached.
John Loy Rocker will always be a part of my life. And, I suspect, vice versa.”
Read Pearlman's Article in it's Entirety Here
The whole article is powerful stuff of life of Pearlman before and after his episodes with Rocker and when he took a leap of faith to show the world the “bigoted, xenophobic caveman” that Rocker really was.
Rocker has always been and always will be known for his attitude toward others on and off the field. He played his final MLB game in 2003 at the age of 28 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and , along with his decking fastball, Pearlman’s article was mentioned among the reasons Rocker was finally out of the league. Take a minute and read the life and times of two people that were bound together for life through one meeting.
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