Jeff Pearlman did a piece for Bleacher Report recalling the 15-year anniversary of his famous Sports Illustrated story on John Rocker.
You remember, the story where the Atlanta reliever showed he was off his rocker, so to speak.
He writes:
We are eternally attached.
John Loy Rocker will always be a part of my life. And, I suspect, vice versa.
Later Pearlman writes:
Truth be told, upon returning to New York I struggled mightily with what, exactly, I should do with the interview. The words were all right there, on multiple tape recordings that covered our full time together. He was a bigoted, xenophobic caveman, and I felt no need to protect a person with such beliefs.
Rocker has maintained, on multiple occasions, that the quotes were pieced together and/or taken out of context. This is 100-percent untrue. When Rocker first made the case, I said I would play the tape for him. He never responded.
And yet…he was also young. And dumb. And naive.
Maybe he’d been showing off for a reporter. Maybe this was his way of playing the role of John Rocker, WWE superstar. Maybe I should have cut him a break. Hell, there was a story already written—John Rocker: Misunderstood Baseball Star.
Pearlman writes about the considerable fallout and the effect it had on him. He even is feels guilt about what happened to Rocker because of the story.
This is where the guilt kicks in.
When, on June 27, 2003, Rocker was released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, multiple reasons were cited for his demise.
Lost control.
Declining fastball.
Arm troubles.
Sports Illustrated article.
Even though I told myself—repeatedly—that his downfall had nothing to do with my piece, well, I knew it was a lie. Before the Dec. 27, 1999 issue of Sports Illustrated, Rocker was one of baseball’s elite relief pitchers. After the Dec. 27, 1999 issue of Sports Illustrated, Rocker was Doug Sisk. This wasn’t the reason I’d become a journalist—to ruin people’s dreams.
All in all, it is an honest account. Probably much better than Rocker deserved.
Pearlman’s story, though, didn’t go unnoticed by Rocker. He fired back via Twitter yesterday.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
I trust this will be the last time we hear from John Rocker–at least until the 30th anniversary of the story.