Philly Simply Fanatic For Rocker
Atlanta’s controversial relief pitcher John Rocker got a hero’s welcome Friday night in - of all places - Philadelphia.
In the city in which fans once booed Santa Claus, cheered the temporary paralysis of Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin and only three days ago threw debris during an NBA playoff game, Rocker was embraced.
Signs such as “You Can Rock Me John” greeted Rocker when he walked onto the field at Veterans Stadium at 5:42 p.m.
Several hundred fans were in the park when he came out before the Braves-Phillies game.
“He’s OK,” said Bob Creech, a Yankees fan, who drove down from New York with his family. “He has opinions. There’s bigots in New York, too.”
Let’s not cheat ourselves
Bernie Lincicome in the Chicago Tribune on embattled Indiana University men’s basketball coach Bob Knight:
“I say let him stay. Give him some props. Give him some rope. We’ve all come too far to be cheated out of a big finish.”
They missed their chance
Elon College in North Carolina will drop the nickname “Fightin’ Christians” and become “the Phoenix” starting in the fall.
Among the 125 names rejected by the selection committee were Aardvarks, Fat-Tailed Geckos and Rabid Existentialists.
“Go Geckos!” would have had a nice ring to it.
The burdens of fame
Stan Hochman of the Philadelphia Daily News on Ty Cobb being honored with a postage stamp this month - and it’s not a stamp of approval:
“Wasn’t he the bigot, the drunk, the womanizer? Wasn’t he the guy who darted into the stands one day to beat up a crippled heckler who had no hands to fight back?
“Wasn’t he the guy who slashed infielders with his spikes, the Hall of Famer so despised that when he died, only two big-leaguers came to his funeral?”
Now come the tough questions
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy spoke to prisoners in a Florida correctional facility, telling them never to give up on life.
They applauded, then one asked, “Why do you keep running Warrick Dunn up the middle?”
The last word …
“The good thing about our league is, as many bridges as you burn, you’ve got to burn 29 to be out of it.”
- Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale, on the NBA future of Isaiah Rider.