Columnist Dean Juipe: Rocker in for unruly reception

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4084.

He said there would be a kid on the train with purple hair.

And that just might be.

He said there would be a "queer with AIDS" on the train as well, and that, too, could be true.

He also said a 20-year-old single mother of four would be aboard, her kids in tow, and that certainly isn't out of the question.

The trouble with John Rocker isn't his perceptive abilities, it's his lack of tolerance and his inability to appreciate diversity. While the Atlanta Braves' reliever called the No. 7 train that runs through New York City "depressing" for the forementioned reasons, he should have been marveling at the passengers and praising a nation that welcomes and accommodates an individual's freedom of choice and expression.

Since revealing himself as prejudiced and bigoted in a Sports Illustrated article last December, Rocker has had a difficult year. His comments led to a lingering storm of controversy and his pitching has suffered as well.

His narrow-minded views and errant throws have kept him in the headlines and that's where you'll see him again this week as the Braves travel to New York for a Thursday through Sunday series with the Mets that is certain to be sold out and volatile. Rocker has only added fuel to the fire by outlandishly promising to ride the No. 7 en route to Shea Stadium for the series opener.

If he does, he may find the targets of his earlier diatribe have been squeezed from the train by inquisitive media and requisite security. New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has already put 500 N.Y.P.D. officers on overtime alert.

If riding the commuter train is deemed too risky and/or impractical, Rocker will still be within view at Shea and there are additional security concerns. Stadium officials are considering covering the Braves' bullpen as a way to at least limit the projectiles that could be aimed Rocker's way from the Mets' more belligerent fans.

Should he appear in the series, which is probable, the crowd will roar with outrage directed at New York's public enemy No. 1. It'll also be pretty funny.

As unpredictable as he is, Rocker could stand up to what he'll face in New York and come through it just fine. Or he could collapse like exposed Jell-O.

It seems fairly obvious the Braves are only reluctantly bringing Rocker to New York and that had he not bounced back over the weekend they would have returned him to the minor leagues, where he was June 5-14 working on his control. Had he not gained a victory in relief Sunday nor saved his 12th game of the season Friday, it would have been easy to avoid the issue of his New York reception by exiling him to the minors.

That's where it looked like he was heading last Wednesday after he walked four in a mere one-third of an inning and left the field to catcalls even from Atlanta's fans.

For the season, Rocker has walked 33 in 22 innings; since his recall from the minors he has walked eight in four innings. He's wild -- in more ways than one, obviously -- and not near as effective as he was last season when he saved 38 games for the National League champions.

His appearance in New York is sure to garner considerable publicity. For those intrigued by car wrecks or circuses, it's going to be a mighty interesting time.

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