John Rocker, a former steroid-using homophobic relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves and other teams, still exists -- which is just about enough John Rocker news for one day.
Unfortunately, he gave an interview to conspiracy theorists about his book and his love for Governor Jan Brewer, so we really couldn't pass that up.
Rocker, as most baseball fans recall, is most remembered for what he told then-Sports Illustrated scribe Jeff Pearlman on the prospect of playing for a team in New York:
"I would retire first. It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the [Number] 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're [riding through] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing."
That, and, "I'm not a very big fan of foreigners" didn't seem to help his reputation.
Now, Rocker's got a book for sale, and the conspiracy-theory network "WorldNetDaily" has just about the only people who wanted to spend the day with him.
The book, as he told Deadspin a few years ago, is just "more conservative Republican rantings."
That seems like enough explanation, but "WorldNetDaily" just had to ride with Rocker to produce what looks like a few thousand more words of his rantings.
Somehow, that conversation turned into Rocker's love of Governor Brewer, similar in tone to Chuck Norris' love for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Here's a sample (the entire thing can be found here):
"God bless Jan Brewer! If I could personally meet any public figure in our country today on any level, Jan Brewer would be at the top of that list. That woman was elected by the people of Arizona to do one thing and one thing only, whatever is best for the citizens of her state as their representative. Jan Brewer is not a racist."
A few hundred words later, Rocker gets to "Thank God for Jan Brewer."
Pearlman's seen this new piece, and wrote about the story behind his Rocker story on his blog (it's a good story), revealing another moment of jeez, John Rocker's an asshole:
My favorite moment actually never made print. We were driving around Atlanta--girlfriend in the front seat, me in the back--when Rocker asked whether I'd ever been to Disney World.
"I have," I replied.
"You know all those characters who walk around the park--Mickey, Donald, Minnie ..."
"Sure," I said.
"Well, they're all faggots," he said. "They're all fucking faggots."
Uh ... OK.
But, yeah, Brewer's the best, according to Rocker.
