6.30.00
Baby, I'm a Rocker

6.28.00
Bush's CORE Beliefs

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La Campaign Aux Folles

6.23.00
Teflon Bill & Crazy Glue Al

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Everyone Loves a Parade

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American Skin, American Ears

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Dead Kings, Living Conspiracies

6.09.00
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire — Senator?

6.07.00
Men Behaving Badly — On The Field And In the Court

6.05.00
Lazio Stumbles — And Soars

6.02.00
David Fights The Racial Goliath

6/30/00 12:05 p.m.
Baby, I'm A Rocker
Goodbye to a controversy.

Robert A. George is an editorial page writer
for the New York Post------------------------------------RAGGEDmail@aol.com

uite a week for resolving long-lasting dramas! On Wednesday, Elián González departed with his dad for Cuba. Whether one believed the last seven months to be a tragedy or a soap opera, it is (at least for now) ended.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, what's been a farce from Day One also apparently came to an abrupt conclusion. A little before 7 P.M., Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker apologized to the city of New York; a bit more than three hours later, Rocker came out to pitch the eighth inning. His pitching was even more eloquent than his apology — and undoubtedly more satisfying to him as well.

The Braves will be in New York for three more games — through the weekend. But the entire Rocker-Big Apple "controversy" — which has been raging for six months since the pitcher's Sports Illustrated interview — is basically over. And for now, it looks as if Rocker has come out on top. The irony is that he won because he gave up one Southern archetype for another.

Most peculiar about this replay of the War Between the States (as a brighter man than I once said, history always repeats, first as tragedy then as farce) is that each side played somewhat against type. New Yorkers are perceived as having an abrasive in-your-face, take-no-prisoners attitude. Southerners, on the other hand, as problematic as issues of race have been, have the reputation for a certain gentility and politeness. Thus, it's been odd to see New Yorkers get bent out of shape by what is, ultimately, trash-talking by an athlete.

This columnist was not immune. I moved back to New York nearly a year ago. This is my third time in the metropolitan area, though my first as a full-fledged adult. I like the city, its noise and its aggressiveness. On top of that, having been born in the West Indies, I wasn't exactly thrilled with Rocker's comments about immigrants ("Where did these people come from?"). Of course, having purple hair and being a gay mother with four kids gave me the feeling that Rocker was trying to single me out. That got me depressed. But that's another issue.

New York is a city that prides itself on, to coin a term, jaded unfazeability. Nothing can bother a New Yorker — certainly not some loud-mouth from the South. But the truth was, he managed to get under the skin of the Big Apple — at least as far as the print, broadcast, and cable media were concerned. Of course, it didn't help that the spring and early summer haven't been the best for New York sports. The Mets are doing well, but they don't count (the Braves have pretty much owned them over the last two years, for one thing). Hockey's Rangers didn't make the playoffs for the third year in a row. The Knicks lost to the hated Reggie Miller's Indiana Pacers. And, Horrors! The world champion Yankees have also fallen apart (because of that damn Boston by-product Roger Clemens!).

So while Rocker could be ignored in the dead of winter, he became an obsession by the time the flowers bloomed and the temperatures rose. Yes, he was the poster child for everything the liberal-PC crowd despises.

Rocker, meanwhile, certainly not exhibiting any Southern reserve, didn't help matters by getting into another altercation with the sportswriter who originally wrote down his views. Over the last week, the media here have been in fever pitch, tracking Rocker's every move: "Would he take the notorious No. 7 train that he had disparaged in Sports Illustrated?" (He ultimately skipped that, but got a police escort that made him look like some visiting dignitary.) "How would the fans react?" Well, boisterous as they were, they remained pretty well-behaved, except for a couple of objects tossed out of the stands when Rocker ran in from the bullpen.

But Rocker responded in a big way. He retired all three batters he faced and took the energy out of the team and the crowd. Even though the Braves and the Mets are fighting for first place, it will be impossible for the fans to summon up as much energy for the rest of this series. The question remains whether the team will be able to bounce back.

Clearly, by suing for peace right before game one, Rocker removed his black hat and put on a white one. In so doing, he may have gone far to dropping his redneck guise and putting on a Southern-gentleman persona. He's actually looking like an adult. All he need do now is speak softly and continue to carry a big fastball. The question now is, Can the Big Apple regain its jaded sensibility and realize how much time it's wasted on some ballplayer? Right now, the advantage is with Rocker and the Braves. Hey, sometimes, the South does win one.

Definitely no Elián. Apparently no John Rocker. Exactly what will the media obsess over for the rest of the summer?

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