Former MLB pitcher John Rocker is no stranger to controversy. His entire career can pretty much be summed up by a single Sports Illustrated interview that he did back in 1999. So it should come as no surprise to hear that Rocker is once again making controversial comments.
During a recent interview with Cleveland radio station 92.3 The Fan, Rocker was asked his opinion on MLB's "steroid era." And he replied by talking about how he thinks the era was actually better than the current era because of all the excitement that steroids generated on the baseball field.
"Honestly, and this may go against what some people think from an ethical standpoint, I think it was a better game," he said. "At the end of the day when people are paying $80, $120, whatever it may be, to buy their ticket and come watch that game, it's almost like the circus is in town. They are paying to be entertained. They wanna see some clown throw a fastball 101 MPH and some other guy hit it 500 feet. That's entertainment. You're paying to be entertained. And was there anything more entertaining than 1998?"
We agree that baseball in 1998 was entertaining. But it was also a total sham in a lot of ways. So we wouldn't necessarily characterize it as "better" than today's baseball. Then again, MLB is reportedly about to blow the lid off yet another PED-related scandal sometime in the not-too-distant future. So you could argue that today's baseball is no better than the baseball from 15 years ago. But either way, John Rocker is the last guy we want to hear spouting off about it.
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[via CBS Cleveland]
