John Rocker was a beast
In the wake of John Rocker named in an HGH bust and his subsequent denial, then admission (via his publicist), then denial, I asked a friend and former boss, Creative Loafing News Editor Scott Freeman, to chime in on the Rocker controversy. Freeman penned Leo Mazzone’s autobiography. Here’s what he had to say:
In reading about John Rocker and the HGH controversy, I was reminded of a story that Leo Mazzone told me a few years back when we were collaborating on his autobiography: Leo Mazzone’s Tales From The Mound.
According to Leo, Rocker was so muscular that if he pitched more than one inning they’d have to take him down to the hallway leading to the dugout, lay him on the floor on his belly and stretch his back. Otherwise, he’d be too cramped up to pitch. He says Rocker became “high maintenance physically” because Rocker was so muscular from lifting weights. And I can remember walking past his locker and seeing a poster of Goldberg, the WCW heavyweight champ, hanging there.
Of course, Rocker’s outbursts were also noteworthy, not that it would have been ‘roid rage or anything.
Sometimes one plus one plus one equals three; sometimes not. It’s impossible to know at this point. But I do expect this latest HGH scandal to go beyond the scope of BALCO.
Thanks Scott. I just can’t get over the list of guys who have been exposed as steroid or HGH users. It’s the usual suspects (Canseco, Rocker, Giambi, McGwire), the sons of former players (Barry Bonds, David Bell, Gary Matthews, Jr., Jerry Hairston, Jr.) and the nobodies (Ryan Franklin, Jason Grimsley). Who will be next?
March 8th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Next? Why, Luis Polonia, of course!
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March 8th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Jason Grimsley is the son of a former player as well. His dad Ross played for the Reds and Orioles.
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