John Rocker Says PEDs Made Baseball A 'Better Game'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — John Rocker is still making noise, a decade after the disgraced pitcher last played in the big leagues.
Rocker told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland this week that performance-enhancing drugs made Major League Baseball "more entertaining" during the Steroids Era.
"Honestly, and this may go against what some people think from an ethical standpoint, I think it was the better game," Rocker said.
He added: "At the end of the day when people are paying their $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 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."
LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW AT CBS CLEVELAND
Rocker was suspended in 2000 after making disparaging remarks about New York City. He later admitted he used steroids.
"Was there anything more entertaining than 1998 – I don't care how each man got there – was there anything more entertaining than 1998?" Rocker said. "Watching Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire chase 61 home runs?"
Rocker made headlines in January after writing a column about gun control.
"Absolute certainties are a rare thing in this life," Rocker wrote on WorldNetDaily.com, "but one I think can be collectively agreed upon is the undeniable fact that the Holocaust would have never taken place had the Jewish citizenry of Hitler's Germany had the right to bear arms and defended themselves with those arms."
The 38-year-old Rocker now works on behalf of homeless veterans.
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