John and Joe

I'm trying really hard to keep the baseball posts to a minimum, honest, but it's that time of year, I'm afraid. And will be until October. LET'S GO METS!

Anyway, John Rocker's in the New York area again. After calling 7-train riders a bunch of green-haired faggots who can't speak English, he's now pitching about a half-hour from Shea Stadium in an independent league as an apparent comeback attempt. His career, then his rotator cuff, fell apart in the two seasons following that damning Sports Illustrated article, right after which the whole league correctly shunned the bigot.

One man who hasn't shunned him is his agent, Joe Sambito. Joe was a hero of mine during my years in Houston as a kid. My sister thought he was really cute. I have some vague memory of her enjoying a picture of him in white short shorts. I liked him for his pitching. Really. Even though he always had an impressive tan. There were a couple of seasons in which Joe was the best reliever in baseball. He snapped wicked fastballs and nasty curves into Alan Ashby's mitt to save many-a-game for the Astros of the late 70s. But then he snapped his elbow and, after a failed comeback bid of his own, has now apparently become an agent.

I don't want to tell Joe Sambito that he can't work, but did he really have to demystify his hero status by representing John "Foreigners Suck" Rocker? I mean, come on, buddy. Aren't you Latino?