‘A’ on His Cap Is Not for Good Behavior

The John Rocker open-mouth, insert-foot saga shows no signs of losing momentum, and nothing the misguided Atlanta Brave reliever can do will make it go away.

In New York, the reaction to Rocker’s ill-considered remarks in a Sports Illustrated interview has been predictably cutting.

“Rocker has since issued an apology whose coherence and maturity make it impossible to have been written by him,” wrote George Vecsey in the New York Times. “The ghostwritten mea culpa will not work. He said it, now he has to live with it.

“The 1/8Atlanta 3/8 community must also deal with him because he represents the city every time he puts the cap with the A on his thick skull.”

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More Rocker: Under a headline that read “John Rocker, Loser,” the New York Post published an editorial that concluded:

“Yes, we have our share of poor souls. But for every four-time loser riding the No. 7 train, there are hundreds of workaday New Yorkers who came here seeking a better life--and who found one.

“Sure, there’s a lot of jostling. It produces winners.

“Especially in October.”

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Trivia time: Which was the second team after Canada to win an Olympic gold medal in ice hockey?

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For the record: Jody Berry of Beverly Hills, a Hollywood entertainer and former pro boxer, wants to clarify, on behalf of one of his fellow Owensboro, Ky., sports Hall of Fame members, an item in a recent Countdown in The Times. The item called the trade that brought Bill Russell to the Celtics “arguably the worst player personnel move in the history of American team sports.”

Berry says, “It said the trade was Russell for Ed McCauley, but you forgot that Cliff Hagan, my buddy from Owensboro, was also in that trade, and that certainly makes it a much better deal.”

Indeed, Hagan, a two-time All-American at Kentucky, became a five-time NBA all-star and led the Hawks to the NBA title in 1958, when, ironically, they beat the Boston Celtics and Bill Russell, in the final, four games to two.

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Obscurity award: After being selected to play in the Pro Bowl for a record 12th time, Tennessee Titan offensive lineman Bruce Matthews offered an odd explanation for breaking the mark set by Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz.

“I don’t think they can think of anybody else to vote for so they just vote for me,” he said.

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Trivia answer: Great Britain in 1936.

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And finally: Wake Forest football Coach Jim Caldwell said he had no trouble preparing the Demon Deacons for today’s Aloha Bowl game against Arizona State in Hawaii.

“When you’re practicing this time of year,” he said, “there’s usually something good going on.”