Even the Shea-Hate Kid Won’t Try to Buck Bronx

It turns out that one borough isn’t the same as another. John Rocker, the Atlanta Brave closer who had a royal dislike for Queens, doesn’t feel the same about the Bronx.

Rocker’s discourse--mostly unprintable--with Shea Stadium fans was a comic sidebar to his team’s dramatic series with the New York Mets, but he isn’t interested in provoking Yankee fans, much to the relief of Manager Bobby Cox, who twice told Rocker to button it during the National League championship series with no success.

Yankee Stadium may not be an Elizabethan parlor, but Rocker said he did not anticipate the vulgarity and rudeness of Shea when the Braves meet the Yankees there in Games 3, 4 and 5, if necessary, of the World Series.

“I’ve got no problem with Yankee fans,” Rocker said as the Braves celebrated their 10-9 victory over the Mets on Tuesday night. “They’re some of the best fans around, and I’m going to enjoy playing at Yankee Stadium given the history. I can’t wait.”

Chipper Jones, known as Larry to derisively chanting fans at Shea, is also traveling a more cautious road regarding Yankee fans.

“I’m not giving anything up,” he said, meaning he will not say anything that could be misinterpreted by any battery-tossing zealot in the Bronx Zoo.

Jones was with the Braves when they won the first two games of the 1996 World Series at Yankee Stadium before a Jim Leyritz home run in Game 4 in Atlanta helped reverse the momentum and propelled the Yankees to victory in six games.

Rocker became familiar with the Bronx when the Braves won two of three interleague games there in July. This, in fact, will be the first World Series between teams that played each other during the regular season, which does not figure to detract from a meeting between baseball’s two best teams, an appropriate conclusion to a decade in which the Braves and Yankees are first and second in wins and have dominated their leagues.

The Yankees will be trying to win their third World Series in the last four years while the Braves, who have won eight division titles and five pennants in the ‘90s, will be aiming for their second Series crown as a rebuttal to those who foolishly insist they can’t be the Team of the Decade winning only one.

General Manager John Schuerholz pointed out an array of more meaningful criteria after the Braves’ latest pennant clinching, but his players know that despite their NL success they’re going to hear a lot about their Series failures in the next week or so.

“This has been a great run and we want to finish it off in style,” said John Smoltz, soaked in champagne.

“I suppose the Yankees will be favored, but if we pitch the way we can and hit the way we can, we can win it,” Kevin Millwood said.

On the eve of the National League championship series, owner Ted Turner had said, “If we’re going to be the team of the ‘90s, we’ve got to win this series to shut everybody up. Otherwise it’s still up in the air.” The victorious Braves have now locked up that label in Turner’s thinking, but beating the Yankees would certainly cement it.

In the meantime, New York may not have gotten a Subway Series, but this will be the second in a row for Atlanta.

“We’ve got to go through both New York teams,” a celebrating Turner said Tuesday night. “Nobody has ever done that.”

No, and the Yankees represent a formidable obstacle to Turner’s team of the decade. A reminder came from the Yankee general manager Wednesday.

“Aren’t we the team of the century?” Brian Cashman needled. “Aren’t world championships the goal?”

ROCKER REVIEW

With Cox having used 12 pitchers in the last two games against the Mets, the three-day respite before Saturday’s Series opener, in which Tom Glavine will pitch, provides welcome relief, particularly for Rocker, who appeared in all six games of the NL championship series after appearing in all six last year.

The 25-year-old left-hander who saved 38 games in 1999, his first full season, obviously has more going for him than his mouth.

He has pitched 11 1/3 innings in his 12 championship series appearances, striking out 14 while allowing six hits and no earned runs (although he did give up the game-winning hit to John Olerud in Game 4 on Saturday).

“John is kind of oblivious to the situation and the atmosphere around him, like Tiger Woods putting on the 18th green,” Cox said. “People can yell all they want and curse all they want; he gets locked in and zoned in. In the same way, that’s what makes John Smoltz the pitcher that he is in the postseason.”

TO ERR IS . . .

The Mets, with their vaunted infield, made only 68 errors this season, a major league record, but they were a different team in the championship series, fundamentally speaking. They had three multi-error games and eight errors in all--three of those throwing errors by banged-up catcher Mike Piazza, who also got little help from his pitchers as the Braves set an NL championship series record with 11 stolen bases, including six in Game 6.

Piazza produced a temporary tie with his only homer of the postseason in the seventh inning Tuesday, but he wound up six for 33 in the two playoff series, and after 57 postseason at-bats with the Mets and Dodgers, is hitting a meager .211 with two home runs.

BAT REY

The Mets’ execution was further crippled by Rey Ordonez, the Gold Glove shortstop who was useless at the plate. He was one for 24 and, incredibly, popped up four sacrifice bunt attempts in six games.

Anchored by Ordonez, some consider the Met infield one of the all-time best, but it may have a different look next year.

In fact, part of it could be playing for the Seattle Mariners.

First baseman Olerud is eligible for free agency and may opt to return to his Seattle roots.

There is also speculation the Mets will go hard after Mariner shortstop Alex Rodriguez, offering a package that could include Ordonez and/or second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo.

ROGERS OVER AND OUT

Kenny Rogers, who walked in the series-ending run Tuesday night, was 5-1 after his midseason acquisition by the Mets, but Mr. October he isn’t. The Yankees found that out in 1996, and now the Mets have. In eight postseason games with the two New York teams, he has given up 18 runs in 19 innings, and while the Mets went 5-5 in winning the division series and losing the championship series, Rogers was 0-3, giving up 16 hits and nine runs in 12 innings. He is eligible for free agency, has expressed interest in signing with his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Mets will not try to stop him.

OREL COMMUNICATION

Buddy Bell’s hiring by the Colorado Rockies still leaves five managerial openings: the Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs. Orel Hershiser, who wants to manage or become a pitching coach, confirmed Tuesday that he has talked casually with Cleveland General Manager John Hart about the Indian vacancies and hoped to talk seriously when the Mets’ postseason ended, which it now has.

The Indians, as well as the Orioles, have also asked Atlanta for permission to talk with hitting coach Don Baylor, clearly the hottest product on the managerial market, although industry sources--despite Baylor’s denials--believe he has a tentative agreement with the Cubs.

Baylor remains intrigued by the natural fit of a return to the Angels, but the lack of meaningful contact and the uncertainty surrounding the club’s general manager selection--Montreal executive Bill Stoneman is expected to be named the club’s general manager by Friday--and ownership future is said to have left him wary.