Maybe He Is Still Off His Rocker

So Atlanta fans have responded warmly to John Rocker’s return from his season-opening suspension.

One can only surmise that they are saying it’s time to forget and move on or they are telling the media that too much was made of Rocker’s comments in Sports Illustrated. The alternative, that they actually approve of and support Rocker’s rips at gays, foreigners and minorities, is a little too scary to think about.

In the meantime, it seems to be Rocker who is keeping the whole issue alive with his insolent barrages at reporters simply trying to do their job in the Braves’ clubhouse.

As teammate Brian Jordan said: “To me, John still doesn’t get it. It’s not the media’s fault he made those stupid comments.”

Of course, General Manager John Schuerholz will continue to say that Rocker “brought no discredit to the Atlanta Braves [because] people who know our organization know what we’ve done and what we stand for,” and the Braves will continue to tolerate his tiring act because . . . well, the bullpen was 1-4 with a 4.82 earned-run average and blew two of seven save opportunities while he was on suspension and they will need his closing heat to beat the New York Mets in the National League East.

*

With his 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night, Randy Johnson continues to produce one of the most dominating starts of his dominating career. He is 4-0 with a 0.76 earned-run average and one out shy of having hurled four consecutive complete games. He has walked only three and struck out 42 in 35 2/3 innings.

“He throws 120 [mph] and he rakes too,” Colorado right fielder Larry Walker said of Johnson, who raked in the form of a run- producing single in the Arizona victory. For Walker, the two-time National League batting king, it was the first time he had faced Johnson in a regular-season game, and he had taken heat from a Denver columnist the day before, claiming he had been ducking Johnson for years.

“That was never my decision,” Walker said of managerial lineups devoid of left-handed batters against Johnson. “It’s not like I ever ducked him. The press completely blew it out of proportion.”

Walker, at any rate, won’t mind if he doesn’t have to face him again. He struck out on a 97-mph fastball, walked, shattered his bat on a fly out and grounded to second.

*

Look up the definition of bullpen by committee and you find the Rockies. They have five saves--by five pitchers.

*

At 37, Norm Charlton wears his age on his back. A member of Cincinnati’s Nasty Boys bullpen--with Randy Myers and Rob Dibble--of 1990, Charlton returned to the Reds last week not “just because he can still get a left-hander out, which he can, but because of what he can contribute in the clubhouse,” General Manager Jim Bowden said. Of course, he was also recently released by pitching-needy Tampa Bay and gave up nine runs in only three innings against the Dodgers on Friday and Saturday.

*

In the Ugly Box of the Week, 10 San Diego and St. Louis pitchers combined to walk 19 batters in Thursday’s 14-1 Cardinal victory.

San Francisco pitchers haven’t been quite that bad, but wildness by a rotation that Manager Dusty Baker felt was capable of 75 wins--15 a man--has been a factor in a stumbling start that left the Giants with a 5-11 record and trailing Arizona by 6 1/2 games before Saturday night’s game against the “Razorbacks or Diamondbacks or whatever the hell they’re called,” second baseman Jeff Kent said.

“We know we’re in a hole,” Baker said. “The only thing is, there’s no sympathy, no crying, no moaning, no nothing. Just solutions.”

Maybe.