New Spin on Caper Involving Rocker

The saga of Atlanta reliever John Rocker took a strange twist with the arrest Wednesday of Brian Peterson of Wyckoff, N.J., who was charged with interfering with police.

Police said Peterson refused to step away when they tried to arrest his friend, Raymond Maniaci, also of Wyckoff, who allegedly threw a bottle at Rocker as he warmed up on the mound at Shea Stadium in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s game between Atlanta and the New York Mets.

The bottle, thrown from the first-base box seats, landed about 10 feet from Rocker.

Here’s where the strange twist comes into play: Peterson made national news when he and his girlfriend, Amy Grossberg, were arrested after their newborn son was found dead in a motel room in Delaware in 1996. Both pleaded guilty in 1998 to manslaughter. Peterson, 22, served 1 1/2 years in prison. He is still serving a two-year probation.

Maniaci, 22, was charged with reckless endangerment, police said.

Peterson’s Delaware lawyer, Joseph Hurley, said Peterson told his mother, Barbara Zuchowski, that his arrest was a misunderstanding, that he was turning to step away as one officer had instructed. “A second cop implies Brian’s physical movement as something that is threatening,” Hurley said.

Peterson and Maniaci pleaded innocent and were released.

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Before Wednesday night’s Met-Brave game, Met Manager Bobby Valentine complained that the Mets aren’t appreciated in New York, contrasting the attitude of fans there to the way the Cardinals are treated in St. Louis.

“In their city, they are made to feel like kings,” he said. “In our city, people feel we should run and hide and be embarrassed to enter the playoffs. I don’t get it and neither do my guys.”

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The Mets might be considering abandoning plans for a new ballpark. Co-owner Nelson Doubleday said he thinks government funding for a new ballpark might not be forthcoming and that renovating Shea Stadium may be preferable. “I kind of like this place,” he said. “I don’t see a great deal of taxpayer money to build a stadium.”

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Fox and Major League Baseball announced their new $2.5-billion postseason agreement, and one aspect that came out was that owners are still guaranteed TV money if there is a strike or lockout. “The networks have always been willing to finance a work stoppage on the owners’ behalf,” union head Donald Fehr said. “That’s not anything new or different.” . . . In Miami, Florida Marlin owner John Henry told fans that he is hopeful a new state commission will help the team get a new ballpark. Henry, General Manager Dave Dombrowski and other members of the Marlins’ front office held an hour-long meeting with 30 season-ticket holders, allowing them to ask questions ranging from the team’s finances to how fast Marlin players were developing. . . . Seattle Mariner chief executive officer Howard Lincoln said he plans to sit down with Manager Lou Piniella and all-star shortstop Alex Rodriguez after the season to talk about their futures in Seattle. Piniella is in the last year of his contract and Rodriguez is eligible for free agency after the World Series. . . . Detroit’s Juan Gonzalez will miss the rest of the season with a herniated disk in his back.