Imagine a presidential contest between Barack Obama and the Devil. For which would you cast your vote? For former major league pitcher and perpetual soundbite John Rocker, the choice is simple – Beelzebub all the way. According to WorldNetDaily, Rocker would cast his vote for the Prince of Darkness, quoting Rocker as follows: “In my strong opinion Barack Obama does not hold a single core value or belief consistent with the principles that created this amazing country we call the United States of America … I would vote for the devil himself over Barack Obama, which would actually be tough, though, as he seems to already be a supporter.”

(1)

Rocker's Chosen Candidate

Pretty strong words from Rocker, although this is the same man who insulted all of New York years ago while he was employed as a relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. During an interview with Sports Illustrated in late 1999, which was published in January 2000, Rocker said that he would not want to play for either of New York’s teams, because:“I'd retire first. It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing... The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?”

Rocker later issued a less-than-heartfelt apology at the insistence of Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, but years later felt the need to lambaste Selig for forcing him to make the apology and attend (allegedly) sensitivity training.  Reports also had him insulting women, gays, and blacks during his playing career, once allegedly referring to African-American teammate Randall Simon, for example, as a fat monkey.

During his six-year major league career, Rocker amassed a total of 88 saves to go with his countless insensitive remarks. He saved 38 and 24 games during 1999 and 2000, respectively, while pitching for the Braves, and then totaled 23 saves in 2001, splitting his time between the Braves and Indians. The next two years included stops in Texas and Tampa Bay before he left the major leagues for good. Following his retirement, he was named in a steroids probe and, last year, he admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs during his career, further staining his reputation.

 (2)

So perhaps voting for the Devil is not out of character for Rocker. The same report noted that he originally supported Newt Gingrich for President, and has now thrown his support behind presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Thus far, there has been no comment from the Romney camp, but it is highly doubtful that Rocker’s comments will be used by the campaign in any of their upcoming literature.