Powers without the glory

Baseball has always attracted more than its fair share of eccentrics but it takes a special sort of crazy to be a pitcher.

Asked by Sports Illustrated in 2000 if would he ever play for the Yankees or the Mets, Atlanta Braves closing pitcher John Rocker said he’d rather retire, adding the immortal words: “Imagine having to take the 7-train to [Shea Stadium] 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.”

He was given a 28-game ban, reduced to 14 on appeal. His memory lives on, however, in Kenny Powers, the hero of hit TV show Eastbound and Down.