Copyright HuffPost
LOADINGERROR LOADING John Rocker, the ex-Atlanta Braves star who infamously offended all of New York City, is now attacking its leading mayoral candidate, Democrat Zohran Mamdani. “25 years ago I criticized New York for it’s rapid decline into a third world country,” Rocker wrote Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter. “I was forced to undergo Psychological Counseling, as if I were the crazy one. 25 years later, the city is voting in a muslim socialist for mayor. FUCK NEW YORK.” Advertisement The hard-throwing relief pitcher piled on prejudice in a 1999 Sports Illustrated article, earning eternal contempt from Gothamites and Mets fans. Asked if he would ever play for the team, Rocker enshrined himself in the Hate Hall of Fame: “I’d retire first,” he replied. “It’s the most hectic, nerve-wracking 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.” Advertisement “The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners,” he added. “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 was mandated to get psychological testing and was suspended for spring training and the first 28 days of the regular season. He was later permitted to attend spring training and his suspension was reduced to the first 14 days of the regular season. Advertisement Rocker’s return visit with the Braves to Shea Stadium in 2000 prompted the New York City Police Department to deploy hundreds of extra officers to protect him. The left-handed closer’s X account is rife with far-right messaging, including a slur at Mamdani. “I don’t give a fuck that Mohammad [sic] Mamdani rides his bike around NYC to go to the Kebab stands,” he wrote on Oct. 16. “I really don’t.” Advertisement Mamdani has a comfortable lead in polls as Tuesday’s Election Day approaches.
