Well, the question of how John Rocker got to be the way he is has now been solved.Rocker, the Atlanta Braves pitcher, got in a lot of trouble about a year ago when he made several inflammatory remarks in a story that appeared in Sports Illustrated.
News flash -- Rocker has to be related to Cable News Network founder Ted Turner, who on Ash Wednesday (Feb. 28) stunned CNN employees in Washington.
Seeing ashes on several workers' foreheads that day, Turner, the 'Mouth of the South,' said, 'What are you? A bunch of Jesus freaks? You ought to be working for Fox (News Channel).'
The comment, Turner's latest in a series of appalling remarks, was reported by Brit Hume during a program on Fox News Channel.
I am disappointed.
While never having met or talked to Turner, I have always admired his various networks.
He took one independent station in Atlanta (WTBS, Channel 17) and turned it into a cable SuperStation, carrying the games of his two Atlanta sports teams, baseball's Braves and the NBA Hawks.
And, along the way, he also founded CNN, CNN Headline News, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network and Turner South, a regional network that serves the Southeast.
Having sold all those networks, he remains one of the chief movers and shakers in the cable and satellite industry.
In a release from the Catholic League (I am not Catholic, by the way), president William Donahue was to the point.
'For him, it is Christians whom he despises,' Donahue said.
'That is why he is on record for (a) branding Christianity a religion for `losers,' (b) labeling pro-life Christians as `Bozos,' (c) insulting the pope with one of his cheap jokes at a pro-abortion rally and (d) blasting Christianity for being `very intolerant.''
Donahue called on AOL Time Warner, the parent company of the networks Turner founded, to 'denounce Turner for his relentless attacks on Christians.'
It really doesn't matter whether you are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu or a total nonbeliever.
Turner may be smart in a business sense, but as a philosopher he makes a good idiot.
Also, maybe the fact that Fox News Channel has moved ahead of CNN in some time periods has something to do with it.
Just shut up, Ted.
Cougars still looking
The Kane County Cougars remain on the lookout for a new outlet for their Midwest League baseball games.
The team is close to getting something done, said General Manager Jeff Sedivy, but no contract has been signed.
The Cougars were summarily booted off WKKD-FM (95.9) when that station changed its format after a sale to NextMedia.
Sedivy said the Cougars don't plan to go quietly.
'We believe we have a valid contract with WKKD, and we are having our lawyers handle that end of things,' he said.
WKKD-FM -- which until the sale carried Cougars baseball, Northern Illinois football and basketball, and high school football and basketball alongside an oldies music format -- has since become just another FM jukebox (now called WERV-FM) that provides no compelling reason to listen.
If you like the station, fine.
I don't.
That said, NextMedia must be given credit for allowing WJOL-AM to become a real radio station again and also doing nice work with WJTW-FM (93.5) and WBVS-FM (100.7). But the premise that FM stations must be music outlets exclusively is dead wrong.
Hoops Fever
The best month of the year continues today with tons of college and high school basketball on the air.
Included is the IHSA Class A boys state semifinals and finals on WYCC-TV (20).
Actually, Christmas finally ends for me today, the last day of the ESPN Fullcourt package, available on AT&T digital cable and the DirecTV and DISH satellite services.
My wife gave that to me for Christmas.
So now, about 500 extra college games later, it's her turn.
She placed her plant orders this week.
For a complete list of today's televised basketball games (all 20-plus), see today's Sports section.
