If a president says it, it's news. If a hick says it, it ain't. Hicks say and do hick things. It's why they're hicks. Every TV host brought up Rocker so that panelists could shake their heads in disgust about what he said.
Nothing aids the self-righteous media more than one sinner caught in the act.
I asked a clinical psychologist in Chicago what he thought of baseball's solution to the John Rocker problem. John Mayer is a South Side kid who counsels and evaluates all kinds, including prisoners doing felony time, bad kids who've strayed their way into jail and ordinary mortals with mental and emotional hang-ups or kids who have to seek counseling to stay in school. The clients who seek him freely include alcoholics, drug abusers, wife beaters and others who want to get out of their mental traps. His Loop office is busy, and he doesn't need referrals ordered by the Major League commissioner. A lot of times, it's a waste, and any psychologist who has a good set of ethics will admit this is a waste of time.