Atlanta Braves baseball legend John Rocker is in town to help raise funds for the Roosevelt Cone Jr. Scholarship Foundation. I had the chance to sit down with Rocker on Friday. Rocker was actually born in Statesboro and lived here the first year of his life before moving to Macon. He visited frequently and recalls attending First Baptist Church with his grandmother, Henrietta Rocker, and playing football on the playground of the church. Rocker remains close friends with Joey Hamilton who grew up in Statesboro and is also a former MLB pitcher.
"I became interested in baseball because I was good at it. I knew early, playing t-ball that I was really good at it," said John Rocker. "At 8 or 9 I would have to play catch with the coaches because the other kids wouldn't play with me. They didn't like catching my balls very much."
After baseball he has made a career in real estate founding a construction company years ago and continues developing real estate now. He finally got back into coaching some with his mentor doing baseball camps and clinics across the U.S.
Rocker is looking forward to seeing baseball fans of all ages on Saturday in Statesboro. His advice for kids who dream of playing MLB one day, "It's going to take a lot of hard work. There aren't any shortcuts to get there. It's a lofty goal, it's a huge mountain. It's gotta be somebody, it might as well be you."
He said that most kids know him as the "Survivor" guy. He competed in season 29 Survivor: San Juan Del Sur - Blood vs. Water in 2014. He said it was the worst two weeks of his life. He lost 19 pounds in eleven days. "It was brutal. It was legit. I have never been so hungry in my entire life and you never knew when you were going to eat again. That really messes with you psychologically. To top it off it was 105 degrees every day."
Come out and meet John Rocker on Saturday at the Lazy Turkey Card show.
Lazy Turkey Card Show
Saturday, November 18, 2023, the Statesboro Sports & Memorabilia is hosting its 2nd annual Lazy Turkey Card Show! It will be from 8am-5pm at the Holiday Inn, 455 Commerce Drive in Statesboro.
There will be 40 vendors selling sports cards and memorabilia from all different teams. It is a $5 admission to get into the show and all proceeds from admissions are donated to the Roosevelt Cone, Jr. Scholarship Foundation.
At Saturday's card show, former Atlanta Braves' pitcher, John Rocker, will be appearing at the show between 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. He will be signing autographs during that time that are $20 each and you can also purchase prints and baseballs for him to sign as well.
Roosevelt Cone, Jr. Foundation
The Roosevelt Cone, Jr. Foundation helps kids participate in sports and extracurricular activities by paying tuition, fees and purchasing materials needed for your child to succeed in whatever sport they choose. The sports shop holds card shows every 3 months as a fundraiser for the scholarship foundation.
Show up to help support this great cause and pick up some cool sports memorabilia, cards, or even an autograph from John Rocker!