John Rocker and Jeff Pearlman have a history. They aren’t exactly…friends.
Back in 1999, Pearlman wrote an explosive Sports Illustrated profile discussing the former Atlanta Braves pitcher titled “At Full Blast.” The piece exposed a series of racist, homophobic, and xenophobic remarks that sparked outrage across the country.
When Rocker recently appeared on sports radio personality Craig Carton’s show to supposedly reveal the truth behind a decades-old baseball conspiracy theory, Pearlman had thoughts. And receipts.
What did John Rocker say about Cal Ripken Jr. and Kevin Costner?
During an appearance on The Craig Carton Show, Rocker was asked about the urban legend (dubbed the “Baltimore Blackout”), and a game between the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners, which was postponed because of a partial power outage at Camden Yards.
According to the long-debunked rumor, Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. had allegedly discovered that his then-wife, Kelly, was having an affair with actor Kevin Costner. The supposed confrontation left him with a hand injury. This apparently rendered him unable to play that evening.
The rumor alleges that Orioles owner Peter Angelos arranged for the stadium’s power to be cut so that Ripken wouldn’t lose his consecutive-games streak. Both Ripken and Costner denied the story.
But Rocker and Carton appear convinced. “I believe it to be 100% factual,” Carton told Rocker. “It is true,” Rocker replied. “That happened.”
He went on to say that he heard the story from former MLB pitcher Norm “The Sheriff” Charlton. Charlton said he was a member of the Orioles team involved in the canceled game.
“And I didn’t hear it from, you know, some play-by-play guy, some journalist or reporter,” Rocker said. He added that former first baseman Will Clark had told him “the same story.”
Jeff Pearlman steps in to fact-check
That’s when Jeff Pearlman cut off the audio clip and added his thoughts. His video has received more than 45,000 views. The author and journalist dismantled Rocker’s version of events, starting with a glaring detail: Rocker wasn’t there.
“John Rocker was not on the Baltimore Orioles … It’s weird to be asking him to verify this story,” Pearlman says. “Neither was Norm Charlton.”
Rocker didn’t make his MLB debut until May 1998, nearly a year after the incident. Charlton didn’t join the Orioles until December 15, 1997—four months after the game in question.
Meanwhile, Will Clark didn’t sign with Baltimore until nearly a year later.
What actually happened at Camden Yards in August 1997
Pearlman says he found an August 1997 Baltimore Sun article documenting what happened. According to the report, a partial electrical failure left stadium lights along the right field line malfunctioning.
“After a delay of nearly two and a half hours, the game will be made up as part of a day night double header today, with the first game scheduled for 1:35 p.m. and the second game scheduled for 7:35 p.m.,” Pearlman reads.
But the biggest hole in the conspiracy is the fact that Cal Ripken was at the stadium that night.
“The rumor has always been that Cal Ripken called from home, found out about the Costner thing, said blah, blah, blah, make sure the game’s canceled or whatever, and they cancel the game,” Pearlman says.
“But Cal Ripken was at the stadium that night … He was at the stadium taking BP in the cage. … None of it actually adds up,” he explains.
As Orioles reporter Roch Kubatko detailed for MASN, Ripken was seen on the field during the delay. Kubatko includes a quote from Baltimore Sun reporter Joe Strauss that said: “At about 9: 20 p.m., Orioles starter Scott Kamieniecki began walking toward the bullpen as Cal Ripken emerged to soft toss along the first-base line.”
Meaning Cal Ripken couldn’t have been walking in to find Kevin Costner in bed with his wife during this time.
“And it would not take and does not take that much research to figure out what’s going on,” Pearlman says in his TikTok.
Pearlman comes for Craig Carton
Pearlman’s TikTok comes amid a public back-and-forth between himself and Carton.
“Why is this guy on your show?” Pearlman asks.
“It doesn’t even make sense. He’s not reliable … He’s never been credible,” he adds.
He goes on, saying, “People in baseball don’t like him. They don’t value him, and they don’t think he’s smart or even, like, insightful.” Then he points out that telling proven lies about Cal Ripken is irresponsible at best.
“Cal Ripken is a ‘real human being,’” Pearlman says. “Like, he’s an actual person.”
He concluded his video by saying, “I just think it was a sloppy thing and, like, not really cool. And John Rocker’s not your guy for Cal Ripken news from 1997.”
Pearlman also comments on his own TikTok to say: “To be clear, Craig is still on WFAN and has a very successful show.”
Costner and Ripken have also debunked the urban legend
Kevin Costner made headlines when he called into a Fox Sports Radio show in 2001 after hearing the hosts discuss the conspiracy to vehemently deny the allegations.
The actor said he had only met Kelly Ripken twice, spoken with her for 10 minutes total, and never visited the couple’s home.
“If there is something alleged, I’d love to see someone come forward,” Costner told the Los Angeles Times. “No one will, because they don’t have the story to do it. There would be big money for a story like this, but it simply is not true.”
Ripken himself addressed the enduring conspiracy during a 2008 interview with NPR. He said, “It’s easy to check the facts of that one. I remember it very well. The bank of lights went off, and Randy Johnson was pitching for the Seattle Mariners.”
“I was definitely there. I was ready to play,” he added.
For those unfamiliar with Ripken’s career, the Hall of Famer earned his nickname “Iron Man” after breaking Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played in September 1995. That record still stands today at 2,632 games.
@jeffpearlmanauthor
Subplot News reached out to Jeff Pearlman via email.
