The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. 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 the most hectic, nerve-wracking city. In a story published in the December 27, 1999, issue of Sports Illustrated, Rocker made a number of allegations stemming from his experiences in New York City and answering a question about whether he would ever play for the New York Yankees or the New York Mets. In April 2005, he asked New Yorkers to "bury the hatchet." After going 0–2 with a 6.50 ERA in 23 games, he was released on June 27, 2005.
In 2005, he signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. He took the 2004 season off to recover from surgery on his left shoulder. In 2003, Rocker signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays but was released after two appearances and an ERA of 9.00. In 2002, he again struggled at 2–3 with a 6.66 ERA and was released.
In Texas, he refused designation to the minor leagues.
The following year, the Indians traded him to the Texas Rangers for pitcher David Elder. Rocker also played that year for the Indians in the ALDS against the Seattle Mariners. In Cleveland, his record that year was 3–7 with a 5.45 ERA and four saves. On June 23, 2001, Rocker, along with minor-league infielder Troy Cameron (Atlanta's first-round draft pick in 1997), was traded to the Cleveland Indians for right-handed relievers Steve Karsay and Steve Reed, along with cash. Rocker started to receive intense taunting from opposing teams' fans due to his negative behavior, and his pitching performance began to decline. In 2000, he was 1–2 with 24 saves, posting a 2.89 ERA, but in June 2000, Rocker was demoted for threatening a reporter. The following year, an injury put Atlanta closer Kerry Ligtenberg on the DL, moving Rocker into the role of closer, where he was 4–5 with 38 saves and a 2.49 ERA. In Rocker's first season in the major leagues, he was 1–3 with a 2.13 ERA in 38 innings pitched. In 1998, he was promoted to the major league club. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 18th round (516th overall) of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft. He initially committed to play college baseball for the Georgia Bulldogs. He threw three no-hitters during his high-school career. In high school, he was a pitcher for First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, Georgia. Following the conclusion of his baseball career, Rocker competed on Survivor: San Juan del Sur with girlfriend Julie McGee, placing 16th. Rocker received notoriety during his career for making controversial statements, which began with a 1999 Sports Illustrated interview and continued after his retirement.
He last played professionally for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball in 2005. Making his major league debut in 1998 as a member of the Braves, with whom he played four seasons, he was also a member of the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays for one season each. John Loy Rocker (born October 17, 1974) is a former American relief pitcher who played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Atlanta Braves. You can watch one of The Rocketeers's music videos below, but as FSD notes, “much of Skiiwalker’s early material has been scrubbed for the internet.” So we'll all have to wait until Lance Skiiiwalker is officially announced as John Doe, and gets a release date, to really hear where TDE is going next.May 14, 2003, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Once they broke up, Johnny Rocket “made his way to LA to link with Kendrick and TDE.” All strong indications that Rocket, Johnny Rocket, Lance Skiiiwalker and Lance Howard are all the same person. Andrew Barber of Fake Shore Drive surmised that Skiiiwalker is Johnny Rocket, a producer and vocalist from a Chicago band called The Rocketeers. Additionally, on “untitled 04” from Kendrick Lamar's March album untitled unmastered., someone named Rocket is credited with providing vocals on the smouldering interlude. On ScHoolboy Q's “His & Her Fiend” from 2014's Oxymoron, one Lance Howard is listed as a composer and lyricist. Lance Skiiiwalker is not the only name the artist goes by though. He's sweet and soulful on “Money Trees Deuce” and “Telegram (Going Krazy),” then he turns up a bugged out presence on “90059” (a Twitter user points out that Skiiiwalker also appears in the song's video). He displays two very different vocal styles on three tracks from Jay Rock's 90059. Skiiiwalker has already appeared on several of TDE's recent releases.