Braves Throwback Thursday: John Rocker, 20 years later

Atlanta Braves closer John Rocker returns some compliments to unruly New York Mets fans after final out in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Shea Stadium in 1999. Rocker got the save in a 1-0 Braves win. (Photo by Howard Earl Simmons/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)The final week of the previous millennium was a doozy for the Atlanta Braves, as it turned out.

On Dec. 22, 1999 — 20 years ago this week — the latest issue of Sports Illustrated began arriving in mailboxes and on newsstands around the country. The internet was still in its infancy in those days, and it was still not only possible, but routine, for a print-only story to make a worldwide impact (the issue…