KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- John Rocker didn't talk about his past -- and wasn't too pleased with questions about his future, either.

	Rocker

"I don't know why 'reaction' is always such a big deal," said Rocker, the brash left-handed closer acquired Friday by the Cleveland Indians from Atlanta for relievers Steve Karsay and Steve Reed.

"The mound is always going to be 60 feet, 6 inches away. The ball's going to weigh 5 ounces, and there's going to be a hitter with a 34-inch, 32-ounce bat at the other end. There's no reaction," Rocker said.

Rocker, whose comments about minorities prompted a former teammate to label him a clubhouse "cancer," ran into bad weather and traffic delays on his way from New York -- where the Braves were playing the Mets.

Rocker did not arrive until the eighth inning of the game Saturday night that featured a Negro Leagues tribute. The Indians wore the uniforms of the 1946 Cleveland Buckeyes.

The reliever did not dress in a 3-2 loss to Kansas City.

"There are a lot of people out there who still choose to judge me on parts of me they don't know. They'll never meet me, and they'll just choose to judge me on the excerpts and blurbs that are written by people who don't know me either," he said after the game. "Just look at my stats. If I've got good stats, like me, and if I don't, say I'm a bum."

The team said Rocker would be off-limits to media for the series finale Sunday against Kansas City and for the three-game series that starts Monday night in New York against the Yankees. Assistant general manager Mark Shapiro said that was to "keep the distractions to a minimum, and to try to allow John to transition into the organization of the Cleveland Indians."

Rocker's new manager and teammates said he would be treated like any other player.

"We're here to win," manager Charlie Manuel said. "That the trade was made sends a message that we're here to win. We expect people to do their jobs, and in time things will work themselves out if people get their work in and people are satisfied with how the team's performing."

Rocker had 83 saves and a 2.63 ERA in 210 career games with Atlanta. But his comments in an interview with Sports Illustrated after the 1999 season -- he vilified New Yorkers, gays, immigrants and teen-aged mothers -- brought down the wrath of baseball, the Braves and much of the general public.

"It bothered me at the time he said it," Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel said. "But I don't think he was thinking at the time he said that. I think everybody makes mistakes, and he realized that he made one. He'll work those things out."

Commissioner Bud Selig suspended him for all 45 days of spring training last year, the first 28 days of the regular season and fined him $20,000, but the players association filed a grievance and arbitrator Shyam Das cut the suspension to 14 days and the fine to $500.

After Rocker rejoined the Braves, outfielder Brian Jordan called him "a cancer." However, Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz said Rocker's behavior was not an issue this season.

"I just hope this doesn't turn into a distraction for everybody," Vizquel said. "We're winning, and we don't want anything weird to happen. But if he's ready to play, if he's ready to win, he'll be accepted."

Manuel repeated Saturday his intention to use the left-handed Rocker in tandem with right-handed closer Bob Wickman, who earned his 15th save in the 6-5 victory Friday night over the Royals. He also acknowledged that the two-closer system would require Wickman to make a mental adjustment.

"It's kind of different for him," Manuel said. "He looks at it as, 'I can close, and now they've brought in another guy.' But I think it all depends on the work you get in."

Because the trade Friday cleared two roster spots, the Indians recalled right-hander Roy Smith from Triple-A Buffalo on Saturday. Smith has six saves with a 1.16 ERA in 21 appearances at Buffalo.

Manuel also said Charles Nagy would start Tuesday against the New York Yankees in place of Jaret Wright. Wright, still trying to come back from season-ending shoulder surgery last August, was optioned to Buffalo on Friday to work on building his stamina.