f the Atlanta Braves hold a slim lead over the Philadelphia Phillies at the start of the 9th inning on Tuesday night, John Rocker will make his first regular-season appearance in a Braves uniform this year. His 12-game suspension for nasty remarks about gays, foreigners, and minorities is now over, and the Braves need him desperately: The perennial powerhouse is playing only .500 ball and the bullpen has already blown two saves. The fans in Atlanta will probably give the 25-year-old closer a standing ovation when he runs onto the field.

Of course, there will be another round of hand-wringing over whether Major League Baseball did the right thing in suspending Rocker. The original penalty had him sitting out until May 1 and paying a $20,000 fine. After the players union stepped in, however, the suspension was cut to a dozen games and the fine to $500. Rocker issued a public apology for his statements, asked forgiveness of his teammates in a closed-door meeting, and has since refused to speak of the matter to reporters. The local NAACP has demanded that the Braves trade Rocker, and it looks like the club came pretty close to making a deal with the Montreal Expos. But in the end neither Montreal nor any other team wanted to take on the public-relations nightmare a trade for Rocker would have created.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig acted decisively with his punishment shortly after Rocker's comments were published in a magazine article. Perhaps he was right to do so; the game has a reputation to protect and Rocker threatened it.

But if that were the case, then why has the league taken no disciplinary action against any number of players who have behaved much more recklessly than Rocker?

* Colorado Rockies pitcher Pedro Astacio attacked his pregnant wife last August, a few weeks after they had separated. Astacio pleaded guilty in January to third-degree assault and received two years of probation and a deferred sentence. (In March, a county judge in Colorado allowed him to withdraw his plea.)

* Chipper Jones, the Braves' third baseman and last year's National League Most Valuable Player, cheated on his wife two years ago and had a child out-of-wedlock with a Hooters waitress. His divorce was finalized earlier this year, and last month he married a third woman, who is nearly six months pregnant.

* San Diego Padres outfielder Al Martin was arrested on domestic-violence charges in March. He may soon face a felony bigamy rap as well; it appears he was legally married to two women at the same time, including the one he attacked last month. In December, a third woman, with whom he apparently never had a wedding, sued for child support. She says Martin is the father of her two children.

What does it say about Major League Baseball — and our society in general — that Rocker is considered the embarrassment? It seems that beating your wife and leaving your kids fatherless is okay, as long as you don't slur any group of people in the process.