Duane, I also have a Rockhopper-got it used so no idea what year. Mine was built from various pieces by the previous owner. It has a Specialized stem with Raceface riser bar-the rise in the bar isn't very much, but it isn't flat, like some mountain bike bars.

I bought a Serfas brand saddle which has a slot down the middle. It is very comfortable. I am pretty skinny, so not much padding on my butt but the saddle has a fair amount of padding and give to it, unlike my hard road saddle. They make a number of different models. Mine is one of the RX series, probably the Men's Saddle, which retails for $45. I don't see the model number on it, just the RX mark, but I doubt I paid much more than $50 for it.

Check out their website- Serfas

As already mentioned, fit is really important. I spent a lot of time tinkering with my road bikes over the years, setting them up right. I learned to set mine up myself and you can too. It just takes doing some reading, looking at websites and a lot of experimenting with seat position-back and forth as well as tilt; seat height and bar height.

I have my saddle tilted up very slightly, but I have seen them way up, way down and neutral. I use step in pedals which I really like. I think those help a lot for comfort and ease of pedaling.