пятница, 14 сентября 2012 г.

Strawberry gets release from Florida prison - Oakland Tribune

Darryl Strawberry smiled, hugged his wife, thanked a guard anddrove away from prison Tuesday, beginning what his lawyer hopes willbe a drug-free life. The eight-time All-Star was released fromGainesville Correctional Institution in Florida after serving 11months of an 18-month prison sentence for violating probation oncocaine possession charges. After saying 'Thank you' to a guard, heand his wife got into a silver Lincoln Navigator, which was driven byanother man, and drove off, getting only about a half-mile awaybefore they had to turn back -- Strawberry had forgotten his personalbelongings. A guard handed him a plastic bag, and he was off again.Strawberry also accepted the $100 check the state gives inmates upontheir release, but declined a suit of clothes, prison officials said.Strawberry refused to talk to reporters. According to FloridaDepartment of Corrections records, Strawberry is moving back in withhis wife, Charisse, and his three children at a gated community inLutz. Strawberry and his wife plan to stay in Florida for a few daysbefore a trip to California, lawyer Darryl Rouson said. He said theStrawberrys also are planning marriage counseling. 'He's doing well,'Rouson said before Strawberry's release. 'He's been clean for a verylong time, longer than ever before.' Although Strawberry wassentenced to 18 months in prison, he received credit for the 122 dayshe spent in a county jail awaiting sentencing, and under Florida law,he had to serve only 85 percent of his sentence. San Jose State (18-17) scored three runs in the first inning and two more in the thirdon its way to a 5-2 victory over Cal (20-15).

FRANCHISES

AOL Time Warner Inc. is in serious negotiations with at least twobidders about buying its Atlanta sports teams, a person familiar withthe situation said Tuesday.

Who the bidders are, how much they have offered and how close theyare to an agreement remained open questions. Officials at parent AOLTime Warner and Turner Sports, which oversees the teams, refused tocomment.

Analysts said the Atlanta Braves, Hawks and Thrashers are worthabout $750 million. AOL Time Warner wants to shed the teams and othernon-core assets to pay down its $25.8 billion in debt.

Discussions with at least two prospective buyers are ongoing, and'we consider all of them to be serious,' said a source familiar withthe discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In a statement Monday, Turner Sports denied reports that thecompany had reached a deal with Dallas businessman David McDavid, oranyone else.

In addition to McDavid, a former minority owner of the DallasMavericks, others who have been mentioned as possible suitors areformer owner Ted Turner and former New York sports executive DavidChecketts.

FOOTBALL

Richard Dent, a ferocious pass rusher and mainstay of the ChicagoBears' vaunted '46' defense of the mid-1980s, has been hired by theteam as an assistant defensive line coach.

MOTORSPORTS

Dario Franchitti will miss this week's IRL race in Japan afterinjuring his back in a motorcycle accident during a family visit inScotland.

He plans to remain in Scotland the rest of this week beforereturning to Indianapolis. He expects to be ready for the May 4 startof practice for the Indianapolis 500. Franchitti sustained a slightfracture of a vertebra in his lower back last week.

TENNIS

Third-seeded Lindsay Davenport needed just 54 minutes to defeatDaja Bedanova in the second round of the Family Circle Cup atCharleston, S.C.

The fifth-ranked Davenport won 6-0, 6-1 in her first clay-courtmatch in nearlythree years. It was her first appearance in thetournament since 1998, when she lost for the third time in thequarterfinals.

Rain interrupted play for the second straight day, halting AnnaKournikova's first-round match with two-time tournament champConchita Martinez. Kournikova was ahead 2-0 in the first set.

The opening match of top-ranked Serena Williams also waspostponed.

Defending tournament champion Iva Majoli defeated Lindsay Lee-Waters 6-2, 7-5.

Australian Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler was knocked out of theEstoril Open in Oeiras, Portugal 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 by Feliciano Lopez inthe first round.

BASKETBALL

Mississippi State center Mario Austin signed with an agent andwill enter the NBA Draft. Austin, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound junior,averaged 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds this season.

NBA commissioner David Stern told WNBA players that unless theysettle their contract dispute by April 18, the 2003 season for thewomen's league will not be played.

'We want to get a deal and work with the players,' said Stern,announcing at the same time that his league had voted an additional$12 million to subsidize its women's affiliate. 'But if that's not tobe, it's not to be. We'll know in the next 10 days if there will be aWNBA season.'