Barry Bonds was indicted Thursday for perjury and obstruction of justice, charged with lying when he told a federal grand jury that he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.
The indictment unsealed Thursday against baseball's home-run king culminated a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes.
"During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes," the indictment read.
In August, the 43-year-old Bonds passed Hank Aaron to become baseball's career home run leader. Late in the season, the San Francisco Giants told the seven-time National League MVP they didn't want him back next year. He is currently a free agent.
While Bonds was chasing Aaron, the grand jury was working behind closed doors to complete the long-rumored indictment.
"I'm surprised," said John Burris, one of Bonds' attorneys, "but there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time. I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."
The indictment charged Bonds with lying when he said that he didn't knowingly take steroids given to him by his personal trainer, Greg Anderson. He also denied taking steroids at anytime in 2001 when he was pursuing the season home-run record.
He is also charged with lying that Anderson never injected him with steroids.
"Greg wouldn't do that," Bonds testified in December 2003 when asked if Anderson ever gave him any drugs that needed to be injected. "He knows I'm against that stuff."
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
O.J. Simpson investigated in alleged robbery at Vegas hotel room
O.J. Simpson investigated in alleged robbery at Vegas hotel room
By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY and LINDA DEUTSCH Associated Press Writers
Article Launched: 09/14/2007 03:19:32 PM PDT
LAS VEGAS—O.J. Simpson was under investigation Friday in an alleged armed robbery at a casino hotel room involving his sports memorabilia, but the former football star said he went to recover items stolen from him and there were no guns.
"Nobody was roughed up," Simpson told The Associated Press by phone. "What I can't understand is these guys are in a room trying to fence stolen goods and I'm the story."
The incident at the Palace Station casino once again hurled Simpson into the headlines more than a decade after he was acquitted of murdering ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in the "Trial of the Century," only to be found civilly liable for their deaths and ordered to pay a $33.5 million judgment.
Police Capt. James Dillon stressed that the investigation was in its "infancy" and that "few facts" had been determined. Officers responded to a call from the hotel just before 8 p.m. Thursday, he said.
"The victim stated that one of the suspects involved in the robbery was O.J. Simpson," Dillon said.
Police said the 911 call was made by Alfred Beardsley, one of the men in the hotel room.
"We have (reports) from the victim that there were weapons involved," Dillon said, but he added that no firearms had been recovered, no charges had been filed and no one was in custody.
Police contacted Simpson after the initial report and talked to him again Friday at his hotel. Dillon said Simpson would not agree to a formal, recorded interview until his lawyer arrived, but did offer some statements about the incident. "We still consider that cooperating," Dillon said.
Simpson would not give police the names of the "three or four" men who accompanied him into the hotel room until his lawyer was present, Dillon said.
He said investigators were trying to untangle the web of ownership of the items in dispute.
"We do have some conflicting statements, there is legitimate information that part or all of the items possibly are the possessions of O.J. Simpson," Dillon said, adding that would not excuse a robbery.
Dillon said investigators had video surveillance tapes and still images from various locations at the hotel but he did not say what they showed.
Simpson told the AP there was no armed robbery and no guns were involved.
"There was no armed robbery here. It wasn't a robbery. They said take your stuff and go," said Simpson, who remained in Las Vegas at a local hotel casino.
Beardsley, a real estate agent and longtime collector of Simpson memorabilia, told the AP that Simpson's account of the incident was fairly accurate except that there were guns.
But in an unusual development, Simpson said he and Beardsley had a friendly phone conversation later Friday and they wanted to resolve the matter.
Of the weapons question, Simpson said: "I didn't see anybody with any guns."
Both Beardsley and Simpson indicated in separate interviews that the underlying issue was recovery of photos from Simpson's childhood.
Simpson was a Heisman Trophy winner in college and a star running back in the NFL. Many of his sports collectibles, including his Heisman Trophy, were seized under court order and auctioned to pay some of the $33.5 million awarded to the Goldman family and the estate of Nicole Brown Simpson.
Now a Miami resident, O.J. Simpson lives off a sizable pension that could not be seized under the civil judgment. But last year, during a scandal over payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars for his participation in a book about the murders, he said he needed the money to get out of debt and to "secure my homestead."
Simpson said that on Thursday he was conducting a sting operation to collect his belongings when he was led to the room.
He said that auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago to alert him that collectors were quietly trying to peddle his belongings.
Simpson said he was in Las Vegas for a friend's wedding and arranged to meet Riccio, who set up a meeting with collectors under the guise that he had a private collector interested in buying Simpson's items.
"We walked into the room," Simpson said. "I'm the last one to go in and when they see me, it's all 'Oh God.'"
Simpson said he was accompanied by two men he met at a wedding cocktail party and they took the collectibles, including his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of him with the late FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover.
Simpson said he wasn't sure where the items were taken. Dillon said some of the items had been recovered but did not specify which ones.
Beardsley said Riccio had contacted him and told him he had a buyer who was a big fan of Simpson and "wanted to buy very personal items and could I give him some very high-end items."
"I've always supported Simpson. When he walked in the room, Simpson said, 'Oh no, not you. I thought you were a good guy,'" Beardsley said.
Beardsley claimed that Riccio actually had found out that Beardsley was going to be involved in a private sale of the childhood photos "and got Simpson all worked up."
Beardsley said the pictures were not in the room but he intended to arrange to get the pictures to Simpson. "I will give him those pictures back, I feel bad about it," he said.
"I'd like to see it go away," Beardsley said of the incident. "We both feel this has gotten way out of control."
A message left for Riccio was not immediately returned.
Riccio told the Los Angeles Times he arranged the meeting after receiving a phone call about a month ago from a person who claimed to have personal items—including footballs, awards and personal photos—that had belonged to Simpson and wanted to sell them.
"Simpson was supposed to show up, identify the items and tell the men to either give the stuff back or he would call the police," Riccio told the newspaper.
The plan unraveled after Simpson showed up with about seven "intimidating looking guys," at least one of whom had a gun, he said.
"We tried to peacefully reacquire these personal items, not for their monetary value, but for their family value. O.J. wanted to be able to pass these things down to his kids," Riccio said.
"They (Simpson and his companions) took the stuff, and they left. What can I say? Things went haywire," he said.
Bruce Fromong, a sports memorabilia collector who testified at Simpson's civil trial, said he witnessed the incident and that Simpson broke into the hotel room and took several collectibles.
"It was home invasion-type thing," he told the Web siteTMZ.com. "Guys come busting through the door at the Palace casino, I mean, literally busting through it. He and some of his guys came in with the guns, hollering and screaming."
Fromong, who reportedly has tried to sell the suit Simpson wore when he was acquitted of murder, described him as at one time being a close friend.
On Thursday, the Goldman family published a book about the killings that Simpson had written under the title, "If I Did It," about how he would have committed the crime had he actually done it. After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book's rights to the Goldman family, who retitled it "If I Did It: The Confessions of a Killer."
Fred Goldman, Ron's Goldman's father, defended the family's decision to publish the book. He said he was stunned by the news from Las Vegas.
"I'm overwhelmed and amazed," Fred Goldman told The Associated Press. "If it turns out as it is currently being played, I think this shows more of who he is. He is proving over and over and over again that he thinks he can do anything and get away with it."
Goldman's lawyer, David Cook, said he would seek a court order on Tuesday to get whatever items Simpson took in Las Vegas.
———
AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch and Associated Press Writer Jeff Wilson contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6896456?source=most_viewed
By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY and LINDA DEUTSCH Associated Press Writers
Article Launched: 09/14/2007 03:19:32 PM PDT
LAS VEGAS—O.J. Simpson was under investigation Friday in an alleged armed robbery at a casino hotel room involving his sports memorabilia, but the former football star said he went to recover items stolen from him and there were no guns.
"Nobody was roughed up," Simpson told The Associated Press by phone. "What I can't understand is these guys are in a room trying to fence stolen goods and I'm the story."
The incident at the Palace Station casino once again hurled Simpson into the headlines more than a decade after he was acquitted of murdering ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in the "Trial of the Century," only to be found civilly liable for their deaths and ordered to pay a $33.5 million judgment.
Police Capt. James Dillon stressed that the investigation was in its "infancy" and that "few facts" had been determined. Officers responded to a call from the hotel just before 8 p.m. Thursday, he said.
"The victim stated that one of the suspects involved in the robbery was O.J. Simpson," Dillon said.
Police said the 911 call was made by Alfred Beardsley, one of the men in the hotel room.
"We have (reports) from the victim that there were weapons involved," Dillon said, but he added that no firearms had been recovered, no charges had been filed and no one was in custody.
Police contacted Simpson after the initial report and talked to him again Friday at his hotel. Dillon said Simpson would not agree to a formal, recorded interview until his lawyer arrived, but did offer some statements about the incident. "We still consider that cooperating," Dillon said.
Simpson would not give police the names of the "three or four" men who accompanied him into the hotel room until his lawyer was present, Dillon said.
He said investigators were trying to untangle the web of ownership of the items in dispute.
"We do have some conflicting statements, there is legitimate information that part or all of the items possibly are the possessions of O.J. Simpson," Dillon said, adding that would not excuse a robbery.
Dillon said investigators had video surveillance tapes and still images from various locations at the hotel but he did not say what they showed.
Simpson told the AP there was no armed robbery and no guns were involved.
"There was no armed robbery here. It wasn't a robbery. They said take your stuff and go," said Simpson, who remained in Las Vegas at a local hotel casino.
Beardsley, a real estate agent and longtime collector of Simpson memorabilia, told the AP that Simpson's account of the incident was fairly accurate except that there were guns.
But in an unusual development, Simpson said he and Beardsley had a friendly phone conversation later Friday and they wanted to resolve the matter.
Of the weapons question, Simpson said: "I didn't see anybody with any guns."
Both Beardsley and Simpson indicated in separate interviews that the underlying issue was recovery of photos from Simpson's childhood.
Simpson was a Heisman Trophy winner in college and a star running back in the NFL. Many of his sports collectibles, including his Heisman Trophy, were seized under court order and auctioned to pay some of the $33.5 million awarded to the Goldman family and the estate of Nicole Brown Simpson.
Now a Miami resident, O.J. Simpson lives off a sizable pension that could not be seized under the civil judgment. But last year, during a scandal over payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars for his participation in a book about the murders, he said he needed the money to get out of debt and to "secure my homestead."
Simpson said that on Thursday he was conducting a sting operation to collect his belongings when he was led to the room.
He said that auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago to alert him that collectors were quietly trying to peddle his belongings.
Simpson said he was in Las Vegas for a friend's wedding and arranged to meet Riccio, who set up a meeting with collectors under the guise that he had a private collector interested in buying Simpson's items.
"We walked into the room," Simpson said. "I'm the last one to go in and when they see me, it's all 'Oh God.'"
Simpson said he was accompanied by two men he met at a wedding cocktail party and they took the collectibles, including his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of him with the late FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover.
Simpson said he wasn't sure where the items were taken. Dillon said some of the items had been recovered but did not specify which ones.
Beardsley said Riccio had contacted him and told him he had a buyer who was a big fan of Simpson and "wanted to buy very personal items and could I give him some very high-end items."
"I've always supported Simpson. When he walked in the room, Simpson said, 'Oh no, not you. I thought you were a good guy,'" Beardsley said.
Beardsley claimed that Riccio actually had found out that Beardsley was going to be involved in a private sale of the childhood photos "and got Simpson all worked up."
Beardsley said the pictures were not in the room but he intended to arrange to get the pictures to Simpson. "I will give him those pictures back, I feel bad about it," he said.
"I'd like to see it go away," Beardsley said of the incident. "We both feel this has gotten way out of control."
A message left for Riccio was not immediately returned.
Riccio told the Los Angeles Times he arranged the meeting after receiving a phone call about a month ago from a person who claimed to have personal items—including footballs, awards and personal photos—that had belonged to Simpson and wanted to sell them.
"Simpson was supposed to show up, identify the items and tell the men to either give the stuff back or he would call the police," Riccio told the newspaper.
The plan unraveled after Simpson showed up with about seven "intimidating looking guys," at least one of whom had a gun, he said.
"We tried to peacefully reacquire these personal items, not for their monetary value, but for their family value. O.J. wanted to be able to pass these things down to his kids," Riccio said.
"They (Simpson and his companions) took the stuff, and they left. What can I say? Things went haywire," he said.
Bruce Fromong, a sports memorabilia collector who testified at Simpson's civil trial, said he witnessed the incident and that Simpson broke into the hotel room and took several collectibles.
"It was home invasion-type thing," he told the Web siteTMZ.com. "Guys come busting through the door at the Palace casino, I mean, literally busting through it. He and some of his guys came in with the guns, hollering and screaming."
Fromong, who reportedly has tried to sell the suit Simpson wore when he was acquitted of murder, described him as at one time being a close friend.
On Thursday, the Goldman family published a book about the killings that Simpson had written under the title, "If I Did It," about how he would have committed the crime had he actually done it. After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book's rights to the Goldman family, who retitled it "If I Did It: The Confessions of a Killer."
Fred Goldman, Ron's Goldman's father, defended the family's decision to publish the book. He said he was stunned by the news from Las Vegas.
"I'm overwhelmed and amazed," Fred Goldman told The Associated Press. "If it turns out as it is currently being played, I think this shows more of who he is. He is proving over and over and over again that he thinks he can do anything and get away with it."
Goldman's lawyer, David Cook, said he would seek a court order on Tuesday to get whatever items Simpson took in Las Vegas.
———
AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch and Associated Press Writer Jeff Wilson contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6896456?source=most_viewed
Halo Videos
Halo 2 - Red vs Blue Halo 3 Beta Episode
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Halo Red vs Blue episode 2
Add to My Profile | More Videos
halo
Add to My Profile | More Videos
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=3333683
halo 3 trailer 1
Add to My Profile | More Videos
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=6270649
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Halo Red vs Blue episode 2
Add to My Profile | More Videos
halo
Add to My Profile | More Videos
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=3333683
halo 3 trailer 1
Add to My Profile | More Videos
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=6270649
Thursday, September 6, 2007
US AMERICANS NEED MAPS
Miss Teen South Carolina Flubs Her Answer
Add to My Profile | More Videos
http://marmalade29456.blogspot.com/2007/09/us-americans-need-maps_06.html
Add to My Profile | More Videos
http://marmalade29456.blogspot.com/2007/09/us-americans-need-maps_06.html
Pavarotti Sings His Last Tune
Tenor Pavarotti has died at age 71, his manager tells the AP
By ALESSANDRA RIZZO | Associated Press Writer
8:06 AM EDT, September 6, 2007
ROME - He was the son of a singing baker and became the king of the high C's. Luciano Pavarotti, opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71.
Pavarotti, who had been diagnosed last year with pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment last month, died at his home in his native Modena at 5 a.m., his manager told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement.
His wife, Nicoletta, four daughters and sister were among family at friends at his side, manager Terri Robson said.
"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer," Robson said. "In fitting with the approach that characterised his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness."
Pavarotti's charismatic personna and ebullient showmanship _ but most of all his creamy and powerful voice _ made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since the great Caruso and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame as a popular superstar.
For serious fans, the unforced beauty and thrilling urgency of Pavarotti's voice made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and '70s when he first achieved stardom. For millions more, his thrilling performances of standards like "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" came to represent what opera is all about.
"Nessun Dorma" turned out to be Pavarotti's last aria, sung at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin in February 2006. His last full-scale concert was at Taipei in December 2005, and his farewell to opera was in Puccini's "Tosca" at New York's Metropolitan in March 2004.
Instantly recognizable from his charcoal black beard and tuxedo-busting girth, Pavarotti radiated an intangible magic that helped him win hearts in a way Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras _ his partners in the "Three Tenors" concerts _ never quite could.
"I always admired the God-given glory of his voice _ that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range," Domingo said in a statement from Los Angeles.
Pavarotti, who seemed equally at ease singing with soprano Joan Sutherland as with the Spice Girls, scoffed at accusations that he was sacrificing his art in favor of commercialism.
"The word 'commercial' is exactly what we want," he said after appearing in the "Three Tenors" concerts. "We've reached 1.5 billion people with opera. If you want to use the word 'commercial,' or something more derogatory, we don't care. Use whatever you want."
In the annals of that rare and coddled breed, the operatic tenor, it may well be said the 20th century began with Enrico Caruso and ended with Pavarotti. Other tenors _ Domingo included _ may have drawn more praise from critics for their artistic range and insights, but none could equal the combination of natural talent and personal charm that so endeared Pavarotti to audiences.
"Pavarotti is the biggest superstar of all," the late New York Times music critic Harold Schonberg once said. "He's correspondingly more spoiled than anybody else. They think they can get away with anything. Thanks to the glory of his voice, he probably can."
In his heyday, he was known as the "King of the High C's" for the ease with which he tossed off difficult top notes. In fact it was his ability to hit nine glorious high C's in quick succession that turned him into an international superstar singing Tonio's aria "Ah! Mes amis," in Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment" at the Met in 1972.
From Beijing to Buenos Aires, people immediately recognized his incandescent smile and lumbering bulk, clutching a white handkerchief as he sang arias and Neapolitan folk songs, pop numbers and Christmas carols for hundreds of thousands in outdoor concerts.
His name seemed to show up as much in gossip columns as serious music reviews, particularly after he split with Adua Veroni, his wife of 35 years and mother of their three daughters, and then took up with his 26-year-old secretary in 1996.
In late 2003, he married Nicoletta Mantovani in a lavish, star-studded ceremony. Pavarotti said their daughter, Alice, nearly a year old at the time of the wedding, was the main reason they finally wed after years together.
In the latter part of his career, he came under fire for canceling performances or pandering to the lowest common denominator in his choice of programs, or for the Three Tenors tours and their millions of dollars in fees.
He was criticized for lip-synching at a concert in Modena. An artist accused him of copying her works from a how-to-draw book and selling the paintings.
The son of a baker who was an amateur singer, Pavarotti was born Oct. 12, 1935. He had a meager upbringing, though he said it was rich with happiness.
"Our family had very little, but I couldn't imagine one could have any more," Pavarotti said.
As a boy, Pavarotti showed more interest in soccer than his studies, but he also was fond of listening to his father's recordings of tenor greats like Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Jussi Bjoerling and Giuseppe Di Stefano, his favorite.
Among his close childhood friends was Mirella Freni, who would eventually become a soprano and an opera great herself. The two studied singing together and years later ended up making records and concerts together.
In his teens, Pavarotti joined his father, also a tenor, in the church choir and local opera chorus. He was influenced by the American movie actor-singer Mario Lanza.
"In my teens I used to go to Mario Lanza movies and then come home and imitate him in the mirror," Pavarotti said.
Singing was still nothing more than a passion while Pavarotti trained to become a teacher and began working in a school.
But at 20, he traveled with his chorus to an international music competition in Wales. The Modena group won first place, and Pavarotti began to dedicate himself to singing.
With the encouragement of his then-fiancee, Adua, he started lessons, selling insurance to pay for them. He studied with Arrigo Pola and later Ettore Campogalliani.
In 1961, Pavarotti won a local competition and with it a debut as Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme."
He followed with a series of successes in small opera houses throughout Europe before his 1963 debut at Covent Garden in London, where he stood in for Di Stefano as Rodolfo.
Having impressed conductor Richard Bonynge, Pavarotti was given a role opposite Bonynge's wife, Sutherland, in a Miami production of "Lucia di Lamermoor." They subsequently signed him for a 14-week tour of Australia.
It was the recognition Pavarotti needed to launch his career. He also credited Sutherland with teaching him how to breathe correctly.
Pavarotti's major debuts followed _ at La Scala in Milan in 1965, San Francisco in 1967 and New York's Metropolitan Opera House in 1968.
Throughout his career, Pavarotti struggled with a much-publicized weight problem. His love of food caused him to balloon to a reported 396 pounds in 1978.
"Maybe this time I'll really do it and keep it up," he said during one of his constant attempts at dieting.
Pavarotti, who had been trained as a lyric tenor, began taking on heavier dramatic roles, such as Manrico in Verdi's "Trovatore" and the title role in "Otello."
In the mid-1970s, Pavarotti became a true media star. He appeared in television commercials and began singing in hugely lucrative mega-concerts outdoors and in stadiums around the world. Soon came joint concerts with pop stars. A concert in New York's Central Park in 1993 drew 500,000 fans.
Pavarotti's recording of "Volare" went platinum in 1988.
In 1990, he appeared with Domingo and Carreras in a concert at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome for the end of soccer's World Cup. The concert was a huge success, and the record known as "The Three Tenors" was a best-seller and was nominated for two Grammy awards. The video sold over 750,000 copies.
The three-tenor extravaganza became a mini-industry and widely imitated. With a follow-up album recorded at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 1994, the three have outsold every other performer of classical music. A 1996 tour earned each tenor an estimated $10 million.
Pavarotti liked to mingle with pop stars in his series of charity concerts, "Pavarotti & Friends," held annually in Modena. He performed with artists as varied as Ricky Martin, James Brown and the Spice Girls.
The performances raised some eyebrows but he always shrugged off the criticism.
Some say the "word 'pop' is a derogatory word to say 'not important' _ I do not accept that," Pavarotti said in a 2004 interview with the AP. "If the word 'classic' is the word to say 'boring,' I do not accept. There is good and bad music."
It was not just his annual extravaganza that saw Pavarotti involved in humanitarian work.
During the 1992-95 Bosnia war, he collected humanitarian aid along with U2 lead singer Bono, and after the war he financed and established the Pavarotti Music Center in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills.
He performed at benefit concerts to raise money for victims of tragedies such as an earthquake in December 1988 that killed 25,000 people in northern Armenia.
Pavarotti was also dogged by accusations of tax evasion, and in 2000 he agreed to pay nearly roughly $12 million to the Italian state after he had unsuccessfully claimed that the tax haven of Monte Carlo rather than Italy was his official residence.
He had been accused in 1996 of filing false tax returns for 1989-91.
Pavarotti always denied wrongdoing, saying he paid taxes wherever he performed. But, upon agreeing to the settlement, he said: "I cannot live being thought not a good person."
Pavarotti was preparing to leave New York in July 2006 to resume a farewell tour when doctors discovered a malignant pancreatic mass. He underwent surgery in a New York hospital, and all his remaining 2006 concerts were canceled.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous forms of the disease, though doctors said the surgery offered improved hopes for survival.
"I was a fortunate and happy man," Pavarotti told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published about a month after the surgery. "After that, this blow arrived."
"And now I am paying the penalty for this fortune and happiness," he told the newspaper.
Fans were still waiting for a public appearance a year after his surgery. In the summer, Pavarotti taught a group of selected students and worked on a recording of sacred songs, a work expected to be released in early 2008, according to his manager. He mostly divided his time between Modena and his villa in the Adriatic seaside resort of Pesaro.
Just this week, the Italian government honored him with an award for "excellence in Italian culture," and La Scala and Modena's theater announced a joint Luciano Pavarotti award.
In his final statement, Pavarotti said the awards gave him "the opportunity to continue to celebrate the magic of a life dedicated to the arts and it fills me with pride and joy to have been able to promote my magnificent country abroad."
He will be remembered in Italy as "the last great Italian voice able to move the world," said Bruno Cagli, president of the Santa Cecilia National Academy in Rome.
The funeral will be held Saturday inside Modena's cathedral, Mayor Giorgio Pighi told SkyTG24.
Copyright © 2007, The Associated Press
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--pavarotti0906sep06,0,2097438.story
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Chicago trial shatters romantic view of mob
Chicago trial shatters romantic view of mob
By Mike Robinson, Associated Press
CHICAGO — They have described becoming "made guys" in the mob by holding burning holy pictures in cupped hands while promising a lifetime of silence.
They've spoken of the arcane arts of "peeling" safes and selling bogus stock certificates.
And they've told stories that seem straight from the movies: bombing businesses, bloody hits on FBI informants, bodies stuffed in car trunks and an oil drum stuffed with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.
But Hollywood's romantic view has been mainly missing over the last month as witnesses — from a defendant's brother to old-time crooks with rap sheets as long as bed sheets — took the stand at Chicago's biggest mob trial in years.
Vito Corleone and Tony Soprano look like tame old duffers compared to what prosecution witnesses have been saying about the alleged dons of the Chicago Outfit, as the city's organized crime family has named itself.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Chicago | Michael | Mike | Crime | Joey | Joseph | Tony Soprano | Frank Calabrese | Nicholas Calabrese | Paul Schiro | Spilotro
"They are not the romantic people who are often portrayed in the movies," says James Wagner, who fought the mob for decades as an FBI agent and now is president of the Chicago Crime Commission. "They are brutal."
Star witness Nicholas Calabrese told jurors he watched for decades as the bodies of his fellow mobsters piled up around him. He said he lived in dread that if he made just one misstep he would "end up in a car trunk."
His brother, Frank Calabrese, 69, is among the defendants along with Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 78, James Marcello, 65, Paul Schiro, 70, and Anthony Doyle, 62. They are charged with taking part in a racketeering conspiracy that included gambling, extortion, loan sharking and murders.
Lombardo was convicted in the early 1980s of conspiring to bribe then Sen. Howard Cannon, D-Nev. Calabrese and Marcello have both served time for mob-related activity. Schiro is a convicted jewel thief and Doyle — the only one not alleged to have killed anyone — is a retired police officer.
All but Doyle could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
As prosecutors Mitchell A. Mars, John J. Scully and Markus Funk dredge up evidence going back to the 1970s, Chicago's police are not faring well.
Last week, old-time burglar Robert G. "Bobby the Beak" Siegel emerged from the witness protection program to accuse Chicago's former chief of detectives, William Hanhardt, of collecting $1,000 a week and a new car every two years in return for seeing to it that mobsters weren't caught.
"Most of the police were on the payroll" in the old days, he recalled.
Hanhardt is now serving 16 years after pleading guilty to leading a band of thieves that stole some $5 million in jewelry and fine watches.
Schiro pleaded guilty to serving as a member of Hanhardt's gang.
Nicholas Calabrese testified that onetime mob boss Joey Aiuppa personally presided over the ceremony at which he became a "made guy" in the Outfit, his finger cut in the ancient ceremonial manner and a burning holy picture placed in his hand while he recited the oath of silence.
"If I ever give up my brothers may I burn in hell like this holy picture," he remembered promising.
But DNA found on a bloody glove left at a murder scene was matched to his and he has agreed to testimony in return for a promise that he won't have to die in the execution chamber.
His testimony has been the most graphic of the trial.
He told how his brother, Frank, allegedly strangled victims like loan shark Michael "Hambone" Albergo with a rope and then cut their throats to make sure that they were dead. Albergo had threatened to talk to the FBI.
Frank Calabrese's attorney, Joseph Lopez, who loves a good wisecrack and sometimes wears pink socks to court, said before the trial that Nicholas Calabrese was lying about his brother.
Since then U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel has clamped a gag order on the attorneys.
Best known on the list of 18 murder victims in the indictment is Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, the Outfit's onetime man in Las Vegas who was found in a shallow grave in an Indiana cornfield along with his brother Michael.
Tony Spilotro inspired the Joe Pesci character in the movie Casino.
Nicholas Calabrese testified that mobsters were mad at Spilotro because he was "bringing too much heat" on them and having a romance with the wife of a casino executive.
"That's a no-no," he quoted brother Frank as saying.
He testified that in June 1986 the Spilotros were lured to the basement of a Bensenville home where they were told Tony would be dubbed a "capo," or mob captain, and Michael a "made guy."
Instead, they were beaten and strangled.
Calabrese said he pulled one end of a rope around Michael Spilotro's neck while a mobster known as Louie the Mooche tugged away on the other.
With Nicholas in tow, FBI agents drove up and down Bensenville's streets searching for the house where the Spilotros died — to no avail.
Such missing elements have been fodder for defense attorneys.
Marcello attorney Thomas M. Breen pounced on a claim that the Spilotro killers all wore gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, claiming that the story simply didn't sound realistic.
"Did Mike Spilotro, say, 'Hey, guys, how come everybody's wearing gloves? This looks like a hit,"' Breen asked during Nicholas Calabrese's days on the witness stand.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Posted 37d ago
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-29-chicagotrial_N.htm
By Mike Robinson, Associated Press
CHICAGO — They have described becoming "made guys" in the mob by holding burning holy pictures in cupped hands while promising a lifetime of silence.
They've spoken of the arcane arts of "peeling" safes and selling bogus stock certificates.
And they've told stories that seem straight from the movies: bombing businesses, bloody hits on FBI informants, bodies stuffed in car trunks and an oil drum stuffed with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.
But Hollywood's romantic view has been mainly missing over the last month as witnesses — from a defendant's brother to old-time crooks with rap sheets as long as bed sheets — took the stand at Chicago's biggest mob trial in years.
Vito Corleone and Tony Soprano look like tame old duffers compared to what prosecution witnesses have been saying about the alleged dons of the Chicago Outfit, as the city's organized crime family has named itself.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Chicago | Michael | Mike | Crime | Joey | Joseph | Tony Soprano | Frank Calabrese | Nicholas Calabrese | Paul Schiro | Spilotro
"They are not the romantic people who are often portrayed in the movies," says James Wagner, who fought the mob for decades as an FBI agent and now is president of the Chicago Crime Commission. "They are brutal."
Star witness Nicholas Calabrese told jurors he watched for decades as the bodies of his fellow mobsters piled up around him. He said he lived in dread that if he made just one misstep he would "end up in a car trunk."
His brother, Frank Calabrese, 69, is among the defendants along with Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 78, James Marcello, 65, Paul Schiro, 70, and Anthony Doyle, 62. They are charged with taking part in a racketeering conspiracy that included gambling, extortion, loan sharking and murders.
Lombardo was convicted in the early 1980s of conspiring to bribe then Sen. Howard Cannon, D-Nev. Calabrese and Marcello have both served time for mob-related activity. Schiro is a convicted jewel thief and Doyle — the only one not alleged to have killed anyone — is a retired police officer.
All but Doyle could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
As prosecutors Mitchell A. Mars, John J. Scully and Markus Funk dredge up evidence going back to the 1970s, Chicago's police are not faring well.
Last week, old-time burglar Robert G. "Bobby the Beak" Siegel emerged from the witness protection program to accuse Chicago's former chief of detectives, William Hanhardt, of collecting $1,000 a week and a new car every two years in return for seeing to it that mobsters weren't caught.
"Most of the police were on the payroll" in the old days, he recalled.
Hanhardt is now serving 16 years after pleading guilty to leading a band of thieves that stole some $5 million in jewelry and fine watches.
Schiro pleaded guilty to serving as a member of Hanhardt's gang.
Nicholas Calabrese testified that onetime mob boss Joey Aiuppa personally presided over the ceremony at which he became a "made guy" in the Outfit, his finger cut in the ancient ceremonial manner and a burning holy picture placed in his hand while he recited the oath of silence.
"If I ever give up my brothers may I burn in hell like this holy picture," he remembered promising.
But DNA found on a bloody glove left at a murder scene was matched to his and he has agreed to testimony in return for a promise that he won't have to die in the execution chamber.
His testimony has been the most graphic of the trial.
He told how his brother, Frank, allegedly strangled victims like loan shark Michael "Hambone" Albergo with a rope and then cut their throats to make sure that they were dead. Albergo had threatened to talk to the FBI.
Frank Calabrese's attorney, Joseph Lopez, who loves a good wisecrack and sometimes wears pink socks to court, said before the trial that Nicholas Calabrese was lying about his brother.
Since then U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel has clamped a gag order on the attorneys.
Best known on the list of 18 murder victims in the indictment is Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, the Outfit's onetime man in Las Vegas who was found in a shallow grave in an Indiana cornfield along with his brother Michael.
Tony Spilotro inspired the Joe Pesci character in the movie Casino.
Nicholas Calabrese testified that mobsters were mad at Spilotro because he was "bringing too much heat" on them and having a romance with the wife of a casino executive.
"That's a no-no," he quoted brother Frank as saying.
He testified that in June 1986 the Spilotros were lured to the basement of a Bensenville home where they were told Tony would be dubbed a "capo," or mob captain, and Michael a "made guy."
Instead, they were beaten and strangled.
Calabrese said he pulled one end of a rope around Michael Spilotro's neck while a mobster known as Louie the Mooche tugged away on the other.
With Nicholas in tow, FBI agents drove up and down Bensenville's streets searching for the house where the Spilotros died — to no avail.
Such missing elements have been fodder for defense attorneys.
Marcello attorney Thomas M. Breen pounced on a claim that the Spilotro killers all wore gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, claiming that the story simply didn't sound realistic.
"Did Mike Spilotro, say, 'Hey, guys, how come everybody's wearing gloves? This looks like a hit,"' Breen asked during Nicholas Calabrese's days on the witness stand.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Posted 37d ago
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-29-chicagotrial_N.htm
Jury deliberates Chicago mob case
Jury deliberates Chicago mob case
By Tara Burghart, Associated Press Writer
CHICAGO — Jurors in Chicago's biggest mob trial in years began deliberating the fate of five defendants Tuesday in a case described by defense attorneys as built on the testimony of "a walking piece of deception."
Prosecutors said the testimony of mob hit man Nicholas Calabrese -- who linked four of the five men to a murder scene -- matched up with physical evidence at the scene and with recorded jailhouse conversations with one of the defendants.
Jurors also heard from more than 100 witnesses, listened to hours of secretly recorded audio tapes, and saw dozens of photos of crime scenes, victims and suspected members of the Outfit, as the city's organized crime family is known.
Jurors left at 2 p.m. Tuesday, despite indicating last week that they planned to work from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office of U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel gave no explanation for the early departure.
The defendants are all in their 60s or 70s, and one alternated between using a cane and wheelchair in court. They are accused by prosecutors of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, detailed in a 43-page indictment, that included illegal gambling, extortion, loan sharking and 18 murders between 1970 and 1986.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Chicago | Prosecutors | Jurors | Jury | Accused | Joseph | Frank Calabrese | Nicholas Calabrese | Outfit | Paul Schiro
The men on trial are reputed mobster Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 78; convicted loan shark Frank Calabrese Sr., 70; convicted jewel thief Paul Schiro, 70; reputed mob boss James Marcello, 65; and retired Chicago policeman Anthony Doyle, 62. If convicted, all but Doyle could face life in prison.
Defense attorneys attacked the case as one built largely on the testimony of Nicholas Calabrese -- Frank Calabrese's brother -- who the defense said admitted lying to authorities in the past and was only cooperating with the government now to escape the death penalty.
Defense attorney Joseph Lopez labeled Nicholas Calabrese a "grim reaper," a "walking piece of deception" and a man who would "shoot you in the head over a cold ravioli."
Prosecutors said Nicholas Calabrese's testimony matched up with stories that his brother told his son Frank Calabrese Jr. while in prison. The younger man secretly wore a wire for the government.
Nicholas Calabrese linked all the defendants except Doyle to a murder scene. Doyle is not accused of killing anyone, but he is charged with being part of a racketeering conspiracy that included murder.
Taking the stand in his own defense, Doyle testified that during a secretly recorded conversation with Frank Calabrese Sr. in prison, he agreed with much of what the prisoner wanted without knowing what it was, and that the code words Calabrese used were "mind-boggling gibberish."
Lombardo lived up to his "clown" moniker by wisecracking on the stand. He told jurors he's not a member of the Outfit and learned everything he knows about the mob from James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson movies.
Frank Calabrese Sr. told jurors he did business with Outfit members but never took the oath of a made guy.
The prosecutors and witnesses detailed grisly killings, with so-called friends allegedly luring men to their deaths, and bodies buried at construction sites.
In one notorious case, Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, known as the mob's man in Las Vegas and the inspiration for Joe Pesci's character in the 1995 movie "Casino," was beaten to death and buried in an Indiana cornfield.
This is about "the history of organized crime in Chicago," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Mars told the jurors in his closing arguments last week.
Prosecutors mocked many of the explanations offered by defense attorneys as unbelievable or ridiculous, and they asked jurors to disregard the claim by Lombardo's defense that he withdrew long ago from any criminal activity he might have been engaged in.
"Once you belong to the Outfit, you belong for life," Mars said. "These are people that cheat, steal and kill each other. They can make who they want, they can break who they want."
Lopez urged jurors to think of Frank Calabrese Sr.'s presumed innocence like the white cloak surrounding the cartoon character "Casper the Friendly Ghost."
"As you shut the (jury room) door," Lopez said, "he's still presumed innocent."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-04-3043193147_x.htm
Chicago mob trial opens with blood and gore details
Marcello
Calabrese
LombardoCHICAGO (AP) — Chicago's biggest mob trial in years started Thursday with a prosecutor urging the jury to forget what they know about movie mobsters and see the now-elderly defendants for who they are: men who "committed brutal crimes on behalf of the Chicago Outfit."
"This is not The Sopranos. This is not The Godfather. These are real people, very corrupt and without honor," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Scully told the jury.
As Scully described a blood-drenched litany of murders, he showed the jury large photos of the victims.
He talked about Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, once the Chicago mob's man in Las Vegas and the inspiration for Joe Pesci's character in the movie Casino. Spilotro and his brother were allegedly lured into a basement and beaten to death, then buried in an Indiana cornfield.
The men on trial — reputed mob boss Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 78, James Marcello, 65, Frank Calabrese Sr., 70, Paul Schiro, 69, and former Chicago police officer Anthony Doyle, 62 — are accused in a racketeering conspiracy that included 18 murders.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Chicago | Joseph | Scully | Frank Calabrese | Outfit | Paul Schiro
All have pleaded not guilty.
An anonymous jury is hearing the case, with the jurors being identified only by court-issued numbers to protect their identities.
"Four of the five defendants in this room committed brutal crimes on behalf of the Chicago Outfit," Scully told the jury in his opening statement. The fifth, Doyle, protected them, he said.
Scully described Calabrese as a violent loan shark who strangled witnesses with a rope and cut their throats to make sure they were dead.
Defense attorney Joseph Lopez painted a different picture for the jury, describing Calabrese as a much-maligned, deeply religious man "who believes in peace" and loved his family.
He ripped into Calabrese's son, Frank Jr., who is expected to be a key witness for the government against his father.
"He's going to say, 'My father is a rotten S.O.B., my father never loved me' — none of this is true," Lopez said. He said the jurors would see letters between the father and son "expressing love for one another."
"You're going to hear that Frank did slap his son around on numerous occasions," Lopez said. But he said that was only because the youngster was robbing the neighbors of their jewelry and taking cocaine.
He said Calabrese's brother, Nicholas, also expected to be a key witness, once stole a rifle with a silencer from Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs, where it had been used to shoot birds that congregated on the scoreboard.
Scully described Marcello as one of the top leaders of the Chicago Outfit. He said Lombardo was the boss of the mob's Grand Avenue crew. Schiro was jailed five years ago for taking part in a jewel theft ring led by the Chicago police department's one-time chief of detectives, William Hanhardt.
Doyle, the retired Chicago police officer, also worked as a loan shark under Calabrese, according to federal prosecutors. He is the one defendant in the case not directly accused of murdering anyone. But Scully said that he aided and abetted the others in their work.
Scully was graphic in describing the killings, but it was Lopez who offered the juiciest details.
He recounted how FBI agents, acting on an informant's tip, tore up concrete in a parking lot near U.S. Cellular Field, home of the White Sox, looking for the last remains of murdered loan shark Michael Albergo. He said they found "thousands of bones" under the parking lot.
But DNA testing couldn't tie any of the bones to Albergo, Lopez said, repeatedly referring to the victim by his mob nickname of "Hambone."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Owen Wilson Suicide Crashers
Wilson reportedly slit wrists, didn’t overdose
Attorney for the actor says Wilson had been taking antidepressants
Updated: 12:10 p.m. ET Aug 31, 2007
LOS ANGELES - Police were called to Owen Wilson’s house after the actor slit his wrists. However, contrary to other reports, there was no drug overdose, an attorney for Wilson told “Access Hollywood.”
The attorney also told “Access” that the actor did not have his stomach pumped. The attorney said Wilson had been taking antidepressants, but was not aware of any other drugs in his system at the time of the incident.
While rumors quickly swirled over what sent the actor to the hospital, police call logs confirmed on Tuesday it was an “attempted suicide.” However, the Santa Monica City Attorney’s office has announced it will not be releasing the 911 call made regarding Wilson.
“In reaching this decision the City believes that in many instances no person should have to worry about whether placing a call for emergency assistance will automatically make his or her medical request open to public review,” the City Attorney’s office said in a press release late Wednesday. “In balancing the competing interests, the City agencies outweigh the public interest served by disclosure of the emergency 911 call. In situation such as this, the City concludes that the public is best served if medical attention is promptly sought instead of being delayed because of a concern, real or imagined, of public attention, regardless of whether that publicity is sympathetic or not.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20503310/
When she heard about her longtime friend Owen Wilson's suicide attempt, producer Polly Platt said, "It's impossible. He's far too full of life and is at the prime of his career," PEOPLE reports in its new issue, on newsstands Friday. But another pal confirmed the worst about the crisis that landed Wilson, 38, at L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: "Owen was very despondent. He slit his wrists. He almost did not make it." For now, Wilson's immediate well-being is the primary concern of friends such as Woody Harrelson, Wes Anderson, Samuel L. Jackson and Brad Garrett, who visited Wilson at the hospital, as well as the actor's close-knit family.
Brothers Luke, 35, who initially found Owen after the suicide attempt, and Andrew, 43, were by his side in the hours and days after the incident; his parents, Robert, 66, and Laura, 67, fought past anguish and exhaustion as they kept a revolving vigil. What drove Wilson to an act of self-destruction that one friend calls "the most out-of-character thing"?
Even Wilson's closest friends admit that he has a dark side and his share of demons, which have included drug addiction. One friend notes that his drug use in the past has ventured into "the hard stuff," and he landed in rehab twice in the 1990s. Still, when asked what brought him to the point of suicide, a good friend says, "It would be irresponsible to say it was any single thing. People are complicated. Owen is no different." One source tells PEOPLE that Wilson's pals became concerned over the summer when he "pulled away....He went MIA for awhile." But now Wilson's loved ones are standing with him. "He has a very tight-knit circle of friends," says one. "And we're all rooting for him." For more on this story, including Wilson's stints in rehab, his sense of being an outsider when he was young and his battles with his dark side, pick up this week's PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
http://www.people.com/people/archives/news/0,,,00.html
Thursday, August 30, 2007
WWE 14 Suspended Wrestler's Names
WWE Suspensions 10 Wrestlers: violations of steroids and drugs policy August 31st, 2007 by Daniel
According to The Star, there has been 10 WWE Suspensions and these Wrestlers are rumored to be Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson and Chavo Guerrero, Darren “William Regal” Matthews, John “Johnny Nitro” Hennigan, Anthony Carelli, Mike Bucci, Shane Helms, Robert “Booker T” Huffman, Adam “Edge” Copeland, Charles Haas, Jr. and Randy Orton.
The Wrestlers names were apparently first posted on the New York Daily News site and the 10 WWE Suspensions are said to be due to “violations of a policy that tests for steroids and other drugs”.
They issued the suspension notices because of information that was given to them from the Albany County New York District Attorney’s Office.
They have been investigating illegal steroid sales, so this does seem bad news for the ten wrestlers and I wonder how much this will affect the WWE brand name.
http://www.product-reviews.net/2007/08/31/wwe-suspensions-10-wrestlers-violations-of-steroids-and-drugs-policy
Thursday, August 30, 2007
WWE Suspensions Explain SummerSlam, RAW, and Smackdown Spoilers
For those of you who are not the best at connecting dots, I will do it for you. These 14 suspensions explain all the weird and odd match endings at SummerSlam. Here is the list of who was suspended again, and I will do some more explaining.
Mike "Simon Dean" Bucci
Gregory Helms
Edge
Charlie Haas
Santino Marella
William Regal
King Booker
Chavo Guerrero
John Morrison
Mr. Kennedy
Randy Orton
Funkai
Chris Master
Batista
So, as I was saying, this all makes perfect sense. Although reading this list at first your jaw may be dropped so low it is now resting in your lap, trust me, this makes sense.Let's start at the top. The top 3 don't really matter, Simon Dean, Gregory Helms, and Edge, because they are not currently wrestling.
While Charlie Haas is somewhat irrelevant, and the Santino, Maria, and Ron Simmons angle was completely worked out of RAW last Monday.William Regal is a little harder to explain, but he wasn't involved in any feuds so he will slip out nicely. King Booker's angle with Triple H wasn't continued, so he'll slip out easily too.Now, I don't want to give away to much from the Smackdown Spoilers I read, but I will say Chavo wasn't in the show. So Chavo too, slips out nicely.
John Morrison is by far the toughest to explain. I think the fact that he kept the ECW title means that these suspensions are short. Also, ECW doesn't need him on TV. He could have shot some promos last Tuesday, and they could just air them in these coming weeks. So they don't really need him there.Mr. Kennedy makes sense too. This may be why he didn't win the IC Championship like many were expecting. Same goes for Randy Orton only with the WWE Title.
Funkai is irrelevant, and so is Chris Masters, for the most part. I will say that from the spoilers I read, his new angle could involve him being gone for a few weeks.Finally Batista. (Again, trying not to tell to much about Smackdown) All I will say is that the feud with The Great Khali isn't going to continue.See? Perfect sense.
http://www.wwegeek.blogspot.com/
(I have a pic of each of the 14,underneath is the charchter name they are best known by currently,as well as thier real names. Underneath each of the names,is a link/web address to the wikipedia page of that WWE Superstar.)
According to The Star, there has been 10 WWE Suspensions and these Wrestlers are rumored to be Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson and Chavo Guerrero, Darren “William Regal” Matthews, John “Johnny Nitro” Hennigan, Anthony Carelli, Mike Bucci, Shane Helms, Robert “Booker T” Huffman, Adam “Edge” Copeland, Charles Haas, Jr. and Randy Orton.
The Wrestlers names were apparently first posted on the New York Daily News site and the 10 WWE Suspensions are said to be due to “violations of a policy that tests for steroids and other drugs”.
They issued the suspension notices because of information that was given to them from the Albany County New York District Attorney’s Office.
They have been investigating illegal steroid sales, so this does seem bad news for the ten wrestlers and I wonder how much this will affect the WWE brand name.
http://www.product-reviews.net/2007/08/31/wwe-suspensions-10-wrestlers-violations-of-steroids-and-drugs-policy
Thursday, August 30, 2007
WWE Suspensions Explain SummerSlam, RAW, and Smackdown Spoilers
For those of you who are not the best at connecting dots, I will do it for you. These 14 suspensions explain all the weird and odd match endings at SummerSlam. Here is the list of who was suspended again, and I will do some more explaining.
Mike "Simon Dean" Bucci
Gregory Helms
Edge
Charlie Haas
Santino Marella
William Regal
King Booker
Chavo Guerrero
John Morrison
Mr. Kennedy
Randy Orton
Funkai
Chris Master
Batista
So, as I was saying, this all makes perfect sense. Although reading this list at first your jaw may be dropped so low it is now resting in your lap, trust me, this makes sense.Let's start at the top. The top 3 don't really matter, Simon Dean, Gregory Helms, and Edge, because they are not currently wrestling.
While Charlie Haas is somewhat irrelevant, and the Santino, Maria, and Ron Simmons angle was completely worked out of RAW last Monday.William Regal is a little harder to explain, but he wasn't involved in any feuds so he will slip out nicely. King Booker's angle with Triple H wasn't continued, so he'll slip out easily too.Now, I don't want to give away to much from the Smackdown Spoilers I read, but I will say Chavo wasn't in the show. So Chavo too, slips out nicely.
John Morrison is by far the toughest to explain. I think the fact that he kept the ECW title means that these suspensions are short. Also, ECW doesn't need him on TV. He could have shot some promos last Tuesday, and they could just air them in these coming weeks. So they don't really need him there.Mr. Kennedy makes sense too. This may be why he didn't win the IC Championship like many were expecting. Same goes for Randy Orton only with the WWE Title.
Funkai is irrelevant, and so is Chris Masters, for the most part. I will say that from the spoilers I read, his new angle could involve him being gone for a few weeks.Finally Batista. (Again, trying not to tell to much about Smackdown) All I will say is that the feud with The Great Khali isn't going to continue.See? Perfect sense.
http://www.wwegeek.blogspot.com/
(I have a pic of each of the 14,underneath is the charchter name they are best known by currently,as well as thier real names. Underneath each of the names,is a link/web address to the wikipedia page of that WWE Superstar.)
1 - Mr Kennedy (AKA) Kenneth Anderson
2 - Chavo Guerrero (AKA) Salvador Chavito Guerrero III
3 - William Regal (AKA) Darren Kenneth Matthews
4 - Johnny Nitro (AKA) John Randall Hennigan
5 - Santino Marella (AKA) Anthony John Carelli
6 - Simon Dean (AKA) Mike Bucci
7 - Shane Helms (AKA) Gregory Shane Helms
8 - Booker T (AKA) Robert Booker Tio Huffman
9 - Edge (AKA) Adam Joseph Copeland
10 - Charlie Haas Jr. (AKA) Charles David Haas Jr.
11 - Randy Orton (AKA) Randall Keith Orton
12 - Funaki (AKA) Shoichi Funaki
13 - Chris Masters (AKA) Chris Mordetsky
More Hogan JR Crash stuff
Police Interview Driver Of 2nd Car In Hogan Crash
Date Added: August 30, 2007Story By: Andy Steven[Source: TMZ]
Date Added: August 30, 2007Story By: Andy Steven[Source: TMZ]
TMZ are reporting that a driver of a silver Dodge Viper have been interviewed by Florida police as it may have contributed to Nick Hogan's car accident last Sunday night, which left Nick’s friend in critical condition.Witnesses have placed the silver Dodge Viper near Nick’s car and the crash scene moments before and after the accident. TMZ says that it may not be the only vehicle involved.A rep from the Clearwater Police Department told TMZ, "We suspect there may be other witnesses and we encourage them to come forward."Hulk Hogan owns a silver Viper, however the police have made it very clear that Nick’s father is not a suspect.TMZ are also reporting that in a worst case scenario, Nick Hogan could face charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, if proof of alcohol, excessive speeding or drag racing were involved. The maximum sentence for that offence is 15 years in prison.
Police interview alleged Hogan racer, uncover new pre-crash details
By Christopher Rocchio, 08/30/2007
The driver of a silver Dodge Viper eyewitnesses alleged was racing Hogan Knows Best co-star Nick Hogan's Toyota Supra moments before it crashed Sunday evening has been interviewed by Clearwater police, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday.
While Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor did not identify the Viper's driver, the Times reported Nick's father -- wrestling star Terrence "Hulk Hogan" Bollea -- was not behind the wheel.
Mr. Bollea was not in the car, was not driving the Viper and had no proximity to the wreck," Shelor said on Wednesday, according to the Times.
The statement was needed due to the fact that Florida state records show the elder Hogan owns three Vipers: a 1994 roadster, a 2003 roadster and a 2006 roadster coupe. Despite being cleared by police as the Viper's potential driver, the Times reported police have not said if the wrestler owns the vehicle involved in the crash. Pinellas County -- the Florida county that includes Clearwater -- has only about 130 registered Viper vehicles (many of them presumably not in silver), according to the Times.
Although police have not publicly identified who was driving the Viper at the time of Nick's crash, Rabih Cheaib -- a local resident who was one of the first eyewitnesses to speak with reporters following the crash -- told the Times he saw the vehicle return to the scene after Nick's Supra crashed. Cheaib told the newspaper that he he recognized the Viper's driver as Danny Jacobs, a nearby Dunedin resident that he knows through friends, but said he did not know if Jacobs was behind the Viper's wheel at the time of the crash. "He was upset," said Cheaib, who told the Times he saw the police interview Jacobs at the crash scene on Sunday. "His head was down most of the time." Police allege Nick was speeding in a Toyota Supra around 7:30PM on Sunday in Clearwater, FL when he lost control and hit a raised median, spinning the vehicle and causing its rear end to strike a palm tree.
While he was released from Bayfront Medical Center on Monday, his front-seat passenger -- 22-year-old U.S. Marine John Graziano -- is currently in a "medically-induced coma," according to the Times. "It's just a matter of time. It's going to take time," Ashley Berry, Graziano's longtime girlfriend, told a crowd of gatherers at a Wednesday night vigil, Tampa Bay's WTVT-TV Fox affiliate reported. "He's progressing little by little, and we just need everyone to keep praying. He is in critical condition. He is in ICU and we just need everyone to pray." "It's been rough. It's been restless," Berry said of her own bedside vigil. "We've had great people delivering food and stuff. I'm not leaving [the hospital], I'm sleeping on the chairs and stuff." Graziano "hasn't been responsive" since the crash, Barbara Cognetti, a Berry family neighbor who organized the vigil, told The Tampa Tribune. Earlier this week, Graziano's grandmother Catherine told the newspaper that her grandson may have suffered brain damage in the crash. Nick and his family have visited Graziano "several times" since his Sunday evening hospitalization, Tampa Bay's WFTF-TV ABC affiliate reported Thursday, however no Hogan family members attended Wednesday evening's vigil. Nick's whereabouts since being discharged from his own hospitalization on Monday are fairly well known, however what he was doing prior to the Sunday evening crash remained a public mystery until Thursday. Gerri Shephard -- manager at Clearwater Beach resort Shephard's -- told the Times that Nick, his father and at least one friend were at the establishment on Sunday between 5PM and 7PM, adding they stayed on a boat outside the tiki bar. In addition, she claimed Nick and a friend attempted to enter the tiki bar but were refused entrance because they lacked proper identification. On Wednesday J. Kevin Hayslett -- a Clearwater criminal defense specialist who also handles driving-under-the-influence cases -- confirmed the Hogan family had retained his services, but he has yet to comment on the ongoing investigation. Nick has received three speeding tickets in the last year, according to Florida state driving records. Last September, he was ticketed for driving 105 MPH in a 70 MPH zone in Collier County; in February, he was cited for driving 57 MPH in a 30 MPH zone in Dade County; and in April, he was ticketed for driving 106 MPH in a 70 MPH zone in Osceola County. According to the Times, Pinellas Park, FL police also cited Nick for a fourth speeding offense on August 10 -- a 82 MPH in a 45 MPH zone violation that, due to its pending court status, does not yet appear on his state record. He's reportedly due to appear in court on September 10 for the Pinellas Park offense, which took place in a construction zone that had workers present. Due to his speeding history, Nick's license had reportedly been restricted to daylight-only driving, according to WTVT, however it was still daylight when Sunday evening's crash occurred. "Let's just say I have a terrible driving record," Nick openly boasted to RIDES Magazine in an interview published in the magazine's September 2007 issue. During the interview -- which centered around the discusion of a nine-car collection that the 17-year-old presented as his own -- Nick also recounted a recent law-enforcement run-in that involved "his" silver Viper. "In my silver Viper, I was driving from Miami to Tampa," he told RIDES.
"I got pulled over going 107 [MPH] and the guy let me off. He's like, 'Hey, I know who you are, just keep going, ya know.' Dude, I got back on the road and two minutes later I get pulled over going 113 [MPH]. Another highway patrol from the same county said, 'I just heard on the radio that my buddy pulled you over and let you go. I'ma let you go this time. It's your second warning. You get pulled over again, you're probably going to go to jail.'" "Three minutes later, [I was] doing 123 [MPH] in a 50 [MPH zone]. The guy is like, 'Hey, I just heard you got pulled over twice in the last 10 minutes. I got to write you a ticket.'" Charges have yet to be filed from the Sunday night crash, the Times reported.
Nick Hogan -- My Supra Is "A P***y Magnet"
Posted Aug 30th 2007 11:00AM by TMZ StaffFiled under: Celebrity Justice
.home-page-only {display:none;}
Nick Hogan boasted to a magazine not long ago about how girls' panties "start dropping off" at the mere sight of his yellow Supra -- that is, of course, until it ended up in a hideous heap of metal after he totaled it last weekend, leaving his friend John Graziano in very serious condition.
Posted Aug 30th 2007 11:00AM by TMZ StaffFiled under: Celebrity Justice
.home-page-only {display:none;}
Nick Hogan boasted to a magazine not long ago about how girls' panties "start dropping off" at the mere sight of his yellow Supra -- that is, of course, until it ended up in a hideous heap of metal after he totaled it last weekend, leaving his friend John Graziano in very serious condition.
What's more, in an interview in the upcoming Rides magazine, Hogan brags that he got let off not once, but twice by cops, after going over 100 mph in one of his other cars, a silver Viper, because he's a Hogan, and that he didn't get a ticket on the same trip until he was stopped doing 123 mph in a 50 mph zone. Cops said yesterday that a silver Viper was the other car involved in the accident.Elsewhere, Hogan boasts about "dusting" a Ferrari, "stomping out" a Lamborghini, and even racing his parents and sister in their rides. He also posed for a snap -- with his beloved Supra, which he called "the god of the import tuners."
Hulk Hogan JR Car Crash
HOGAN'S SON WAS RACING DAY BEFORE CRASH: PICTURES
Hulk Hogan's son, Nick Bollea, 17, drives his yellow Toyota Celica Supra twenty-four hours before crashing and leaving best friend John Graziano, 22, fighting for his life.
Nick races other cars before losing control of his own and wrapping the vehicle around a tree.
Paramedics attempt to pull Nick and John from the wreckage.
Hulk Hogan's son, Nick Bollea, 17, drives his yellow Toyota Celica Supra twenty-four hours before crashing and leaving best friend John Graziano, 22, fighting for his life.
Nick races other cars before losing control of his own and wrapping the vehicle around a tree.
Paramedics attempt to pull Nick and John from the wreckage.
The two friends were taken to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.
John Graziano remains in critical condition at Bayfront.
A discharged Nick waits on the health of best friend.
Post Staff Report
August 30, 2007 -- Hulk Hogan's son was street racing the day before he was involved in a horrific crash that left one of his best friends clinging for life, new photos show.
Obtained by Splash News, the pictures taken by a motorist show Nick Bollea racing his yellow Toyota supra in Clearwater, Fla., on Saturday night.
Witnesses have told police that Bollea was racing a Silver Viper when his yellow Supra ploughed into a tree on Sunday evening, leaving his 22-year-old friend, U.S. Marine John J. Graziano, fighting for his life.
Frances Vitalis, a registered nurse from Plant City, saw Bollea's Supra and a silver Dodge Viper revving their engines and racing between traffic signals before the crash.
On Saturday, "He was acting like a jerk, racing the Viper and, at on stage, a Mustang, and probably doing speeds of 80 or 90 mph in an 45 mph limit," the motorist who saw Bollea Saturday night told Splash News.
"They were racing between lights for 10 minutes or more. Speeding off and weaving in and out of traffic. The driving was incredibly irresponsible."
Bollea's father, real name Terry Bollea, is the registered owner of the Viper that is seen in these photographs. But the car was being driven by a youth, aged in his late teens or early 20s, when the photographs were taken on Saturday in Clearwater, Florida.
Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor also declined to comment Wednesday, citing an ongoing investigation. Police so far have said only that excessive speed contributed to the crash.
Shelor issued a statement Wednesday saying Hulk Hogan "was not driving a car beside or near the one his son, Nick, was driving when it crashed." Shelor said Hogan arrived at the scene minutes after the crash.
Bollea appears on VH1's "Hogan Knows Best" with his father, his mother and sister.
Post wire services contributed to this report.
Witnesses have told police that Bollea was racing a Silver Viper when his yellow Supra ploughed into a tree on Sunday evening, leaving his 22-year-old friend, U.S. Marine John J. Graziano, fighting for his life.
Frances Vitalis, a registered nurse from Plant City, saw Bollea's Supra and a silver Dodge Viper revving their engines and racing between traffic signals before the crash.
On Saturday, "He was acting like a jerk, racing the Viper and, at on stage, a Mustang, and probably doing speeds of 80 or 90 mph in an 45 mph limit," the motorist who saw Bollea Saturday night told Splash News.
"They were racing between lights for 10 minutes or more. Speeding off and weaving in and out of traffic. The driving was incredibly irresponsible."
Bollea's father, real name Terry Bollea, is the registered owner of the Viper that is seen in these photographs. But the car was being driven by a youth, aged in his late teens or early 20s, when the photographs were taken on Saturday in Clearwater, Florida.
Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor also declined to comment Wednesday, citing an ongoing investigation. Police so far have said only that excessive speed contributed to the crash.
Shelor issued a statement Wednesday saying Hulk Hogan "was not driving a car beside or near the one his son, Nick, was driving when it crashed." Shelor said Hogan arrived at the scene minutes after the crash.
Bollea appears on VH1's "Hogan Knows Best" with his father, his mother and sister.
Post wire services contributed to this report.
Barney Frank 1980's Wild Man
BARNEY FRANK:
GOOD POLITICS GONE BADStephen Gobie never did write his tell-all book, Capitol Offenses, but he still has a juicy story to tell. A male gigolo, in 1985 he placed an solicitous ad in Washington, D.C.'s weekly gay paper, the Washington Blade: "Exceptionally good-looking, personable, muscular athlete is available. Hot bottom plus large endowment equals a good time." That was all that U.S. Representative Barney Frank needed to hear. A powerful Democratic representative from Massachusetts and one of the few openly gay politicians at the time, Frank met with the hunky Gobie on April Fools' Day, 1985.
At first their (paid-for) relationship was all sunshine and twittering birds. Gobie and Frank became inseparable friends, with benefits. Gobie joined Frank's team in the Congressional Softball League and, according to him, became "the star player." He attended a bill signing at the White House with Frank and they all but skipped through the Rose Garden.
But a darker underside was about to surface. Gobie lived loose. He had a felony past with convictions for cocaine possession, oral sodomy and "production of obscene items involving a juvenile." Gobie also had a habit of not paying his parking tickets.
Frank did what he could to extricate Gobie from his legal troubles. Using his congressional position, he successfully urged the sheriff to dismiss at least 33 parking tickets for Gobie. He also went on to hire Gobie as his personal aide, housekeeper, and driver. Gobie later explained the job was a "cover" concocted for his probation officers.
Meanwhile, Gobie had settled comfortably into the congressman's Georgetown brownstone. One night while lounging around the home, he was watching The Mayflower Madam on TV, a movie about an upscale madam. That story inspired him to become a pimp. Over the next few months, he ran a prostitution ring from the congressman's home. In 1987, the Washington Post broke the story.
An attempt to expel Frank from the House of Representatives failed on a vote of 390-38, but he was censured with a vote of 408-18. Happily, Frank's political career has survived and he still serves in the House of Representatives. PHIL BUSSE
GOOD POLITICS GONE BADStephen Gobie never did write his tell-all book, Capitol Offenses, but he still has a juicy story to tell. A male gigolo, in 1985 he placed an solicitous ad in Washington, D.C.'s weekly gay paper, the Washington Blade: "Exceptionally good-looking, personable, muscular athlete is available. Hot bottom plus large endowment equals a good time." That was all that U.S. Representative Barney Frank needed to hear. A powerful Democratic representative from Massachusetts and one of the few openly gay politicians at the time, Frank met with the hunky Gobie on April Fools' Day, 1985.
At first their (paid-for) relationship was all sunshine and twittering birds. Gobie and Frank became inseparable friends, with benefits. Gobie joined Frank's team in the Congressional Softball League and, according to him, became "the star player." He attended a bill signing at the White House with Frank and they all but skipped through the Rose Garden.
But a darker underside was about to surface. Gobie lived loose. He had a felony past with convictions for cocaine possession, oral sodomy and "production of obscene items involving a juvenile." Gobie also had a habit of not paying his parking tickets.
Frank did what he could to extricate Gobie from his legal troubles. Using his congressional position, he successfully urged the sheriff to dismiss at least 33 parking tickets for Gobie. He also went on to hire Gobie as his personal aide, housekeeper, and driver. Gobie later explained the job was a "cover" concocted for his probation officers.
Meanwhile, Gobie had settled comfortably into the congressman's Georgetown brownstone. One night while lounging around the home, he was watching The Mayflower Madam on TV, a movie about an upscale madam. That story inspired him to become a pimp. Over the next few months, he ran a prostitution ring from the congressman's home. In 1987, the Washington Post broke the story.
An attempt to expel Frank from the House of Representatives failed on a vote of 390-38, but he was censured with a vote of 408-18. Happily, Frank's political career has survived and he still serves in the House of Representatives. PHIL BUSSE
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Riley Martin Upset
07/17/07
Riley Martin came in to promote his show airing on Tuesday nights at midnight on Howard101. Howard noticed Riley was missing a tooth and speculated that he must've lost it as a result of his drinking. Howard said he thought Riley only sees aliens when he's drunk, and Riley responded that whenever he's drunk, he only sees “half-a-billion-dollar Jews.” Riley then repeated his demand for more compensation and accused Robin of smoking crack in order to lose weight. To Riley's surprise, Howard admitted that Riley deserved a raise.
Howard asked Riley about his jail time, and Riley claimed he did 2 and a half years because someone sneaked onto his property and planted “a couple acres” of marijuana. Dominic Barbara called in to say that Riley was also once found with enough marijuana to get all of Newark high. Riley said he was driving to the police precinct to turn in the pot, because he'd found 611lbs of it “planted” in his truck, but he'd ran out of gas and tried to sell a little of it for gas money.
A VICTIM OF “WHITE PEOPLE OF JEWISH EXTRACTION”
Riley said he never claimed to be the pope and declared he'd been screwed by “white people of Jewish extraction.” Wood-Yi called up to offer Riley a bucket of chicken for a handjob, but Riley asked if Wood-Yi would throw in fries as well. George wondered if Riley had ever thought of parlaying his knowledge into a job at NASA, but Riley responded that he didn't like George W. Bush, leading George (Takei) to speculate that Riley had a “victim mentality” instead of a “do-er mentality.”
Howard welcomed Riley's son, Victor Love, into the studio, and asked him if he'd seen aliens. Victor said he has not been abducted by aliens, but has seen their “ships.” Howard asked why Victor's last name was different than his father’s, and Riley answered that “name changes are sometimes necessary when you're on the run from the Feds.” Victor said he was a former military man, “book author”, and masseuse, revealing that he recently gave a massage to Andrew Dice Clay at the health club he works at in Georgia.
Howard asked Victor if a client had ever asked for a handjob, and Riley became upset, telling Howard to return to “the gutter from which you came.” Howard then brought in Eron, the co-host of Riley's show. Eron admitted that he had the hardest sidekick gig on Howard's channels, and reported that he even has to fetch beers for Riley during their show. Nino, Riley's manager, also came in to say that the sales of Riley Martin-brand “piss jars” have exceeded his expectations.
http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1184644800
(The following below is from the 08/22/07 show.)
WATERPIG, MEET SUCKALUFFAGUS
Howard started the show by playing some clips of Riley Martin complaining about his salary yet again. In one of the clips, Riley called Tim Sabean a “waterpig” and said Mel Karmazin was purposefully withholding his check. Riley also claimed that Howard, “the golden Jew suckaluffagus,” was trying to aggravate him. Howard said they did send Riley a check, but an error in the space-time continuum sent it back to 1954.
http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?month=August&day=22&year=2007&x=69&y=11
Riley Martin came in to promote his show airing on Tuesday nights at midnight on Howard101. Howard noticed Riley was missing a tooth and speculated that he must've lost it as a result of his drinking. Howard said he thought Riley only sees aliens when he's drunk, and Riley responded that whenever he's drunk, he only sees “half-a-billion-dollar Jews.” Riley then repeated his demand for more compensation and accused Robin of smoking crack in order to lose weight. To Riley's surprise, Howard admitted that Riley deserved a raise.
Howard asked Riley about his jail time, and Riley claimed he did 2 and a half years because someone sneaked onto his property and planted “a couple acres” of marijuana. Dominic Barbara called in to say that Riley was also once found with enough marijuana to get all of Newark high. Riley said he was driving to the police precinct to turn in the pot, because he'd found 611lbs of it “planted” in his truck, but he'd ran out of gas and tried to sell a little of it for gas money.
A VICTIM OF “WHITE PEOPLE OF JEWISH EXTRACTION”
Riley said he never claimed to be the pope and declared he'd been screwed by “white people of Jewish extraction.” Wood-Yi called up to offer Riley a bucket of chicken for a handjob, but Riley asked if Wood-Yi would throw in fries as well. George wondered if Riley had ever thought of parlaying his knowledge into a job at NASA, but Riley responded that he didn't like George W. Bush, leading George (Takei) to speculate that Riley had a “victim mentality” instead of a “do-er mentality.”
Howard welcomed Riley's son, Victor Love, into the studio, and asked him if he'd seen aliens. Victor said he has not been abducted by aliens, but has seen their “ships.” Howard asked why Victor's last name was different than his father’s, and Riley answered that “name changes are sometimes necessary when you're on the run from the Feds.” Victor said he was a former military man, “book author”, and masseuse, revealing that he recently gave a massage to Andrew Dice Clay at the health club he works at in Georgia.
Howard asked Victor if a client had ever asked for a handjob, and Riley became upset, telling Howard to return to “the gutter from which you came.” Howard then brought in Eron, the co-host of Riley's show. Eron admitted that he had the hardest sidekick gig on Howard's channels, and reported that he even has to fetch beers for Riley during their show. Nino, Riley's manager, also came in to say that the sales of Riley Martin-brand “piss jars” have exceeded his expectations.
http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1184644800
(The following below is from the 08/22/07 show.)
WATERPIG, MEET SUCKALUFFAGUS
Howard started the show by playing some clips of Riley Martin complaining about his salary yet again. In one of the clips, Riley called Tim Sabean a “waterpig” and said Mel Karmazin was purposefully withholding his check. Riley also claimed that Howard, “the golden Jew suckaluffagus,” was trying to aggravate him. Howard said they did send Riley a check, but an error in the space-time continuum sent it back to 1954.
http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?month=August&day=22&year=2007&x=69&y=11
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Ducks' Offerman suspended after assault charges
Ducks' Offerman suspended after assault charges
BY MARSHALL LUBIN marshall.lubin@newsday.com
8:58 PM EDT, August 15, 2007
Article Tools
E-mail Share this
Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Furl Google Reddit Spurl Yahoo Print Single page view Reprints Reader feedback text size: Jose Offerman has been suspended indefinitely by the Atlantic League after a wild bat-swinging incident Tuesday night in Bridgeport, Conn. The Long Island Ducks infielder was arrested after charging the mound and injuring two players with his bat in the second inning of the Ducks' 13-12 win.
Offerman had homered on the game's first pitch. He came to bat in the second inning and after a first-pitch strike, he was hit on the left calf by left-hander Matt Beech. Bat in hand, after initially taking a couple steps toward first base, he charged the mound, taking three swings at Beech and also hitting catcher John Nathans in the back of the head during his backswing. According to Bridgeport police, Beech broke the middle finger of his right hand and Nathans suffered a concussion. Offerman, Beech and Bluefish manager Tommy John were ejected after order was restored. Nathans remained in the game but upon returning to the dugout at the end of the inning, he passed out.
Police arrested Offerman in the visiting clubhouse, allowing him to dress before taking him from the stadium in handcuffs. He was charged with two counts of assault in the second degree and posted $10,000 bond. He will be arraigned Aug. 23. According to Connecticut assistant state's attorney Mark Durso, second-degree assault carries a maximum sentence of up to five years per charge.
Beech said the entire episode shocked him since he had faced Offerman many times before in the Atlantic League and Dominican Republic without incident.
"I had absolutely no intent to hit Jose Offerman," Beech said. "As soon as he got hit, he raised the bat over his head and ran toward me. He didn't say anything, just came running at me. My only thought was to get out of the way and try not to get hit with the bat. I've never been more surprised in my life."
While the initial concern was for Beech, Nathans turned out to be the more serious victim. Bluefish officials expect Nathans to miss the remainder of the season, while Beech expects to make his next start, pending the investigation.
"Everyone was fearful for Matt Beech because apparently something set Offerman off, because he's played a long time and nobody could believe what they were seeing," said Bluefish pitcher Mike Porzio. "Unfortunately, though, he got out to the mound before we could. Luckily for Matt Beech, he was agile enough to dodge a bat. But it may have only been John Nathans taking one on the backswing in the head to have saved Matt Beech from really taking one in the face."
The ultimate issue is the bat. Had Offerman charged the mound without a bat, the entire incident most likely would not have been the focus of the media and there wouldn't have been news conferences held in Central Islip and Bridgeport.
"This type of thing happens but you don't go toward the mound with a bat," said Frank Boulton, the Ducks' principal owner and chief executive of the league. "It was not unprovoked but in no way do the Long Island Ducks condone Jose Offerman's actions."
John said that a pitcher intentionally hitting a batter is part of the game but doubted that was the case here.
"If you're going to hit somebody, you're not going to hit him on the calf," John said on ESPN's "First Take." "If you're incensed and think the pitcher's throwing at you, you drop the bat."
Torii Hunter, who played with Offerman on the Minnesota Twins and has remained friends with him, was shocked. "There's demons in everybody," Hunter said.
It is unclear how police arrested Offerman immediately after the incident. Boulton wasn't sure who signed the complaint, while John said that Beech and Nathans filed charges. Bluefish chief executive Mary-Jan Foster immediately called for Offerman's ban from the league. Atlantic League executive director Joe Klein is in Bridgeport speaking with the umpires and all parties involved. At an afternoon news conference, he said he hadn't spoken with Offerman but expected to by day's end.
"The unwritten rule is like hockey, you drop the gloves," Klein said. "This is with the bat and we have to find the trigger that caused it to happen."
More articles
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
BY MARSHALL LUBIN marshall.lubin@newsday.com
8:58 PM EDT, August 15, 2007
Article Tools
E-mail Share this
Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Furl Google Reddit Spurl Yahoo Print Single page view Reprints Reader feedback text size: Jose Offerman has been suspended indefinitely by the Atlantic League after a wild bat-swinging incident Tuesday night in Bridgeport, Conn. The Long Island Ducks infielder was arrested after charging the mound and injuring two players with his bat in the second inning of the Ducks' 13-12 win.
Offerman had homered on the game's first pitch. He came to bat in the second inning and after a first-pitch strike, he was hit on the left calf by left-hander Matt Beech. Bat in hand, after initially taking a couple steps toward first base, he charged the mound, taking three swings at Beech and also hitting catcher John Nathans in the back of the head during his backswing. According to Bridgeport police, Beech broke the middle finger of his right hand and Nathans suffered a concussion. Offerman, Beech and Bluefish manager Tommy John were ejected after order was restored. Nathans remained in the game but upon returning to the dugout at the end of the inning, he passed out.
Police arrested Offerman in the visiting clubhouse, allowing him to dress before taking him from the stadium in handcuffs. He was charged with two counts of assault in the second degree and posted $10,000 bond. He will be arraigned Aug. 23. According to Connecticut assistant state's attorney Mark Durso, second-degree assault carries a maximum sentence of up to five years per charge.
Beech said the entire episode shocked him since he had faced Offerman many times before in the Atlantic League and Dominican Republic without incident.
"I had absolutely no intent to hit Jose Offerman," Beech said. "As soon as he got hit, he raised the bat over his head and ran toward me. He didn't say anything, just came running at me. My only thought was to get out of the way and try not to get hit with the bat. I've never been more surprised in my life."
While the initial concern was for Beech, Nathans turned out to be the more serious victim. Bluefish officials expect Nathans to miss the remainder of the season, while Beech expects to make his next start, pending the investigation.
"Everyone was fearful for Matt Beech because apparently something set Offerman off, because he's played a long time and nobody could believe what they were seeing," said Bluefish pitcher Mike Porzio. "Unfortunately, though, he got out to the mound before we could. Luckily for Matt Beech, he was agile enough to dodge a bat. But it may have only been John Nathans taking one on the backswing in the head to have saved Matt Beech from really taking one in the face."
The ultimate issue is the bat. Had Offerman charged the mound without a bat, the entire incident most likely would not have been the focus of the media and there wouldn't have been news conferences held in Central Islip and Bridgeport.
"This type of thing happens but you don't go toward the mound with a bat," said Frank Boulton, the Ducks' principal owner and chief executive of the league. "It was not unprovoked but in no way do the Long Island Ducks condone Jose Offerman's actions."
John said that a pitcher intentionally hitting a batter is part of the game but doubted that was the case here.
"If you're going to hit somebody, you're not going to hit him on the calf," John said on ESPN's "First Take." "If you're incensed and think the pitcher's throwing at you, you drop the bat."
Torii Hunter, who played with Offerman on the Minnesota Twins and has remained friends with him, was shocked. "There's demons in everybody," Hunter said.
It is unclear how police arrested Offerman immediately after the incident. Boulton wasn't sure who signed the complaint, while John said that Beech and Nathans filed charges. Bluefish chief executive Mary-Jan Foster immediately called for Offerman's ban from the league. Atlantic League executive director Joe Klein is in Bridgeport speaking with the umpires and all parties involved. At an afternoon news conference, he said he hadn't spoken with Offerman but expected to by day's end.
"The unwritten rule is like hockey, you drop the gloves," Klein said. "This is with the bat and we have to find the trigger that caused it to happen."
More articles
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Al Gore III Update...GLOBAL SPEEDING PRIUS
Published: July 31, 2007 06:57 am
Al Gore’s 24-year-old son pleads guilty to drug possession
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (AP) — Al Gore’s son pleaded guilty Monday to possessing marijuana and other drugs, but a judge said the plea could be withdrawn and the charges dropped if he successfully completes a drug diversion program.
Authorities have said they found drugs in Al Gore III’s car after the 24-year-old was pulled over July 4 for going 100 mph in his Toyota Prius.
He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription, and one misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, the district attorney’s office said.
Jaime Coulter, senior deputy district attorney, said Gore’s sentencing will be continued until Feb. 7. If he has complied with all the conditions of the diversion program, the sentencing will be continued again for another year, with charges possibly being dropped in 2009.
“At that point, he will be able to withdraw his guilty plea as if he never entered it,” Coulter said.
Gore has been at a live-in treatment center since his arrest, said Allan Stokke, his attorney.
“He’s actually doing more than what other people do as far as treatment goes,” Stokke said. “He’s got great family support.”
Gore’s parents did not attend the hearing at the request of their son, but they were in California to support him, Stokke said. The family had no comment, said Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman.
Gore was treated the same as other defendants with no prior convictions for drug charges and no criminal record, according to a defense attorney not involved in the case.
“It passes the sniff test,” said lawyer Rosanne Faul, who specializes in DUI and drug cases. “As far as first-time offenders and drug diversion, it doesn’t sound like he’s getting special treatment.”
Deputies who pulled over Gore said they discovered less than an ounce of marijuana and a variety of medications, including Xanax, Valium, Vicodin and Adderall. Authorities said he did not have a prescription for any of those medications. Gore also was charged with a traffic infraction for speeding.
The son of the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee was previously arrested for marijuana possession in Maryland in 2003, when he was a student at Harvard University. Gore completed substance abuse counseling to settle those charges.
He now lives in Los Angeles and is an associate publisher of GOOD, a magazine aimed at young people that is about philanthropy.
Print Email Suggest a Story
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. — Al Gore's son was charged Friday with possessing marijuana and other drugs that authorities say were discovered in his car after he was pulled over this month for speeding.
Al Gore III, 24, is free on $20,000 bail and scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1 in Superior Court in Laguna Niguel.
He faces two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription and one misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, the district attorney's office said in a statement. Gore also was charged with a traffic infraction for allegedly driving faster than 100 miles per hour.
Prosecutors said he could be sentenced to a maximum of three years and eight months in prison if convicted on all counts, though he might be eligible for a drug treatment program instead of prison.
Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for Gore's parents, said the family had no comment. The charges stem from July 4, when Orange County sheriff's deputies say they pulled Gore over for speeding.
Gore was allegedly driving a 2006 blue Toyota Prius at about 100 mph. Upon searching the car, deputies say they discovered less than an ounce of marijuana and a variety of medications — including Xanax, Valium, Vicodin and Adderall. Authorities said Gore did not have a prescription for any of those medications.
The son of the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee was previously arrested for marijuana possession in Maryland in 2003, when he was a student at Harvard University. Gore completed substance abuse counseling to settle those charges.
Gore is the youngest of Tipper and Al Gore's four children. He now lives in Los Angeles and is an associate publisher of GOOD, a magazine about philanthropy and aimed at young people.
Will ‘Three Strikes’ Law Earn Gore III a Life Sentence?
July 4th, 2007 · 8 Comments
UPDATE: Fox News is reporting today that Al Gore III faces up to three years in prison if convicted on felony drug-possession charges and lesser offenses related to the July 4 traffic stop described in the post below. According to People.com, he was found to be in possession of 140 Vicodin pills, among other items, at the time of his most-recent arrest.
***
According to news reports, Al Gore III (below right) was arrested in San Diego this morning on charges of driving under the influence after being clocked at 100 miles per hour in his Toyota Prius hybrid. In addition to the DUI charge, the 24-year-old son of the former vice president faces charges related to possession of marijuana as well as several medications — including Xanax, Valium and Vicodin – without prescriptions.
Today’s arrest of Gore III marks his third such encounter with law enforcement in recent years and prompts this blogger to speculate as to whether or not California’s “Three Strikes and You’re Out” Law, approved by Golden State voters in 1994, will earn him a life sentence in prison.
What I lack now are details as to whether Gore III’s previous two arrests resulted in felony convictions. If they did, and if today’s arrest results in a felony conviction(s), Al Gore Jr. might be forced to run for president — and win — in 2008 in order to be able to grant his law-breaking offspring a presidential pardon.
Please let this blogger know if you have details of Gore III’s previous convictions — in particular, whether or not they were recorded as misdemeanors or felonies.
Stay tuned!
Al Gore's son arrested, with pot, after doing 100 mph in a Prius
Posted Jul 4th 2007 8:38PM by Sebastian Blanco
Filed under: Etc., Hybrid
Guess the Tesla Roadster isn't the only green car that breaks the speed limit. Al Gore III, the son of Mr. Inconvenient Truth, was arrested this morning at 2 in the morning for having marijuana, as well as the medications including Xanax, Vicodin and Adderall without a prescription. The reason police found these drugs on him: they stopped him after he was going 100 mph in a blue Prius. This isn't the first time Gore the third has been in trouble with the law for drugs and illegal driving. The Independent reminds us that he was charged with marijuana possession in 2003 after being caught driving without headlights. He plea bargained that one away. The Daily News points out he was charged with reckless driving 94 back in 2000.
We would have been much more impressed had he been doing 100 mpG in a Prius, not mpH.
Al Gore's son charged with pot possession
Sunday, December 21, 2003 Posted: 12:57 PM EST (1757 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The son of former Vice President Al Gore was arrested Friday night on a marijuana possession charge after police stopped the car he was driving for not having its headlights on, according to a news release from the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Police Services.
Albert Gore III, 21, was behind the wheel of a Cadillac driving in downtown Bethesda at 11:30 p.m. EST Friday when it was spotted by a unit with the Montgomery County Police Holiday Task Force, the statement said.
After he pulled the car over, Officer Robert Cassels noticed all of its windows and the sunroof were opened despite the freezing temperature, and he "smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the car," the statement said.
A search of the car found "a partial marijuana cigarette" and "a cardboard cigarette box with a baggie containing suspected marijuana," the police statement said.
In addition to Gore, police charged two male passengers in the car with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana. The three were released from jail, pending trial.
Gore, a Harvard University student, has had previous brushes with the law. He was ticketed for reckless driving by North Carolina police in August 2000 when he was clocked going 94 mph. Military police arrested him for drunk driving near a military base in Virginia in September 2002.
Al Gore’s 24-year-old son pleads guilty to drug possession
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (AP) — Al Gore’s son pleaded guilty Monday to possessing marijuana and other drugs, but a judge said the plea could be withdrawn and the charges dropped if he successfully completes a drug diversion program.
Authorities have said they found drugs in Al Gore III’s car after the 24-year-old was pulled over July 4 for going 100 mph in his Toyota Prius.
He pleaded guilty to two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription, and one misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, the district attorney’s office said.
Jaime Coulter, senior deputy district attorney, said Gore’s sentencing will be continued until Feb. 7. If he has complied with all the conditions of the diversion program, the sentencing will be continued again for another year, with charges possibly being dropped in 2009.
“At that point, he will be able to withdraw his guilty plea as if he never entered it,” Coulter said.
Gore has been at a live-in treatment center since his arrest, said Allan Stokke, his attorney.
“He’s actually doing more than what other people do as far as treatment goes,” Stokke said. “He’s got great family support.”
Gore’s parents did not attend the hearing at the request of their son, but they were in California to support him, Stokke said. The family had no comment, said Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman.
Gore was treated the same as other defendants with no prior convictions for drug charges and no criminal record, according to a defense attorney not involved in the case.
“It passes the sniff test,” said lawyer Rosanne Faul, who specializes in DUI and drug cases. “As far as first-time offenders and drug diversion, it doesn’t sound like he’s getting special treatment.”
Deputies who pulled over Gore said they discovered less than an ounce of marijuana and a variety of medications, including Xanax, Valium, Vicodin and Adderall. Authorities said he did not have a prescription for any of those medications. Gore also was charged with a traffic infraction for speeding.
The son of the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee was previously arrested for marijuana possession in Maryland in 2003, when he was a student at Harvard University. Gore completed substance abuse counseling to settle those charges.
He now lives in Los Angeles and is an associate publisher of GOOD, a magazine aimed at young people that is about philanthropy.
Print Email Suggest a Story
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. — Al Gore's son was charged Friday with possessing marijuana and other drugs that authorities say were discovered in his car after he was pulled over this month for speeding.
Al Gore III, 24, is free on $20,000 bail and scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1 in Superior Court in Laguna Niguel.
He faces two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription and one misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, the district attorney's office said in a statement. Gore also was charged with a traffic infraction for allegedly driving faster than 100 miles per hour.
Prosecutors said he could be sentenced to a maximum of three years and eight months in prison if convicted on all counts, though he might be eligible for a drug treatment program instead of prison.
Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for Gore's parents, said the family had no comment. The charges stem from July 4, when Orange County sheriff's deputies say they pulled Gore over for speeding.
Gore was allegedly driving a 2006 blue Toyota Prius at about 100 mph. Upon searching the car, deputies say they discovered less than an ounce of marijuana and a variety of medications — including Xanax, Valium, Vicodin and Adderall. Authorities said Gore did not have a prescription for any of those medications.
The son of the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee was previously arrested for marijuana possession in Maryland in 2003, when he was a student at Harvard University. Gore completed substance abuse counseling to settle those charges.
Gore is the youngest of Tipper and Al Gore's four children. He now lives in Los Angeles and is an associate publisher of GOOD, a magazine about philanthropy and aimed at young people.
Will ‘Three Strikes’ Law Earn Gore III a Life Sentence?
July 4th, 2007 · 8 Comments
UPDATE: Fox News is reporting today that Al Gore III faces up to three years in prison if convicted on felony drug-possession charges and lesser offenses related to the July 4 traffic stop described in the post below. According to People.com, he was found to be in possession of 140 Vicodin pills, among other items, at the time of his most-recent arrest.
***
According to news reports, Al Gore III (below right) was arrested in San Diego this morning on charges of driving under the influence after being clocked at 100 miles per hour in his Toyota Prius hybrid. In addition to the DUI charge, the 24-year-old son of the former vice president faces charges related to possession of marijuana as well as several medications — including Xanax, Valium and Vicodin – without prescriptions.
Today’s arrest of Gore III marks his third such encounter with law enforcement in recent years and prompts this blogger to speculate as to whether or not California’s “Three Strikes and You’re Out” Law, approved by Golden State voters in 1994, will earn him a life sentence in prison.
What I lack now are details as to whether Gore III’s previous two arrests resulted in felony convictions. If they did, and if today’s arrest results in a felony conviction(s), Al Gore Jr. might be forced to run for president — and win — in 2008 in order to be able to grant his law-breaking offspring a presidential pardon.
Please let this blogger know if you have details of Gore III’s previous convictions — in particular, whether or not they were recorded as misdemeanors or felonies.
Stay tuned!
Al Gore's son arrested, with pot, after doing 100 mph in a Prius
Posted Jul 4th 2007 8:38PM by Sebastian Blanco
Filed under: Etc., Hybrid
Guess the Tesla Roadster isn't the only green car that breaks the speed limit. Al Gore III, the son of Mr. Inconvenient Truth, was arrested this morning at 2 in the morning for having marijuana, as well as the medications including Xanax, Vicodin and Adderall without a prescription. The reason police found these drugs on him: they stopped him after he was going 100 mph in a blue Prius. This isn't the first time Gore the third has been in trouble with the law for drugs and illegal driving. The Independent reminds us that he was charged with marijuana possession in 2003 after being caught driving without headlights. He plea bargained that one away. The Daily News points out he was charged with reckless driving 94 back in 2000.
We would have been much more impressed had he been doing 100 mpG in a Prius, not mpH.
Al Gore's son charged with pot possession
Sunday, December 21, 2003 Posted: 12:57 PM EST (1757 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The son of former Vice President Al Gore was arrested Friday night on a marijuana possession charge after police stopped the car he was driving for not having its headlights on, according to a news release from the Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Police Services.
Albert Gore III, 21, was behind the wheel of a Cadillac driving in downtown Bethesda at 11:30 p.m. EST Friday when it was spotted by a unit with the Montgomery County Police Holiday Task Force, the statement said.
After he pulled the car over, Officer Robert Cassels noticed all of its windows and the sunroof were opened despite the freezing temperature, and he "smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the car," the statement said.
A search of the car found "a partial marijuana cigarette" and "a cardboard cigarette box with a baggie containing suspected marijuana," the police statement said.
In addition to Gore, police charged two male passengers in the car with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana. The three were released from jail, pending trial.
Gore, a Harvard University student, has had previous brushes with the law. He was ticketed for reckless driving by North Carolina police in August 2000 when he was clocked going 94 mph. Military police arrested him for drunk driving near a military base in Virginia in September 2002.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
