Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine during 2009 season
Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington apologized Wednesday for using cocaine during the 2009 season and will voluntarily submit to additional testing by Major League Baseball in the future.
Washington told the club he used cocaine and offered to resign as soon as he was randomly selected for a drug test by MLB. Club president Nolan Ryan, general manager Jon Daniels and other officials decided not to accept the offer after they were convinced that Washington had used cocaine just once.
“I apologize for a huge mistake I made,” Washington said in a prepared statement at a news conference Wednesday. “I’m not here to make excuses. I’m not here for sympathy. That would be asking too much. I’m truly sorry for my careless, dangerous and, frankly, stupid behavior last year.”
Washington immediately entered into the MLB’s drug program, which included testing three times a week. He completed that program a few weeks ago, but said he will ask the league to continue to test him in the future. Read more
The Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a tourist attraction near the Colorado River on the edge of a side canyon in the Grand Canyon West area in the U.S. state of Arizona. It was funded by the Hualapai Indian tribe in partnership with Chinese-American businessman David Jin.
The horseshoe-shaped glass walkway stands at a 3,600 feet (1,100 m) height above the floor of the canyon, a height exceeding those of the world’s tallest skyscrapers. The Skywalk is not directly above the main canyon, Granite Gorge, which contains the Colorado River. Instead it extends over a side canyon and affords a view into the main canyon. USGS topographic maps show the elevation at the Skywalk’s location as 4,770 ft (1,450 m) and the elevation of the Colorado River in the base of the canyon as 1,160 ft (350 m), and they show that the height of the exactly vertical drop directly under the skywalk is between 500 ft (150 m) and 800 ft (240 m).
Commissioned and owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe, it was unveiled March 20, 2007, and opened to the general public on March 28, 2007. It is accessed via the Grand Canyon West Airport terminal or a 120 mile (190 km) drive from Las Vegas, which includes a 10 mile stretch of dirt road which is currently under development.
Alex Chilton Died At 59
Alex Chilton, the mercurial if influential rock musician, whose work spanned an eclectic gamut from the soul songs of the Box Tops to the multiple incarnations of his pop band Big Star, has died, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis reported. He was 59. The cause of death is believed to have been a heart attack.
The Commercial Appeal said that Mr. Chilton, who lived in New Orleans, had recently been complaining of health problems, and was taken on Wednesday by paramedics to an emergency room in New Orleans where he was pronounced dead. His death was confirmed to the Commercial Appeal by Jody Stephens, his longtime band mate in Big Star. The group was scheduled to perform on Saturday at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin.
Mr. Chilton, who grew up in Memphis, was just 16 years old when the Box Tops, in which he sang and played guitar, had a No. 1 hit with “The Letter” in 1967. When that group broke up in 1970, Mr. Chilton formed Big Star with Mr. Stephens, a drummer, and the musicians Chris Bell and Andy Hummel. Read more
