ROY HALLADAY HAD PERFORMED TURNS BEFORE FATAL CRASH
Retired star pitcher Roy Halladay sped his small sports plane low over the Gulf of Mexico minutes before his fatal crash two weeks ago, climbing sharply in the final seconds before diving into the water, federal investigators said in a preliminary report released Monday.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Noreen Price placed no blame for the Nov. 7 accident near Tampa, simply laying out the facts as gleaned from the plane’s data recorder and eyewitnesses. A final report with conclusions could take one to two years.
Price said Halladay, 40, had taken off from a lake near his Tampa-area home about 17 minutes before the crash, taking his ICON A5 to 1,900 feet before dropping to 600 feet as he neared the coastline. He then dropped to 36 feet when he reached the water. While flying at about 105 mph, Halladay skimmed the water at 11 feet, flying in a circle before climbing to 100 feet, the plane’s data showed.
A witness told investigators the plane climbed to between 300 and 500 feet when it turned and went into a 45-degree dive. It slammed into the water and flipped.
Halladay’s body was found with the plane, which was severely damaged. The plane was equipped with a parachute, but it was not deployed.
Newcomers to Hall of Fame ballot.
YORK» Chipper Jones, Jim Thome NEW and Omar Vizquel are among 19 firsttime candidates on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot for baseball’s Hall of Fame.
They are joined by Johan Santana and Chris Carpenter. Also among the newcomers to the 33-man ballot are Jamie Moyer, Andruw Jones, Carlos Lee, Kevin Millwood, Carlos Zambrano and Johnny Damon.
Yankees boost bonus money.
YORK» The Yankees raised their NEW available signing bonus money for Japanese star Shohei Ohtani to $3.5 million, acquiring $250,000 in pool money from the Miami Marlins for left-hander Caleb Smith and first baseman Garrett Cooper.
New York has the second-highest total of available international signing bonus money behind the Texas Rangers, who have $3,535,000. Minnesota is third at $3,245,000.
• The Major League Baseball Players Association extended its deadline by a day to 6 p.m. Tuesday for an agreement on a new posting system between the Major League Baseball and its Japanese counterpart, a deal that allows Ohtani to be put up for bid.
• MLB pitchers and catchers will report to spring training on Feb. 13-14.
• MLB wants a 20-second pitch clock as a pace-of-play initiative in 2018.
Mayfield punished for outburst.
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley punished his quarterback, Heisman hopeful Baker Mayfield, in the wake of an embarrassing moment in which he cursed at Kansas players and grabbed his crotch in the Sooners’ win Saturday.
Although there were a number of calls for a suspension, Riley stopped short of that, instead saying Mayfield would not start Saturday against West Virginia, although he will play in the game but won’t be a team captain.
Wimbledon champ Novotna dies.
PRAGUE» Jana Novotna, who won the hearts of the tennis world when she sobbed on the shoulder of a member of the British royal family after a heartbreaking loss in the Wimbledon final, died at the age of 49.
The WTA announced Novotna’s death, saying she died Sunday in her native Czech Republic following a long battle with cancer.
Novotna won her only Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon in 1998, eventually triumphing after two losses in the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in 1993 and 1997.