Twins Territory

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Police: Willis arrested on drunken driving charge in Miami Beach

By MICHELLE SPITZER
Associated Press Writer

MIAMI (AP) -- Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis was arrested Friday morning on a drunken driving charge along a Miami Beach street lined with nightclubs.

An officer saw the former NL rookie of the year stop his black Bentley in the South Beach neighborhood, get out of the car around 4:30 a.m. and urinate in the street. Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said the officer noticed signs of intoxication as he approached Willis, who failed a field sobriety test.

"He couldn't keep his balance, he had a strong smell of alcohol," Hernandez said.

The 24-year-old Willis was arrested and taken to a police station, where he refused a breath test, Hernandez said. He arrived at the Miami-Dade County jail around 6 a.m. and was being held on $1,000 bond, jail spokeswoman Chandra Gavin Dinkins said.

Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello declined comment. Willis' agent, Matt Sosnick, did not immediately return early morning phone messages left at his California office.

Willis finished last season 12-12 with a 3.87 ERA in 223 1-3 innings. In 2005, he led the major leagues with 22 wins and finished second in the National League Cy Young Award balloting. Willis was the NL rookie of the year in 2003, the year the Marlins beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

In 127 starts with the Marlins since being called up from Double-A Carolina early in the 2003 season, Willis is 58-39 with a 3.44 ERA.

He earned $4.35 million this past season and is likely to make at least $6 million in 2007, once he and the Marlins come to terms on what's expected to be another one-year deal.

Willis has been Florida's nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award -- presented annually to major league players displaying a commitment to community and understanding the value of helping others -- in each of the last two seasons. He was married earlier this month.

December 22, 2006

[handles1017]

Haha yeah i saw that on ESPNEWS at the bottom "too much eggnog" thats a good one.

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Police: Willis arrested on drunken driving charge in Miami Beach

By MICHELLE SPITZER
Associated Press Writer

MIAMI (AP) -- Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis was arrested Friday morning on a drunken driving charge along a Miami Beach street lined with nightclubs.

An officer saw the former NL rookie of the year stop his black Bentley in the South Beach neighborhood, get out of the car around 4:30 a.m. and urinate in the street. Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said the officer noticed signs of intoxication as he approached Willis, who failed a field sobriety test.

"He couldn't keep his balance, he had a strong smell of alcohol," Hernandez said.

The 24-year-old Willis was arrested and taken to a police station, where he refused a breath test, Hernandez said. He arrived at the Miami-Dade County jail around 6 a.m. and was being held on $1,000 bond, jail spokeswoman Chandra Gavin Dinkins said.

Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello declined comment. Willis' agent, Matt Sosnick, did not immediately return early morning phone messages left at his California office.

Willis finished last season 12-12 with a 3.87 ERA in 223 1-3 innings. In 2005, he led the major leagues with 22 wins and finished second in the National League Cy Young Award balloting. Willis was the NL rookie of the year in 2003, the year the Marlins beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

In 127 starts with the Marlins since being called up from Double-A Carolina early in the 2003 season, Willis is 58-39 with a 3.44 ERA.

He earned $4.35 million this past season and is likely to make at least $6 million in 2007, once he and the Marlins come to terms on what's expected to be another one-year deal.

Willis has been Florida's nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award -- presented annually to major league players displaying a commitment to community and understanding the value of helping others -- in each of the last two seasons. He was married earlier this month.

December 22, 2006

Dontrelle Willis, you have been charged with DRUNK IN PUBLIC

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Dontrelle Willis, you have been charged with DRUNK IN PUBLIC

He was probably driving because Liarino can't....

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Dontrelle, you had a great driving experience. and now that you're off the road, we'll have a great driving experience also. HIIYO!!!

and this thread turns into a roast.

[gcltwins]

Then again, if you'd been at the company Christmas party Friday, you would have thought we'd all had too much eggnog. Especially after we started singing "Grandma got run over by a reindeer".

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Willis agrees to $6.45 million, 1-year deal

By STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer

MIAMI (AP) -- Newlywed Dontrelle Willis expects to become a first-time father in May, and saving for his daughter's college tuition should be no problem.

The Florida Marlins ace agreed Monday to a one-year contract for $6.45 million, a hefty salary for the team with the lowest payroll in the major leagues by far last year.

"I'm very happy," Willis said. "How can you not be? I'm very appreciative to go out and have the opportunity to play baseball."

Willis was married in December, and his wife is expecting a girl in May.

"It's a beautiful thing," he said. "It's something you can't fathom, but you'd better get used to it."

Willis' contract represents a 48 percent increase over his salary of $4.35 million in 2006. He went 12-12 with a 3.87 ERA in 223 1-3 innings.

The Marlins' payroll of $15 million last year figures to rise considerably if they keep Willis and slugger Miguel Cabrera, who is eligible for arbitration for the first time. Cabrera's pay could climb to the $6 million range after he made $472,000 last year.

Willis avoided arbitration with his agreement.

"The family was in my thought process," he said. "I'm happy to be in a position to make a decision like this."

The Marlins' offer was what Willis had been seeking, said his agent, Matt Sosnick.

"We weighed our options and always wanted to be around this figure," Sosnick said. "We thought it was fair. It's always better to avoid arbitration."

The only glitch in Willis' offseason: He was charged in December with drunken driving in Miami Beach. He pleaded not guilty last week.

In 2005, Willis led the major leagues with 22 wins and finished second in the NL Cy Young Award balloting. He was NL Rookie of the Year in 2003, when the Marlins beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

In 127 starts since being called up from Double-A Carolina in 2003, Willis is 58-39 with a 3.44 ERA.

He can earn a $50,000 bonus if he makes 32 starts this year. He made 34 in 2006.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

January 15, 2007

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hope D-Train is doing ok, he's a good guy who made one bad mistake.