Coroner: Gatti Died of Suicide
Boxer Arturo Gatti, who died suspiciously in Brazil on July 11, was the victim of suicide, Brazilian authorities concluded Thursday. Attorneys for Gatti’s widow, who has been jailed since Gatti’s death, ordered her immediate release. Amanda Rodrigues initially was suspected of strangling an intoxicated Gatti with her purse strap. Joe Gatti, the boxer’s eldest brother, said the family may exhume the fighter’s body in Canada and conduct their own autopsy. Gatti’s manager, Pat Lynch, said he was stunned to learn that authorities had concluded that Arturo had died of suicide. He pledged that the Canadian government will get involved. “I’m not going to rest. We’ve got a lot of investigation ahead of us,” Lynch said.

Boston Slugger on Infamous Drug List
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz acknowledged Thursday that a New York Times report tying him to performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 is accurate. “I have already contacted the Players Association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true,” Ortiz’s statement read in part. “Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive.” Joining Ortiz on the dreaded drug list was Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers star who already has served a 50-game suspension for a failed test earlier this season. Ortiz and Ramirez were among the 104 players who failed tests during the 2003 survey testing that triggered extensive testing throughout the league in 2004. Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa also surfaced on the list. “I have to get more info about it, and then I’ll honestly tell you guys what’s up. Right now I have no answers,” Ortiz said Thursday, shortly after jacking a game-winning three-run homer to beat the A’s at Fenway Park. “Today I was informed by a reporter that I was on the 2003 list of MLB players to test positive for performance-enhancing substances. This happened right before our game, and the news blind-sided me. I said I had no comment because I wanted to get to the bottom of this. I want to talk about this situation and I will as soon as I have more answers. In the meantime I want to let you know how I am approaching this situation. One, I have already contacted the Players Association to confirm if this report is true. I have just been told that the report is true. Based on the way I have lived my life, I am surprised to learn I tested positive. Two, I will find out what I tested positive for. And, three, based on whatever I learn, I will share this information with my club and the public. You know me – I will not hide and I will not make excuses. I want to thank my family, the Red Sox, my teammates, and the fans for their patience and support.”

Sammy Sosa, the onetime slugging outfielder for the Chicago Cubs who has been adamant in his denial of using performance-enhancing drugs, was one of more than 100 major-league players who tested positive for steroids in 2003, according to The New York Times. When asked again recently about the issue, Sosa retorted with a smile, that he would “calmly wait” for his induction into the Hall of Fame. While those words are certainly haunting him these days, it’s what he said in March 2005 before Congress that could land him in jail. He testified under oath at the time that, “To be clear, I have never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs.” Six years ago, Major League Baseball conducted a major survey, seeking to see whether comprehensive testing was necessary. It was during this survey that Alex Rodriguez tested positive. In its report Tuesday, the Times cited sources who said they had knowledge of Sosa’s inclusion on the 2003 list of positives, but did not know the substance for which Sosa tested positive. Sosa’s agent, Adam Katz, told The Associated Press he had no comment on the report. Commissioner’s office spokesman Rich Levin also had no comment, saying Major League Baseball didn’t have a copy of the test results. In 1998, Sosa was in a home-run battle with St. Louis slugger Mark McGwire, another baller who has been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. The question now for Sosa, who ended his professional baseball career in 2007, is whether he will ever make it into the Hall, for which he become eligible in 2013.

 Chicago star slams his 610^th homer. Ken Griffey Jr. is in the top five of all-time home run hitters after passing Sammy Sosa. Griffey broke his tie with Sosa by slamming number 610 versus Minnesota. “The most important thing is the team,” he says. “I probably would’ve been a little more excited if we won, but we didn’t.” Minnesota beat the Sox 9-3 Tuesday. “You guys have known me long enough (to know) that I’m not going to sugarcoat things,” Griffey adds. “We need to win.” His accomplishment leaves him 50 home runs behind Willie Mays, who holds the fourth-place spot.