Hunter Becomes Huntee

Back in 2003 Mr. Duane Chapman, known as Dog, the premier American bounty hunter, and his colleagues were charged by Mexican authorities with “deprivation of liberty” and held in jail in Puerto Vallarta before they made bail and slipped out of the country.

All this on charges stemming from his capture in Mexico of Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir who was eventually convicted of raping three women.

The Luster arrest, which catapulted Mr. Chapman to a new level of celebrity and eventually resulted in A&E signing him for the series, led to a lasting grudge on the part of Mexican authorities, who demanded that the United States extradite the bounty hunter.

Now, with less than a month before the warrant would have expired and in the midst of filming the fourth season of his enormously successful reality series, "Dog the Bounty Hunter", Mr. Chapman was the one being brought to justice.

Yesterday the Chapman family suggested that some horse trading was under way, pointing out that Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix, part of a Mexican drug cartel, was handed over to United States authorities.

Said Lucas Platt, the supervising producer of the show . .

“Going after Andrew Luster was a risky decision, but he thought it was the right thing to do. Now it has taken an unfortunate turn.”

The turn won’t hurt ratings. A&E plans a special for tomorrow night, and the stories about his travails will only add to the legend. The man who brought vengeance to thousands of bail jumpers found himself on the wrong end of justice.

“Dog the Bounty Hunter” is A&E’s most-watched show.

As Dog himself sees it . .

“I believe in what I do, I am good at what I do, and I want to be able to say that Jesus played a role in it. Never, ever, has anyone ever escaped.”

From an article appearing in the New York Times September 18, 2006 by David Carr (with James C. McKinley Jr. reporting from Mexico).

Man Sets Sights on Eye-Popping Record

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Claudio Paulo Pinto is looking to break an eye-popping record. Literally. Pinto can pop his eyeballs out of their sockets at least 7 millimeters (0.3 inches), a national record for eye-popping according to RankBrasil, an organization modeled after the Guinness Book of World Records that lists Brazilian records.

A former driver, Pinto got a job scaring visitors in a commercial haunted house in Belo Horizonte, 210 miles north of Rio de Janeiro. But he recently was laid off, and now he seeks international recognition for his ability.

Pinto said by telephone Saturday . .

"I was measured by an opthamologist on television in January. I could pop my eyes out 7 millimeters. Since then, my capacities have improved over 50 percent."

That could put Pinto close to the record. The title of "furthest eyeball popper" in the Guinness Book of World Records currently belongs to Kim Goodman of Chicago, who can pop her eyeballs 11 milimeters (0.43 inches) out of her sockets.

Pinto's ability is called "globe luxation." Doctors say it can strain blood vessels and nerves between the eyes and the head and feels unpleasant but usually doesn't cause lasting damage.

Pinto says he's been luxating his globes since he was 9 years old and "it doesn't hurt a bit."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

The Art of M&M's

A prison artist in California who uses the dye from M&M’s for paint has been disciplined for what a prison official yesterday called “unauthorized business dealings” in the sale of his paintings. The prison has also barred the prisoner, Donny Johnson, from sending his paintings through the mail.

Mr. Johnson’s work has been on display for the last several weeks at a gallery in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Twenty of his paintings have been sold, for $500 each.

Mr. Johnson had donated the paintings to the Pelican Bay Prison Project, a charity which says it will honor Mr. Johnson’s wish that it use the proceeds from the show to help the children of prisoners.

Mr. Johnson, who is 46, is serving three life sentences. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 1980 for a drug-related killing, drawing a sentence of 15 years to life. In 1989, he was convicted of slashing the throat of one guard and assaulting another. Those crimes resulted in two additional sentences of nine years to life.

He has been in solitary confinement in a small concrete cell for almost two decades. He paints with a brush he created with plastic wrap, foil and his own hair. He makes paint by leaching the colors from M&M’s in little plastic containers that once held packets of grape jelly. His canvases are postcards.

from an article by Adam Liptak appearing August 4, 2006 in The New York Times

Still Chasing After the Clipper

Can anyone ever touch Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, what some believe to be the greatest baseball feat of all time?

Chase Utley is the latest to try. Philadelphia's All-Star second baseman has now hit safely in 34 games.

Only Pete Rose has broken 40--he hit in 44 consecutive games in 1978. Paul Molitor hit in 39 straight games in 1987.

Carlos Delgado of the Mets said . .

"There are so many obstacles. One day you're facing a guy throwing 95, then 85 (miles per hour). Then they bring in a lefty, and then a sidearmer. There are so many outside elements, and that's what makes doing it day after day so impressive."

Not to mention the pressure of being compared to the great Yankee Clipper.

from a column by Murray Chass appearing August 4, 2006 in The New York Times

On His Broad Shoulders

Brad Gilbert, owner of a mediocre professional tennis career, has been called upon to revive the flagging spirits of British tennis.

Gilbert's best performance at a Grand Slam tournament was at the 1987 U.S. Open, where he reached the quarter-finals. Since retiring as a player, though, he has made quite a name for himself as a coach.

Coach to Andre Agassi for eight years from 1994 to 2002, during which Agassi won six Grand Slam singles titles, he shared in the most successful coach-player partnership in the Open era--along side Tony Roche's period as coach of Ivan Lendl. Agassi described Gilbert as "the greatest coach of all time" as a result of the pair's highly successful relationship.

On 26 July 2006, Gilbert was announced as taking over the coaching duties of Scottish teenage sensation Andy Murray through the auspices of the Lawn Tennis Association.

Could this be the beginning of England's return to top form in world tennis?