LEFTOVERS: Strip club antics land prospect in hot water

Oh, no, a professional athlete has been suspended for conduct detrimental to the organization. And it involves a strip club, no less.

Gee, what a shock.

The newest member of the Idiot Brigade is Tampa Bay Rays outfield prospect Josh Sale, who has been grounded indefinitely by the ballclub after admitting he threw quarters at a stripper and proceeded to go on a Facebook rant about it, a rant he since has removed.

This is the same guy who recently finished a 50-game suspension after testing positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine. Sale, 21, who was Tampa’s first-round draft pick in 2010, had just been added to the roster of the Rays’ Single-A club in Port Charlotte, Fla.

In case you’re wondering, he is not related to Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale. You can tell the difference because Josh is the one with the skyline of Seattle tattooed across his chest. He’s also the one who’s not playing baseball for now.

■ LEARN AND LIVE — The next time someone tries to argue that mixed martial arts doesn’t have any redeeming values, he should talk to Abel Simmons.

The Stockton, Calif., resident, an avid fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, apparently picked up a few pointers over the years as he repelled a would-be carjacker in his driveway by using a guillotine hold.

Simmons and his family were returning home after watching UFC 160 when a man approached their car and tried to get inside. Simmons, 29, who was in the passenger seat, jumped out and eventually subdued the intruder.

“I had him in a guillotine choke. And he wasn’t getting out of that. I had that locked in pretty tight,” Simmons told Sacramento TV station KXTV. “I just held him in place and said, ‘Well, guess you are going to jail tonight, buddy.’ ”

Simmons’ wife called 911. When the police arrived, the man tried fighting them, as well. He was arrested for attempted carjacking, battery and resisting arrest.

■ WAR ENDS — The announcement that the New York Rangers had fired John Tortorella on Wednesday also meant the 4½-year war between the coach, who went 171-144, and the media has come to an end.

Tortorella’s disdain for the fourth estate is well known, as his highly contentious postgame news conferences can attest. While brief, they were entertaining for those looking in from the outside.

Tortorella rarely would respond with insight to questions about the Rangers’ inept power play and the underachieving performances of New York’s high-priced stars (think Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards). His cooperation level barely met the NHL’s minimum standards.

One can envision the party that Larry Brooks, the well-respected hockey writer from the New York Post and chief Tortorella antagonist, likely will throw in the wake of the news.

Which goes to show you don’t need to win the Stanley Cup to celebrate in the NHL.

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL