Dexter Manley

Dexter Manley's autobiography is an exercise in abuse.Mr. Manley is abusing drugs, women and his responsibilities as a parent. His brother and sister are abusing drugs. His mother is abusing alcohol. The football system is abusing him by putting him through high school and college without teaching him to read. The Washington Redskins are abusing him by ignoring a failed drug test to keep him in uniform for a Super Bowl."Educating Dexter," written with the help of former Washington Post sportswriter Tom Friend, is about as close as a sober soul can get to going through the 30-day program at Hazelden.

Dexter Manley's autobiography is an exercise in abuse.Mr. Manley is abusing drugs, women and his responsibilities as a parent. His brother and sister are abusing drugs. His mother is abusing alcohol. The football system is abusing him by putting him through high school and college without teaching him to read. The Washington Redskins are abusing him by ignoring a failed drug test to keep him in uniform for a Super Bowl."Educating Dexter," written with the help of former Washington Post sportswriter Tom Friend, is about as close as a sober soul can get to going through the 30-day program at Hazelden.

Baseball Baltimore Orioles -- Purchased contract of P Mike Linskey from Class AAA Rochester.Boston Red Sox -- Sent C Paul Williams to New York Mets to complete July 28 trade for OF/1B Mike Marshall.New York Yankees -- Signed free-agent P Tim Leary to three-year guaranteed contract for reported $5.95 million. Purchased P Jeff Johnson and C John Ramos from Class AA Albany-Colonie. Waived C Brian Dorsett.Toronto Blue Jays -- Signed 1B Jim Eppard to contract with Class AAA Syracuse.Basketball NBA -- Fined C James Donaldson of the Dallas Mavericks $3,000 and G Byron Scott of the Los Angeles Lakers $1,000 for altercation during Friday night's game in Dallas.

Baseball Baltimore Orioles -- Purchased contract of P Mike Linskey from Class AAA Rochester.Boston Red Sox -- Sent C Paul Williams to New York Mets to complete July 28 trade for OF/1B Mike Marshall.New York Yankees -- Signed free-agent P Tim Leary to three-year guaranteed contract for reported $5.95 million. Purchased P Jeff Johnson and C John Ramos from Class AA Albany-Colonie. Waived C Brian Dorsett.Toronto Blue Jays -- Signed 1B Jim Eppard to contract with Class AAA Syracuse.Basketball NBA -- Fined C James Donaldson of the Dallas Mavericks $3,000 and G Byron Scott of the Los Angeles Lakers $1,000 for altercation during Friday night's game in Dallas.

The Los Angeles Rams and the Phoenix Cardinals have become the first teams to say publicly that they would be interested in talking to defensive lineman Dexter Manley if he becomes eligible to play in the National Football League next week."

"Here's the deal," he said to the waiter. "I want a mushroom burger with Cheddar cheese instead of Swiss. No, forget it. Let's do the old English burger with lettuce, tomato and onion, which I see there."See, Dexter Manley was reading the menu. Dexter, who graduated from high school and stayed eligible to play four years at Oklahoma State when he couldn't read, then starred with the Washington Redskins, could handle Houlihans' menu. He made more sense than the waiter, actually."I can read my own book," said Dexter, and proceeded to open it to a random passage and read it. It tells how he got the courage to go to the Lab School in Washington for help learning to read because it was too painful not to.The book is "Educating Dexter," which is the sequel to the locker-room whispers of "Dexter can't read."

FootballOttawa Rough Riders (CFL) -- Suspended former Washington Redskins DE Dexter Manley for one week for comments he made that were critical of coach Ron Smeltzer.HockeyMighty Ducks of Anaheim -- Recalled D Anatoli Fedotov from IHL San Diego.Hartford Whalers -- Recalled LW Igor Chibirev from AHL Springfield.Quebec Nordiques -- Sent former Washington Capitals C Reggie Savage to AHL Cornwall.San Jose Sharks -- Recalled C-LW Jeff McLean from IHL Kansas City.

Three strikes and you're out applies to football as well as baseball, according to the respondents to "It's Your Call," The Evening Sun's phone survey, over the weekend.Asked if the NFL was right in reinstating former Washington Redskins defensive end Dexter Manley, who had violated the league's substance abuse policy three times, 78 percent of the 633 callers gave a resounding no. Only 139 respondents (22 percent) agreed with commissioner Paul Tagliabue's decision to reinstate Manley, who is now with the Phoenix Cardinals.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue reinstated Dexter Manley earlier this week -- a year after banning him from the NFL because he had violated the league's substance abuse policy three times. Manley, picked up by the Phoenix Cardinals, is eligible to return to the playing field on Dec. 9. We'd like to know what you think of the decision.Did the NFL do the right thing by reinstating Manley?To register your opinion, call SUNDIAL at 783-1800 (or 268-7736 in Anne Arundel County) today through midnight Sunday.

If any confirmation were needed of the wisdom of state Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission chairman Dr. Neil Solomon's call for emphasizing the public health aspects of drug abuse, one need look no farther than the tragic case of the Tampa Buccaneers' Dexter Manley, who quit pro football last week after failing an NFL drug test for the fourth time.The most poignant aspect of Manley's fall lay in the fact that he had already been suspended for a year in 1989 after testing positive for drugs, had been undergoing thrice-weekly NFL-sanctioned drug testing since his reinstatement and undoubtedly knew any drug use would be swiftly detected -- and end his career.

The Los Angeles Rams and the Phoenix Cardinals have become the first teams to say publicly that they would be interested in talking to defensive lineman Dexter Manley if he becomes eligible to play in the National Football League next week."

BaseballSan Francisco Giants -- Renewed the contracts of coaches Bob Lillis, Wendell Kim, Dick Pole, Bobby Bonds and Bob Brenly for the 1994 season.BasketballDallas Mavericks -- Announced that Jim Durham will do TV play-by-play.Los Angeles Clippers -- Extended the contract of F Loy Vaught.Los Angeles Lakers -- Re-signed free-agent G Duane Cooper.New York Knicks -- Placed C Tim McCormick on the injured list. Signed F Bill Edwards, F Lewis Geter and F Nate Johnston.FootballLos Angeles Rams -- Signed WR Ernie Jones, who had been released Wednesday, to a three-year $1.65 million contract.

Auto racingKenny Bernstein's Budweiser King Racing Team -- Signed driver Scott Goodyear for the 1994 IndyCar season.Firestone -- Announced that a team organized by U. E. Patrick with Scott Pruett as the driver will be its test team in 1994 and its factory race team in 1995.BaseballAtlanta Braves -- Renewed the contracts of coaches Jim Beauchamp, Pat Corrales, Clarence Jones, Leo Mazzone, Jimy Williams and Ned Yost for the 1994 season.San Francisco Giants -- Renewed the contracts of coaches Bob Lillis, Wendell Kim, Dick Pole, Bobby Bonds and Bob Brenly for the 1994 season.