Calling his recent drunk driving arrest a "monumental mistake," Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton fought tears as he apologized Sunday and asked for forgiveness at the start of spring training.
The longtime face of the franchise, Helton was arrested at 2:30 a.m. Feb. 6 in the Denver suburb of Thornton and charged with driving under the influence and careless driving. A court hearing is scheduled for May.The arrest was a rare misstep for the 39-year-old, who begins his 17th major league season -- all with the Rockies. This could be his farewell year, though he hasn't said whether he plans to retire. The Rockies will monitor his workload considering he is coming back from surgery.Helton, a five-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and the franchise leader in almost every major offensive category who won the 2000 NL batting title, is ready to start fresh and put this incident behind him."I wish it didn't happen," he said. "Hopefully I can move forward from it."Jeter reportsYankees shortstop Derek Jeter could start running on the field in the next couple days for the first time since ankle surgery and still expects to be ready for Opening Day.Jeter met with reporters on Sunday, which was the reporting day for New York's position players.The 13-time All-Star thinks he will play in his first exhibition game sometime after the next couple weeks.Jeter says the ankle has healed, and that the challenge now is to get back into baseball shape.Wrigley renovationsCubs chairman Tom Ricketts said the team is making progress with Chicago city officials, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, on Wrigley Field renovation plans.However, the efforts to get more night games at Wrigley this season are on hold for now.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
