North Little Rock, Ark. – A preliminary autopsy report shows a burst blood vessel in Mike Coolbaugh’s neck, near his brain, killed the Tulsa Drillers hitting coach after he was hit by a batted ball Sunday.
“It hit him in the back of the left side of his neck, kind of right below the ear,” Pulaski County coroner Mark Malcolm said.
The ball compressed the left vertebral artery, which travels up the left side of the spinal column and provides blood to the brain. The artery compressed against the vertebra at the top of his spine, right at the base of the skull, and a hemorrhage was the result, Malcolm said.
Malcolm said the full autopsy report has not been completed. He would not address whether a helmet would have saved Coolbaugh or whether, in general, a helmet could provide protection from a similarly batted ball.
Coolbaugh was standing in the first-base coaching box when Tino Sanchez of the Drillers lined a ball foul that hit the coach Sunday night. Medical personnel attended to Coolbaugh on the field, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour after he was struck. The Drillers are the Double-A affiliate of the Rockies.
NBA
Former Nugget faces assault charge
Ron Mercer, who played 37 games for the Nuggets during the 1999-2000 season, surrendered to police in Nashville, Tenn., to face a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a scuffle in a strip club in April, police said.
Police said Mercer’s friend Robert Edward Johnson, 34, also was charged with felony aggravated assault for stabbing a bouncer at the club in the same incident.
The two quarreled with a dancer at Anthony’s Show Place on April 21 and were asked to leave by the security guard, Keith Battle. A fight broke out among the three men, and Johnson admitted to police that he stabbed the bouncer in the right side and shoulder with a knife. Battle was not seriously hurt.
Another bouncer, William Beels Jr., was punched in the face by Mercer, police said. Mercer was released on $1,500 bond, and Johnson was released on $5,000 bond. Both were scheduled to appear in court Aug. 13, records show.
NHL
Staal brothers arrested after party
Carolina Hurricanes star Eric Staal and his brother, Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins, were arrested for misdemeanor disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process at Eric Staal’s bachelor party at a Minnesota resort.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said the brothers were among 14 arrested last weekend after authorities received several complaints about “screaming, yelling and playing loud music” at the resort in northeastern Minnesota, about two hours from the Staals’ hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Jordan Staal, 18, was also charged with underage drinking.
Patrick Kane, the first overall pick in last month’s NHL draft, signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 18-year-old forward is a “dynamic and exciting” player who “will get every opportunity to earn a spot on the opening night roster,” Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon said.
The 5-foot-10, 160-pound Kane led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring last season with 62 goals and 83 assists with the London Knights and was the OHL’s rookie of the year.
Center Brooks Laich re-signed with the Washington Capitals after being awarded a one-year, $725,000 contract by an arbitrator.
The 24-year-old made about $600,000 last year, and the Capitals had made a qualifying offer of $660,000 to the restricted free agent. He played in 73 games last season, scoring eight goals with 10 assists.
WNBA
Mercury deals Lynx 10th straight loss
Penny Taylor scored 30 points for the Phoenix Mercury, who handed the Minnesota Lynx a franchise record-tying 10th straight loss, 103-79 in Minneapolis.
Diana Taurasi added 19 points and six assists for the Mercury, which extended its WNBA record by scoring 100 points for the fifth time this season.
FOOTNOTES
Valencia to host 2009 America’s Cup
Swiss syndicate Alinghi made it official, announcing it will defend its Auld Mug trophy in Valencia, Spain, where it beat Emirates Team New Zealand 5-2 in the 32nd edition of the America’s Cup.
Jeff Sluman will again serve as assistant to U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus in the Presidents Cup, set for Sept. 27-30 at Royal Montreal.
A groom for Lava Man, the most successful claiming horse in thoroughbred racing history, remained hospitalized after losing his left arm in a traffic accident that authorities say was caused by a drunken driver near the Del Mar, Calif., racetrack.
Noe Garcia, who has cared for Lava Man for three years, was headed to work early Monday when he was injured in the accident on Interstate 5 near the track. He remained in the intensive care unit Wednesday at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif.
