Strawberry jailed for 18 months

Darryl Strawberry, an eight-time major league all-star, was sentenced to 18 months in prison Monday for probation violations.

Retired Judge Ralph Steinberg ordered Strawberry to serve the jail time for his 1999 arrest on drug and solicitation of prostitution charges.

Dressed in an orange jail-issued uniform, the former major league slugger said his "life is going in the right direction."

"I would just like to get this behind me," Strawberry said. "I would like to do my 18 months and move on.

"I don't want to have this over my head."

Strawberry, 40, attempted several times to avoid being sent to prison and was shipped to a drug treatment centre instead.

However, he has violated his probation six times.

The latter violation involved the former slugger breaking several rules of the drug facility by smoking, trading baseballs for cigarettes and having sex with another resident.

Strawberry, a former National League Rookie of the Year, last played with the Yankees.

He won World Series titles with the New York Mets in 1986 and the Yankees in 1996 and 1999.

Strawberry has also played with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants during his career, which began in 1983.

Along with his legal problems, he has been treated for colon and stomach cancer.

With files from Sports Network