<a href=www.sfgate.com>SFGate.com Tuesday, April 29, 2003 (04-29) 16:03 PDT (AP) --

Pincay broke the cervical 2 bone in his neck, one of the uppermost seven vertebrae of the spine.

His family, including wife Jeanine and his two grown children Lisa and Laffit III, had urged him to retire after the accident. Pincay also has a 6-year-old son, Jean-Laffit.

"The doctor recommended that I never ride again," Pincay said in a statement. "It's a very sad day for myself and Jeanine. But we always prepared ourselves for the worst.

"I am very grateful to a lot of people who helped me throughout my career and I want to thank the fans for all the cards and well wishes. And I want to thank all my friends for their support."

Pincay was supposed to be in Louisville on Saturday to ride Indian Express for trainer Bob Baffert in the Kentucky Derby. He had recommended that Baffert purchase the horse that is from Panama.

The son of a famous rider in Panama and Venezuela, Pincay came to the United States at 17, speaking only Spanish and carrying a $500-a-month riding contract. He taught himself English by watching "Hollywood Squares" on TV.

He reached the winner's circle on his first U.S. mount, in 1966 at Chicago's Arlington Park.

What was most exceptional about Pincay's longevity was his ability to control his weight.

He battled the scale since he was a teenager. Back then, he was told he was too big to be a jockey. He weighs 113 pounds and rode at 117 pounds, which included his saddle and tack.

Pincay's final injury was one of many in his career. He broke his collarbone 11 times, broke 10 ribs, had two spinal fractures, two punctured lungs, two broken thumbs and a sprained ankle.

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Sunday, April 27, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Venezuelan baseball player Miguel Cabrera has become hot property in the US minor leagues after he was named player of the week in the Southern AA League. 

Florida Marlins scouts say they happy with Cabrera's performance as infielder and batter. During the week in question, Cabrera has earned a .517 average, which includes 7 runs, 7 doubles and 11 runs batted in (RBIs). 

The 20-year old Aragua born player also succeeded in robbing 5 bases in 6 attempts which says a lot for improvements in his speed- running placing him second place in the league. Commenting on his record this season, scouts says he has 25 rbi runs, 32 hits, 10 double hits, 14 extra bases and a slugging record of .646 points. 

• Marlins bosses forecast that he will playing for the major league team before the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Magglio Ordonez helped his team Chicago White Sox to a 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins this week hitting two home runs. Ordonez hit  one home run in the fourth innings and added another against Venezuelan Johan Santana in the eighth innings. 

Ordonez, who hails from Falcon State, also had 3 RBIs, reaching 18 this season and lifting his batting average to .300 with his two home runs in four turns at the bat. Santana managed 5 punch outs and suffered two home runs against him, one of which came from Ordonez.

James Wallace, <a href=www.stcatharinesstandard.ca>The standard-Osprey News Network Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 02:00

National news - Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kelvim Escobar was named Friday in graphic court documents that allege he drugged, sexually assaulted and videotaped a woman in her mid-20s.

A statement of claim filed with Ontario Superior Court of Justice alleges Escobar took the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, to a Yorkville dance club in April 2001 where he spiked her champagne with a "noxious substance."

He then took her back to his condominium and videotaped himself sexually assaulting her, the documents allege. According to the documents, when the woman woke, she became suspicious, discovered the video equipment, took the tape and left Escobar's apartment.

"He used Jane as a sexual object and exploited her sexually when she was vulnerable and when he owed her a duty to protect her," the documents state. She is seeking $8 million in damages plus costs.

The statement of claim contains allegations only which have not been proven in court.

Paul Godfrey, Toronto Blue Jays president and CEO, was unaware of the allegations.

"You're going to have to approach Mr. Escobar," he said. "I have no comment on that at all."

Escobar could not be reached for comment.

Osprey News contacted the office of Escobar's lawyer, William Burden, by telephone and fax for comment, but he did not return calls.

Eddie Greenspan, Jane Doe's lawyer, also declined comment on the allegations.

"The allegations by my client are set out in the statement of claim and the court will ultimately determine the case," Greenspan said. Escobar, 27, is a native of Caracas, Venezuela. The documents filed in court Friday state that Escobar and Jane Doe met in 2000 and that the pair met from time to time with friends at various dance clubs in Toronto.

One evening in April 2001, Escobar met Jane Doe outside his condominium at 11 p.m. and drove her in his car to a club onYorkville Avenue, the court papers allege.

Escobar bought a bottle of champagne and poured a glass for Jane Doe and she drank it, according to the documents.

"Unknown to Jane, Escobar laced the champagne with a noxious substance," the documents claim.

The pair danced and while dancing, "Jane began to perspire profusely, became dizzy and light-headed."

Escobar escorted her to his car in front of the club and she lost consciousness, the documents state. The court papers further allege that Jane Doe woke "naked and disoriented" in Escobar's condominium bedroom the next morning and he told her she had "passed out, vomited over her clothes and thus it was necessary for him to undress her."

Jane Doe allegedly found signs she had been sexually assaulted and found a video camera in the bedroom. When Escobar was out of the room, the documents allege, Jane Doe took the cassette from the camera and hid it in her purse.

The documents allege when Jane Doe saw the videotape, it showed Escobar videotaping her while she was unconscious, undressing her and performing several sexual acts upon her, including intercourse.

<a href=www.thestar.com>Toronto Star - Apr. 26, 2003. 01:41 PM DALE BRAZAO STAFF REPORTER

A Toronto woman has launched an $8 million lawsuit against Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Kelvim Escobar, claiming she was drugged and then sexually assaulted by Escobar who videotaped the entire incident.

According to her lawyer, Eddie Greenspan, the woman, who is in her mid-20s, has the tape.

The assault allegedly took place two years ago at Escobar's Toronto waterfront condominium after the woman, who had known Escobar for about a year, accepted his invitation to go to a nightclub in Yorkville, according to the lawsuit filed yesterday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

The statement of claim contains allegations that have not been proven in court. Approached just before last night's game with the Kansas City Royals, Escobar, 27, said his lawyer had notified him of the suit, but he couldn't talk about it.

"I mean you have to deal with it, you know, but I can't really make any comment," Escobar told the Star. "I'm sorry, but I can't say anything."

The woman, described only as Jane Doe in the court documents, claims that while at the club, Escobar slipped a "noxious substance" into a glass of champagne, causing her to become dizzy and light-headed.

The lawsuit goes on to say that Escobar then escorted her to his car, where she lost consciousness.

"She did not regain consciousness until the next day when she found herself naked and disoriented in Escobar's bed in his bedroom at his condominium," the lawsuit says.

While Jane Doe was unconscious, Escobar "repeatedly assaulted and battered her," the lawsuit claims.

The statement of claim contains a graphic frame-by-frame description of the alleged sexual assault.

When Jane Doe questioned Escobar about what had transpired in the apartment the night before, he told her she had become ill and vomited and so he had taken her clothes off, the document alleges.

Escobar told her he had wanted to have sex with her, but because she had passed out he had refrained from doing so, the lawsuit claims.

"I wanted to make love to you, but you didn't wake, so I let you sleep," Escobar is quoted as telling the woman.

The woman claims she found semen in her vagina when she awoke.

On her way to the bathroom to get dressed she saw a video camera in the apartment. While dressing, the woman also noticed that there was no vomit on her clothing.

"After dressing, Jane returned to Escobar's bedroom and noticed that the video camera was no longer visible and that Escobar had dropped clothes over a bag. In Escobar's absence, she rummaged about and found the video camera under a bag below the clothing.

"She opened the camera, removed the cassette and hid it in her purse," the lawsuit says.

"Jane did not consent to the sexual assaults and battery ... She has no recollection of them because she was unconscious and could not consent and did not consent," the lawsuit states.

Escobar ended the recording session by saying: "Pobrecita," which is the Spanish word for "poor girl," the lawsuit claims.

Greenspan said he could not comment on why it took the woman two years to go public with her allegations, or whether she had complained to police.

She has also hired lawyer Harvey Strosberg as co-counsel to put her case before the courts.

The lawsuit also claims that Escobar did not use a condom, thereby exposing the woman to both the risk of pregnancy and the risk of sexually transmitted disease.

As a result of the "assaults and battery," Jane Doe has suffered loss of income, is anxious and depressed. She requires and will require medical care and counselling, is distrustful of males and will have difficulty in the future in maintaining interpersonal relationships, the suit claims.

Escobar's conduct, the lawsuit claims, was "highhanded, outrageous, reckless, wanton, entirely without care, deliberate, callous, disgraceful, wilful in disregard of Jane's rights and indifferent to the consequences."

The suit claims $5 million in general damages and $3 million in aggravated and punitive damages. Escobar's lawyer, William Burden, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The Venezuelan-born Escobar, a hard-throwing right-hander who is in his seventh season with the Blue Jays, signed a one-year $3.9 million (U.S.) contract with the Jays over the winter. Baseball observers believe he has the stuff to become one of the game's elite closers.

But Escobar, like the rest of the Jays team, is off to a miserable start with a record of one win and a loss and an ERA of 10.80. Up until last night he had registered three saves.

His official bio posted on www.BigLeaguers.com claims the 6-foot-1 210-pound Escobar is "The man with the golden arm." His 38 saves last year made him one of the top closers in the American League and his 54 saves ranks him fourth in franchise history.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Star's Geoff Baker three weeks ago, Escobar talked about what he missed about Venezuela.

"Being around my family. I'm very much a family guy." Escobar said.

"Then, the second thing I miss is the Venezuelan ladies. The girls."

delawareonline.com/newsjournal By JACK IRELAND Staff reporter 04/26/2003

Trainer H. Graham Motion is not alone in his admiration for jockey Ramon Dominguez.

Motion, one of the nation's top young trainers, has won several big races in the past few years at Delaware Park with Dominguez aboard.

And therein lies the problem. The more Dominguez wins, the more other trainers want him for their horses.

As DelPark opens its 66th season of thoroughbred racing today, Dominguez will be riding for Motion and several other trainers at the Stanton track.

"I feel it's a big advantage to have Ramon on my horses. He is such an asset," Motion said.

Dominguez, a native of Venezuela, was leading the DelPark jockey standings last year with 104 wins before missing the last 3 1/2 months of the meet because of a broken wrist. He still finished fifth for the season and had purse earnings of $3,402,882.

After having surgery and going through intensive rehabilitation, Dominguez returned and has been one of the top riders in Maryland over the past five months.

"It's a shame what happened to him last year at Delaware," Motion said. "He was having a phenomenal year. He's a very good rider, but it is getting harder and harder to get him."

Dominguez, 26, said he is fit and ready to work harder than ever. With the retirement of Mike McCarthy, DelPark's leading rider six of the past seven years, Dominguez is the favorite to win his first jockey title at the track.

"I think some people assume it's a done deal that I'll be the leading rider at Delaware," said Dominguez, who rode 11 stakes winners at the track last year. "I think I have a very good chance, but it's not a sure thing. I never underestimate the competition.

Dominguez admitted he feared losing his edge after being injured.

"It was four months, and it was too long," he said. "My therapy after the surgery seemed to take longer than I expected. I was concerned at the time and hoping I would not lose too much business. You never know how horsemen are going to respond. If you don't get the mounts, you start to second-guess yourself.

"A lot of people in Maryland were supportive. I won with my first mount back at Laurel on Quick Punch. I was sure of myself again."

Mike Gill, the nation's leading thoroughbred owner, has used Dominguez on his horses and been impressed by his demeanor.

"For as good as he does, Ramon doesn't have an ego," said Gill, who has been barred from racing this year at DelPark. "I think he's the best in the Mid-Atlantic region. I'll still look to use him when I can. He's very approachable. I like this guy."

John Robb, a trainer for Gill in Maryland, said he also would like to use Dominguez more regularly.

"It gets so frustrating, and I wish I could get him to ride more for me," said Robb, who has been training for 30 years. "With such a big outfit, you would like to get the same riders. I'm loyal, and I want my riders to be loyal.

"Ramon is just doing what is best for his business. There are a lot of people out there who want him."

Dominguez has a strong family connection to horse racing, both thoroughbred and harness. His wife, Sharon, is an exercise rider for Motion at Fair Hill, Md. Bobby Wyatt, her father, is a harness trainer and owner from Harrington.

"I met my wife at Delaware Park when she was galloping horses," Dominguez said. "It's a great situation for us."

Dominguez said he wants to take advantage of any opportunities during the DelPark meet. That, he said, is why he doesn't limit himself to riding for a handful of trainers.

"I feel fortunate to ride for such good trainers like Graham Motion, but I really don't have a first call," Dominguez said. "I want to ride for a lot of trainers at Delaware Park."

Reach Jack Ireland at 324-2808 or jireland@delawareonline.com.

The News Journal/JENNIFER CORBETT Ramon Dominguez earned 104 wins before missing the last 3 1/2 months of last year's Delaware Park meet with of a broken wrist. He still finished fifth in the jockey standings and had purse earnings of $3,402,882.