Odom, Instead of Going to Jail, Is Allowed to Stay at Alcohol Abuse Clinic Until Oct. 17

Former major league pitcher John (Blue Moon) Odom, who was supposed to have begun a 90-day jail sentence Monday for selling cocaine, will be allowed to remain instead at an in-patient alcohol abuse clinic at least until Oct. 17, a judge ruled Friday.

Odom, 41, was convicted by a jury July 31 of two felony counts of selling small amounts of cocaine in May 1985 to a co-worker at the now-defunct Xerox plant. Orange County Superior Court Judge David H. Brickner sentenced Odom to 90 days in Orange County Jail but gave him until Monday to report.

After the sentencing Sept. 5, the former Oakland A’s pitcher, who played in three World Series, 1972-73-74, admitted he was dependent on alcohol and checked himself into the Roque Center in Garden Grove for an eight-day detoxification treatment. After that, he enrolled in a 150-day alcohol abuse treatment program there.

Friday, Odom’s attorney, Stephan DeSales, was to have asked the judge to modify Odom’s sentence to allow him to continue the treatment. But the hearing was postponed until Oct. 17 because the prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregg L. Prickett couldn’t attend Friday.