Odom Finishes Jail Term Early in Cocaine Case

Former major league pitcher John (Blue Moon) Odom was released Tuesday from a county jail in Orange, eight days before the scheduled end of his 90-day sentence for selling cocaine.

He said all he wanted was to go home to his wife in Fountain Valley, relax over the holidays and let his agent line up some speaking engagements.

He said he wants to speak to children and tell them that “you don’t have to do drugs. You can be around the wrong people and get in trouble. That’s mainly what happened to me--being around the wrong person at the wrong time--and you get the blame.”

Odom was convicted last July of selling cocaine twice to a co-worker at the now-defunct Xerox computer plant in Irvine. The arrest cost Odom his job, and he has not been employed since.

Odom said Tuesday he thought his agent “has some stuff lined up.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that tough to pick up where I left off. Might even be a little better for me. I have a lot more I could do now,” he said.

But for the time being, he said, “I have to take it slowly and see what’s going to happen. . . . I can’t say just what I’ll jump into.”

Odom said he was released early because of his good behavior and “things being crowded” at the Theo Lacy Facility, where he was held. He was given a 90-day jail sentence and five years of probation after his conviction, which could have resulted in a six-year prison term.

“Since I’ve been here, I think I’ve gotten in shape. . . . We play softball every day. I got probably two of the longest home runs that have been hit here. It really made my time a lot easier.

“The people, the deputies here are really great. You wouldn’t make a habit of coming here, but you’re treated like a human being.”