Eckardt Sentenced to 18 Months in Jail

Shawn Eckardt, the beefy would-be bodyguard of Tonya Harding, was sentenced Monday in Portland, Ore., to 18 months in prison in another strange chapter of the already bizarre Nancy Kerrigan assault case.

“Mr. Eckardt, you have become a very well known person,” Circuit Judge Philip Abraham said. “There are adjectives that can be added to your name, something like infamous, notorious, greedy, dishonest, even stupid.”

The sentence already had been worked out as part of Eckardt’s agreement to plead guilty to racketeering more than two months ago. The sentencing, though, was anything but routine.

Before he left the courtroom in handcuffs, Eckardt made an unsuccessful attempt to delay the sentencing, fired his attorney and lashed out verbally at prosecutor Norm Frink.

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Mike Tyson asked a judge to reconsider her decision not to let him out of prison early, saying he knows his behavior toward a teen-age beauty contestant was “inexcusable.”

Marion Superior Court Judge Patricia Gifford declined to grant the former heavyweight boxing champion early release from prison after a three-hour hearing June 10. She said Tyson had not completed the necessary education requirements. He is scheduled to be released in May of 1995.

Cycling

Miguel Indurain of Spain took a big step toward his fourth consecutive Tour de France title, moving into the overall lead with a two-minute victory over chief rival Tony Rominger in an individual time trial.

Indurain’s lead over Rominger was 2 minutes 28 seconds after the 40-mile leg from Perigueux to Bergerac.

Basketball

With a court-imposed deadline looming, the NBA and the player association met but did not resolve their labor dispute.

Representatives of both sides will be in court today, when U.S. District Judge Kevin Duffy presides over what he said will be a one-day trial that will end in an imposed settlement.

The collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union expired after the recent playoffs, and the sides are at odds over the continuation of the salary cap, the college draft and free agency.

Rodney Dent, a second-round draft pick of the Orlando Magic, has a stress fracture in his left foot and he will sit out this week’s camp for rookies and free agents.

Hungary overcame a 39-36 halftime deficit and defeated the United States, 79-65, in the William Jones Cup men’s basketball tournament at Taipei, Taiwan.

Miscellany

Defenseman Nikolai Tsulygin, a second-round draft pick in 1993, and right wing Valeri Karpov, a third-round pick in ‘93, signed with the Mighty Ducks. . . . The International Hockey League approved a plan to pursue expansion into Europe for the 1995-96 season.

Paul Joiner, a linebacker at California, was seriously injured in an auto accident and remained hospitalized in the intensive care unit of Highland Hospital in Oakland.

Henry Aaron, baseball’s career home run leader, was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the third annual Jim Thorpe Pro Sports Awards show at the Wiltern Theatre. The Kings’ Wayne Gretzky received the Thorpe Legacy Award.

Warner Alford, his department reeling under a second NCAA inquiry in eight years, announced he was stepping down as athletic director at Mississippi after 17 years.

Former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas was released from a Columbus, Ohio, hospital one week after having been admitted to the coronary care unit with complications of diabetes.

Arazi, the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion, was under intensive care after undergoing surgery in Newmarket, England. Now at stud for Sheikh Mohammed, Arazi had the operation after showing symptoms of colic.

Jenny Lee of Fullerton shot a six-under 67 to take a four-shot lead over Kelli Kuehne of McKinney, Tex., in the opening round of the U.S. Girls’ Junior championships at Great Falls, Mont.