Blue Moon Odom Ordered to Report to Jail Next Thursday to Serve 90-Day Sentence

An Orange County Superior Court judge Friday refused an emotional plea by former pitcher John (Blue Moon) Odom to continue in a 150-day, live-in alcohol rehabilitation program rather than serve 90 days in jail for selling cocaine.

“I think your rehabilitative efforts so far are Herculean, and I commend you,” Judge David H. Brickner said. “But I believe the piper has to be paid.”

Odom, who had been scheduled to begin his sentence Friday, will report to the Orange County Jail next Thursday. Odom’s attorney, Stephan A. DeSales, requested the delay to give Odom time to complete the first phase of the program at the Roque Center in Garden Grove, where he has been for three weeks.

Brickner encouraged Odom to return to the program when he leaves jail.

In July, a jury convicted Odom of two counts of selling small amounts of cocaine to a co-worker at a since-closed Xerox plant in May 1985.

Brickner sentenced Odom to 90 days but twice postponed the sentence, first to give Odom 30 days to enter an alcohol abuse program and then to hear a request from Odom’s attorney to modify the sentence.

Brickner said he would ask Orange County Jail officials to let Odom serve his sentence at the James A. Musick honor farm.