Fast Break

Swimming

Phelps’ image goes to pot

Olympic great Michael Phelps acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment” after a photo in a British newspaper Sunday showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

In a statement, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games did not dispute the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in the statement released by one of his agents. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina

While the newspaper did not specifically allege that Phelps was smoking pot, it did say the water pipe is generally used for that purpose and anonymously quoted a partygoer who said the Olympic champion was “out of control from the moment he got there.”

Phelps’ only sanctions most likely will be financial – perhaps doled out by embarrassed sponsors who might be reconsidering their dealings with the swimmer.

Baseball

Wells fires back at Torre

Former pitcher David Wells fired back at Joe Torre in a radio interview aired in Los Angeles, saying the manager has unfairly criticized his ex-Yankees players in his new book.

Torre’s book, “The Yankee Years,” co-written with Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, deals with the team Torre managed in New York from 1996-2007. He is now the Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager.

Torre said of Wells: “The difference between Kevin Brown and David Wells is that both make your life miserable, but David Wells meant to.”

Wells said: “If I was trying to make his life miserable, I would have succeeded.

“What we do as athletes, that’s our problem, our business, and a lot of guys have come out and destroyed that. That’s why they don’t have any friends. You just don’t do that, and that’s what Joe did. When you break the code, you’re a punk.”