Texas' Garrido gets 4 days in jail in DWI case

Jul 16, 2009 - 10:10 PM By SCHUYLER DIXON Associated Press Writer

DALLAS(AP) -- Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido was sentenced Thursday to four days in jail for a drunken driving conviction, though he might not serve any time.

Garrido's attorney, Michael Burnett, said Travis County jail officials will decide how long to keep the winningest coach in Division I after he reports sometime before Aug. 15. Burnett said the 70-year-old Garrido received two days' credit when he was arrested and could earn the other two days simply by getting processed.

The coach said he entered the guilty plea quickly to own up to a "terrible mistake in judgment" that he said could have endangered others.

"I'm not a martyr here," he said. "I'm not asking for sympathy. I'm just saying I'd like to walk the same walk that I ask my players to walk. And that's what I'm doing."

Garrido was fined $500 by County Court-at-Law Judge Elisabeth Earle and had his driver's license suspended for 90 days after the misdemeanor first-time offense.

Garrido was arrested in downtown Austin in January when police noticed he was driving without his headlights on. He pleaded guilty two weeks later. Travis County Attorney David Escamilla said his office recommended a five-day jail sentence.

Garrido has 1,679 victories and five national championships, including two with the Longhorns. He fell a game short of another title last month when Texas lost the deciding game of a best-of-3 championship series to LSU.

Burnett said Garrido has completed an alcohol counseling program and a two-hour session with Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

"This has been pretty high-profile, and now it's a part of me," Garrido said. "I've got to turn it into something that does some good for some people."