Florida Sentinel Bulletin

PARIS  — Serena Williams won her 16th Grand Slam title and her first French Open championship since 2002 on Saturday, relentlessly chasing down one shot after another to defeat familiar foil Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4.

“Eleven years,” Williams said in French during the trophy ceremony. “I think it’s unbelievable. Now I have 16 Grand Slam titles. It’s difficult for me to speak because I’m so excited.”

Then the national anthem played for the first American singles champion at Roland Garros since Williams’ previous title.

Williams whacked 10 aces, including three in the final game, and the last came on match point at 123 mph — her hardest serve of the day. She then sank to her knees, screamed at the sky and buried her face in the clay.

The victory completed her rebound from a shocking loss to 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano in the first round at the French Open a year ago. Since that defeat she’s 74-3, including titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the London Olympics and the season-ending WTA Championships.

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young was released from an Orange County, Calif., jail Thursday night on $50,000 bond after almost a month behind bars.

The wide receiver is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing June 24.

Young had been imprisoned since he was arrested for a third time on May 11 for burglary, assault on a police officer and resisting arrest after allegedly breaking into a home.

The wide receiver was initially arrested on May 5 for suspicion of DUI in Riverside County. He was taken into custody again later the same day for allegedly breaking into a tow yard to steal back his own impounded car.

Young had also been issued a permanent restraining order by his child’s mother after she claimed there were threats of domestic violence.

The Lions released Young on Feb. 4, 2013, after he repeatedly broke team rules and became a distraction. The St. Louis Rams claimed him off waivers on Feb. 5 only to release him 10 days later.

Since becoming a free agent, Young has had several run-ins with the law, and his father may know why the 23-year-old is having so much trouble. Young’s father claims that his son has a brain disorder and needs help.

David “Deacon” Jones, a Hall of Fame American football defensive end credited with terming the word sack for how he knocked down quarterbacks, has died. He was 74.

The Washington Redskins said that Jones died of natural causes at his home in Southern California on Monday night.

“Deacon Jones was one of the greatest players in NFL history. Off the field, he was a true giant,” said Redskins general manager Bruce Allen, whose father, George, coached Jones with the Los Angeles Rams. “His passion and spirit will continue to inspire those who knew him. He was cherished member of the Allen family and I will always consider him my big brother.”

Jones was the leader of the Rams’ Fearsome Foursome unit from 1961-71 and then played for San Diego for two seasons before finishing his career with the Redskins in 1974. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980 and made the league’s 75th anniversary all-time squad.

The Rams’ stats show Jones with 159 1-2 sacks for them and 173 1-2 for his career — all unofficial, of course. Jones also was one of the most durable players, missing just five games in his 14 pro seasons.

A 14th-round draft pick in 1961 out of Mississippi Valley State University, which later produced Jerry Rice, Jones was the first defensive lineman with 100 solo tackles, reaching that mark in 1967.

MILWAUKEE  — Larry Drew could have sulked during his last season in Atlanta, complained to anyone who would listen about being a lame duck despite a winning record and three straight playoff appearances.

He never did.

“When you stay in this game as long as I have, the most important thing is you don’t take a negative situation and keep it negative,” Drew said. “I thought I would get something positive of it.”

Grant Hill announced his retirement Saturday night, moments before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Hill joined TNT’s “Inside the NBA” crew and summed up his career closing in two words: “I’m done.”

Hill played 18 NBA seasons with the Pistons, Magic, Suns and Clippers.

In 1996, Hill beat out Michael Jordan as the leading vote-getter in the NBA All-Star Game. He was that popular.

In his first six seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Hill averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. The third overall pick in 94s draft was a potential triple-double threat on any given night.

His endorsements ranged from Fila sneakers to Sprite. His last 12 seasons in the league were marred by ankle injuries, which first emerged during his final season with the Pistons in 2000.

Hill was never the same player after signing a free agent contract with the Orlando Magic that summer and would undergo multiple surgeries throughout what should have been the ‘prime’ of his career.

Former NBA All-Star guard Mookie Blaylock is being charged with second-degree vehicular homicide after a crash he allegedly caused resulted in a woman’s death on Friday night.

Tthe former Atlanta Hawk was driving in Jonesboro, Ga., on Friday when his car veered into oncoming traffic and hit a van head-on.

The passenger of that van died as a result of the accident.

Now, Blaylock, who was driving under a suspended license faces a second-degree vehicular manslaughter charge along with improper lane change, crossing the median and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Blaylock is still in the hospital with injuries of his own, although he is in fair condition after initially being put on life support.

Although he still has much to prove as a Buccaneer man, Eric Wright is already well established as an NFL survivor.

The fact Wright remains on Tampa Bay’s roster after a tumultuous 2012 season illustrates the survival skills of a 27-year-old cornerback who was forced to apologize to teammates after returning from a four-game league suspension in December.

When Wright was eligible to dress for the season finale at Atlanta, Bucs coach Greg Schiano benched him, raising doubts about Wright’s status in Tampa. But here he is, working out with the rest of his teammates during steamy offseason practice sessions and vowing to show Tampa Bay fans why the Bucs coveted him as a free agent out of Detroit.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis was acquired from the Jets, and All-Pro safety Dashon Goldson was signed from the 49ers as a free agent. Veteran Ronde Barber retired and Tampa Bay used its top draft pick to select corner Johnthan Banks in the se-cond round.

There’s a lot on the line tonight when the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat meet in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

The winner advances to the NBA Finals to meet the San Antonio Spurs. In Game 6 in Indianapolis on Saturday, the Pacers dominated the boards against the Heat. This time, LeBron James wasn’t able to put the rest of the Heat on his back and carry them to victory. Will he be able to do that tonight? A win tonight would be huge for James and the Heat. Win, and they’re the first South Florida team to play in three championships since the dynastic Dolphins did it in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Lose, and last season’s title starts to look like an aberation rather than the payoff for landing the Big Three in Miami.

A win by the Pacers re-establishes them as an elite NBA team that was built from the ground-up — not by flashy free-agent signings. That could encourage other teams (i.e. Orlando Magic) to follow the same map.

So, who do you think — who will prevail tonight? The Heat or the Pacers? Sentinel Pick: Miami

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert is in the news for all of the wrong reasons despite his team’s success this postseason.

During an interview after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, a 91-77 win for the Pacers, Hibbert made two controversial comments, the first being a gay slur and the second an expletive when criticizing the media.

Hibbert was later fined $75,000 for his statements. Commissioner David Stern expanded on his decision to fine the former Georgetown Hoya. Hibbert later issued an apology for his comments: I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the postgame press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night. They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television. I apologize to those who I have offended, to our fans and to the Pacers’ organization. I sincerely have deep regret over my choice of words last night.