REPORT: STRAWBERRY BEGGED TO BE LET OFF

TAMPA, Fla., April 16 _ A Tampa police sergeant says Yankees slugger
Darryl Strawberry begged police to let him go after he asked an
undercover officer for drugs and sex.

The officer told the New York Daily News that Strawberry said the bust
would ruin his career and asked if there was anything he could do to
change the situation.

Police say Strawberry told them he was only joking after he
propositioned the officer on Tuesday night. He also said he knew
nothing about the cocaine.

The drug was allegedly found wrapped in a $20 bill, and police say
Strawberry claimed he found the money in the glove compartment of a
borrowed car.

A family friend tells the News that Strawberry's wife Charisse plans
to stand by her troubled husband, who is undergoing chemotherapy for
colon cancer.

New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says he is pulling for
Strawberry, and feels ``very, very sorry for him.''

Team owner George Steinbrenner has refused to comment, while baseball
commissioner Bud Selig says the justice system must run its course.

Pitcher David Cone, one of Strawberry's teammates who supported him
throughout his battle with colon cancer as the team fought to become
World Series champions last year, called the bust ``an awful
situation.''

He said, ``I love the guy. He's a friend of mine and I've got to stand
by him.''

The News reports Strawberry submitted to a supervised urine test two
times as part of his regular drug monitoring last week, on Tuesday and
yesterday, but had no word on the results.

Strawberry must take the tests because of a 1995 suspension for
cocaine use.

The tests detect cocaine use over the three previous days.

Police say Strawberry was caught with one-third of a gram of cocaine -
enough for a single hit.