BURBANK, Calif. — A private jet, carrying Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and six others, overran a runway at Bob Hope Airport on Friday and was brought to a halt by an arresting system.
"I spoke to Alex. He's fine," agent Scott Boras said.
None of the seven people aboard were injured, federal officials said.
The Gulfstream G-II carried five passengers and two crew members, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement from Washington, D.C. It departed from Las Vegas earlier in the day.
The twin-engine jet was stopped by the Engineered Materials Arresting System, a 200-foot-long stretch of pavement injected with air bubbles designed to collapse under the weight of an aircraft as large as a Boeing 737 jet traveling as fast as 50 knots, airport spokesman Victor Gill said.
"It came to a pretty quick stop," Gill said.
Damage to the aircraft was minor, the NTSB said.
Friday's incident came just two days after Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle's plane failed to execute a U-turn and slammed into the side of a high-rise in Manhattan, killing Lidle and his flight instructor.
PINIELLA PASSES ON GIANTS: As much as Lou Piniella would have loved to manage the San Francisco Giants, he took himself out of running for the job Friday strictly because of geography.
Piniella, who is broadcasting the American League championship series for Fox, lives in Tampa, Fla., and was reminded this week on a long cross-country flight of one of the main reasons why he left the Seattle Mariners in the first place.
"The whole situation is this: Lou has a very long-standing relationship and friendship with (Giants GM) Brian Sabean," Piniella's agent, Alan Nero, said in a phone interview Friday. "When the opening came up, he was interested. He has tremendous respect for the organization and a lot of respect for Peter (Magowan) and ownership. He was intrigued by the opportunity and happy that they considered him."
San Francisco parted ways with Felipe Alou after four years on Oct. 2. The Giants are committed to moving forward with a younger roster, and perhaps a younger manager.
CHISOX LET RAINES GO: The Chicago White Sox let bench coach Tim Raines go Friday, opting not to renew his contract. Hired in November 2004, Raines served as first base coach when the White Sox won the World Series in 2005 before moving to the bench this season.
A seven-time All-Star, Raines batted .294 and stole 808 bases in a 23-year career that began with the Montreal Expos in 1980 and included stints with the White Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Florida Marlins.
JOHNNY CALLISON DIES: Johnny Callison, the rocket-armed right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies who hit a bottom-of-the-ninth home run that won the 1964 All-Star game, has died. He was 67.
He died Thursday at Abington Hospital following an illness, Phillies spokesman Larry Shenk said Friday. He lived in Glenside, a Philadelphia suburb.
Callison was born in Oklahoma and went on to become a three-time All-Star during his 16-year career. A left-handed hitter with a smooth swing, Callison started with the Chicago White Sox in 1958 and established himself as one of the top players in the National League after being traded to Philadelphia two years later.
"What a wonderful player he was," commissioner Bud Selig said from Detroit before Game 3 of the ALCS. "Strong arm. Hit that home run that won the '64 All-Star game. I liked watching him play."