Jason Kidd's plea deal

July 16, 2013

He could have killed someone. He could have killed himself. His punishment is to talk to high school kids on Long Island about the dangers of drunk driving.

Hey, don't get me wrong, Mr. Kidd can serve as a great role model by talking to youngsters about the horrors of driving drunk. But if he weren't Jason Kidd the future hall of famer and if he were just Jason Smith, average citizen, would he have been given probation? I'm just sayin'.

And if the court indeed wants him to be the poster child for teaching kids not to drink and drive, then why wouldn't Mr. Kidd take advantage of his first opportunity to spread the word? I'm referring to his scheduled appearance on tomorrow's Live With Kelly and Michael, here on WABC TV. He was supposed to be a guest, but producers say he cancelled. What a great opportunity missed - to talk to moms about the dangers of kids and driving drunk. A sympathetic audience, a chance one day after his lenient sentence to offer his mea culpa and send a message. Opportunity lost.

We'll have the latest on the Kidd plea deal, tonight at 11.

Also at 11, the heat wave continues - this time with more than 40,000 people crammed into a sweaty Citi Field for tonight's All-Star Baseball game. How are fans coping with the heat, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers? And we're also taking a look at some of the off-beat and sometimes risky ways some folks are trying to keep cool. Meteorologist Lee Goldberg heads our coverage as he tracks this relentless hot weather.

And more questions tonight about New York City's 9-1-1 system. Mayoral candidate Christine Quinn asking the questions tonight, after one of her aides fainted from the heat today. 9-1-1 was called, but help didn't come. After half an hour, Ms. Quinn, the City Council Speaker, called NYPD Commish Ray Kelly and an ambulance showed up a short time later. So what happened? We take a closer look tonight.

We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Rob Powers with highlights from the All Star game and the rest of the night's sports. I hope you can join Sade Baderinwa and me, tonight at 11.

BILL RITTER

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