Extra Time in the Name of Larry Bird

A 27 - year - old man demanded extra prison time because he wanted to honor his basketball hero, Larry Bird.
A lawyer for Eric James Torpy reached a plea agreement with Oklahoma City prosecutors for a 30-year jail term on two charges of shooting with intent to kill and one count of a weapons violation, Oklahoma County District Judge Ray Elliott said.
Torpy then insisted on getting 33 years to match the uniform number Bird wore when he led the Boston Celtics to three National Basketball Association championships during the 1980s, Elliott said.
"He said if he was going to go down, he was going to go down in Larry Bird's jersey,'' said Judge Elliot. The judge accommodated his request.
"We accommodated his request and he was just as happy as he could be."
"I've never seen anything like this in 26 years in the courthouse. But I know the DA is happy about it.''