Love the Suit

LAST WEEK, 32-YEAR-OLD Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels filed a $150,000 lawsuit against London-based Cornucopia Events, claiming that he paid the promoter nearly $70,000 for three VIP packages for November's Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York City. He was to receive tickets to the show and an after party, a four-night hotel stay and limousine service—but, he says, he never received any tickets and was denied entry. As strange as this case (and the $70K price tag) may seem, it fits in well among odd lawsuits filed by athletes.

BRYAN FORTAY VS. THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, 1993

ASK $10 million

CLAIM

Miami's backup quarterback in 1989 and '90 said then coach Dennis Erickson promised to eventually make him the Hurricanes' starting QB. He didn't. Fortay alleged that being denied the spot prevented him from earning millions in the NFL.

VERDICT

The case was settled out of court in June 1996.

LATRELL SPREWELL VS. THE WARRIORS AND THE NBA, 1998

ASK $30 million

CLAIM

Spree wanted to recover lost wages and damages, alleging that his 68-game suspension for choking Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo at a team practice in December 1997 was racially discriminatory and violated his right to make a living. "I wasn't choking P.J. that hard," Sprewell later told 60 Minutes. "I mean, he could breathe."

VERDICT

A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in July 1988.

JOHN DALY VS. THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2005

ASK at least $15,000

CLAIM

Daly sued for libel after former columnist Mike Freeman wrote in an op-ed piece that Daly "failed the scoundrel sniff test."

VERDICT

A judge threw out the case in 2009, saying Daly had failed to prove that the statements were libelous and untrue. He was ordered to pay the newspaper $272,000 in legal fees.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ VS. MLB, 2013

ASK not specified

CLAIM

A-Rod accused the league of "tortious interference" and being in cahoots with former Biogenesis CEO Anthony Bosch as part of a witch hunt to force Rodriguez out of baseball. The suit was filed days after Rodriguez's appeal of the 211-game ban issued by MLB for steroid use.

VERDICT

A-Rod's suspension was eventually cut to 162 games, and on Feb. 7, 2014, he dropped the lawsuit.

SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE

Former attorney general Eric Holder used the name Lew Alcindor for his official email address.

PHOTO

RYANFORTAY.WORDPRESS.COM (FORTAY)

PHOTO

YAHOO SPORTS (DALY)

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TAILWINDONLINE.COM (NEWSPAPER)

PHOTO

RON FREHM/AP (SPREWELL)

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GVK/BAUER-GRIFFIN/GC IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES (RODRIGUEZ)

PHOTO

CAROLYN KASTER/AP (HOLDER)

TWO ILLUSTRATIONS

ILLUSTRATIONS: CLAUDIA LO GIUDICE/NOUN PROJECT (COLUMNS)

ILLUSTRATION

ILLUSTRATION: PARKJISUN/NOUN PROJECT (GAVEL)

THREE PHOTOS