Sir Chuck-It-All-Away's next move: Shaken up not stirred

After running down the list of cons and cons (linked here) about why TNT would keep Charles Barkley on the air in light of his recent, ahem, legal problems with the Scottsdale police department -- complete with a completely unflattering booking shot -- news finally trickles out that he says he's taking a "leave of absence," mostly to lay low in light of the fact his bloodtest from a recent DUI stop registered pretty high.

Like, .149 high, almost twice the legal limit of .08 percent.

Barkley was pulled over on New Year's Eve on suspicion on drunken driving in Scottsdale after he ran a stop sign. He later admitted, allegedly, that he had been drinking with Michael Strahan and Urkel and was in pursuit of a lady of the night across the road. But all that stuff is Internet heresay, which we've just repeated because we have no other information about what really happened.

How long will Barkley be off the air? Some of those sketchy anonymous sources told the Associated Press it would be a couple of weeks. Maybe longer. Maybe shorter. They're just guessing. TNT's next big event is the All-Star Game in Barkley's home of Phoenix in mid February. That would be a perfect coming-back-out party time for him.

Barkley also has a golf reality show with Hank Haney that's supposed to come on the Golf Channel sometime this year.

"When I spoke with Charles, he was apologetic for the events that transpired and it was
obvious he understood the significance of this situation," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports, said in a statement. "This is an important time for Charles as he deals with the legal and personal issues that confront him. Charles is a valued part of the Turner Sports organization, and we are concerned for his well-being."