Felony charges dropped against Iverson
PHILADELPHIA, July 30 (UPI) -- A judge Monday afternoon threw out all criminal charges except two misdemeanor counts against Allen Iverson, superstar guard of the Philadelphia 76ers following a preliminary hearing which lasted six hours.
Iverson, 27, was arrested on 14 charges in connection with a July 3 incident in which he and his uncle, 39-year-old Gregory Iverson, allegedly burst into his cousin's apartment with a handgun and threatened two men. Four of the charges were felonies--two counts of criminal trespass, a weapons charge and conspiracy--but all were thrown out. The only charges left standing by Municipal Court Judge James M. DeLeon were two counts of terroristic threats
Monday's preliminary hearing featured testimony from Iverson's two accusers--Charles Jones and Hakim Casey--and his cousin, Shaun Bowman. Jones, 21, and Carey, 17, alleged that Iverson came to a Philadelphia apartment once shared by Jones and Bowman, showed them a handgun in his waistband and threatened them, demanding to know the whereabouts of his wife, according to police reports. However, under questioning by Iverson's attorney Richard Sprague in Monday's preliminary hearing, Carey said that he did not see Iverson brandish a gun when he showed up in the apartment with his uncle.
All charges, except the two counts of terroristic threats, also were dismissed against Iverson's uncle.
On July 16, five days after being charged by the Philadelphia district attorney's office, Iverson and his uncle surrendered to police and were arraigned.
Iverson allegedly threw his wife, Tawanna, out of the couple's mansion during a fight earlier this month, then stormed into his cousin's apartment with a gun while searching for her.
It was yet another brush with the law for Iverson, whose cornrows, tattoos and hoops skills helped develop a crossover hip-hop image that has taken a terrific tumble in just over a year.
Last summer, Iverson was coming off an MVP season, having led the 76ers to their first NBA Finals appearance in 18 years. He married Tawanna in a huge wedding in New Jersey and appeared to be showing much more maturity than he had in the past.
As a teenager in 1993, Iverson was convicted of maiming by mob following his role in a Virginia bowling alley brawl and served four months in a prison farm before receiving clemency. The conviction later was overturned.
In the summer of 1997, weeks after winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award, Iverson was a passenger in his own car, which was stopped for speeding near Richmond, Va. A police search of the vehicle found a small amount of marijuana and a large handgun that belonged to Iverson. He received three years probation.
Rams give RB Faulk long-term deal
MACOMB, Ill., July 30 (UPI) -- The St. Louis Rams announced Monday that veteran running back Marshall Faulk, considered one of the premier players in the history of the National Football League, has agreed to a seven-year contract which will take him through the remainder of his playing career.
Faulk came to the Rams in a 1999 trade with the Indianapolis Colts for second and fifth-round draft choices. His arrival and the emergence of quarterback Kurt Warner helped awaken the Rams, who went from a 4-12 record in 1998 to a 13-3 record in '99 and the Super Bowl XXXIV championship.
In three seasons with the Rams, Faulk has scored a team-record 59 touchdowns in 44 regular-season games and gained 6,765 yards rushing and receiving. During his tenure with the Rams, Faulk has scored four touchdowns in a game four times, three touchdowns in a game four times, and two touchdowns in a game seven times.
Cards acquire Scott Rolen from Phillies
PHILADELPHIA, July 30 (UPI) -- The Philadelphia Phillies traded talented third baseman Scott Rolen and minor league reliever Doug Nickel to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday in exchange for infielder Placido Polanco, lefthander Bud Smith and veteran reliever Mike Timlin.
The 27-year-old Rolen is among the best all-around third basemen in the game but was eligible for free agency following this season. With the prospect of getting virtually nothing for him this winter and Wednesday's non-waiver trading deadline looming, the Phillies opted to send him to the National League Central leaders.
The deal ends a year-long drama that has seen Rolen become the object of fans' disdain. This offseason, he reportedly turned down a 10-year contract that could have been worth $140 million and with Philadelphia mired in last in the NL East, Rolen became the poster boy for the Phillies' woes in 2002.
Rolen has rebounded after a slow start and is batting .259 with 17 homers and 66 RBI in 375 at-bats. He is a Gold Glove third baseman and fills a need for St. Louis, which toyed with the idea of playing slugger Albert Pujols there this spring.
Just prior to the season, the Cardinals turned the starting job over to Polanco, who is better suited as a platoon player. With little production and the need for a righthanded bat in the middle of the lineup, St. Louis bid for Rolen.
Rolen's 2002 salary is $8.6 million and who picks up the $2.8 million remaining this season reportedly was a point of contention. Polanco, 26, is hitting .284 with five homers and 27 RBI in 342 at-bats.
Timlin, 36, is 1-3 with a 2.51 ERA in 42 games for St. Louis this season but the Cardinals have a deep bullpen, especially from the right side. Less than a year removed from a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres, Smith has been a major disappointment for St. Louis.
The 22-year-old southpaw is 1-5 with a 6.94 ERA in 11 games -- 10 starts. He has surrendered 67 hits in 48 innings this season and was unable to seize a spot in a rotation that has been hit hard by injuries and devastated by the death of Darryl Kile.
Starzz Dydek suspended for one game
NEW YORK, July 30 (UPI) -- Utah Starzz center Margo Dydek was suspended for one game after exceeding the league's flagrant foul penalty points limit, the WNBA announced on Monday.
Dydek has accumulated five flagrant foul points, one over the league limit. She committed a flagrant foul on Phoenix's Jaynetta Saunders in Friday's 74-61 victory for her fifth point of the season. She will miss Utah's game with Miami on Wednesday.
The tallest player in league history at 7-2, Dydek is averaging 13.3 points and 9.4 rebounds this season and leads the league with 91 blocks. A native of Poland, she recorded the second triple-double in the history of the league last season.
Rangers release veteran Dave Burba
ARLINGTON, Texas, July 30 (UPI) -- The Texas Rangers announced Monday that veteran starter Dave Burba has been placed on irrevocable waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.
Burba had a record of 4-5 with an ERA of 5.42. He pitched in 111 1/3 innings for Texas this season, including 18 starts. He allowed eight runs in 5 1/3 innings over four outings since being sent to the bullpen on July 16. When his release waivers expire on Thursday, the ex-Cleveland ace will become a free agent.
The Rangers have recalled righthander Joaquin Benoit from Triple-A Oklahoma in the Pacific Coast League. He was in uniform for Monday night's home game against the New York Yankees. Benoit was 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA during an earlier stint with the Rangers. In three starts and four games overall, he surrendered 10 earned runs over 20 innings. At Oklahoma, Benoit went 8-4 in 16 starts with an ERA of 3.56. This will be his fifth stint with the big league club this season.
White Sox deal Alomar to Rockies
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y., July 30 (UPI) -- The Chicago White Sox have unloaded their third regular in less than a week.
The White Sox agreed to send 36-year-old catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. to the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher Enemencio Pacheco.
Chicago and Colorado played in Monday's annual Hall of Fame contest. After the game, changed teams and left upstate New York as a member of the Rockies.
Last Thursday, Chicago traded second baseman Ray Durham to the Oakland Athletics, then dealt outfielder Kenny Lofton to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.
Saints sign top draft choice
THIBODAUX, :La., July 30 (UPI) -- The New Orleans Saints signed their top draft pick and welcomed their tardy quarterback to camp Monday.
Donte' Stallworth, the first wide receiver selected in the 2002 draft, signed a six-year contract with the Saints reportedly worth $8.9 million over the first five years.
Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and Stallworth's agent, Jimmy Sexton, conducted a marathon negotiating session on Sunday after Stallworth missed the first three days of training camp.
Meanwhile, after also missing the first three days of training camp, quarterback Aaron Brooks reported on Monday.
Brooks, 25, is believed to be seeking a new contract. He is scheduled to make the new league minimum of $450,000 in 2002 after tying a club record with 26 touchdown passes last season. Brooks started all 16 games last year for the Saints and passed for 3,832 yards, but was intercepted 22 times.
Germany sets women's swim mark
BERLIN, July 30 (UPI) -- Franziska van Almsick anchored Germany to victory in a world record time of three minutes, 36 seconds in the women's 4x100 metres freestyle relay at the European swimming championships on Monday.
Kathrin Meissner, Petra Dallmann, Sandra Voelker and van Almisck shaved 0.61 seconds off the previous mark set by the United States by winning Olympic gold in Sydney two years ago.
Sweden, the defending European champions, were a distant second in 3:40.66 while The Netherlands took the bronze medal in 3:41.98.
76er Coleman charged in DUI case
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., July 30 (UPI) -- Philadelphia 76ers forward Derrick Coleman Monday faced charges of driving 100 mph and operating a vehicle under the influence.
Coleman, 35, of Detroit, was picked up Saturday on Interstate 696.
Police Chief William Dwyer said Coleman was alone in his 2003 Land Rover and driving 100 mph in a 70 mph zone. He said Coleman refused to take a Breathalyzer test but officers said they "detected the odor of intoxicants" on his breath.
Coleman was released on $150 bond after submitting to a court-ordered blood test and his car was impounded.
