Fanfare 7/16/02

Briefly

Baseball

Texas Rangers closer Hideki Irabu was hospitalized Monday with small blood clots in his lungs.

Irabu was taken to St. Luke's Hospital by assistant trainer Ray Ramirez about 4 a.m. EDT Monday after complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath.

He is expected to be hospitalized for two to three days before returning to Texas.

Irabu was given medication and blood thinners to dissolve the clots was scheduled for additional tests to determine where the blood clots formed.

Irabu leads the Rangers with 16 save and had a 3-8 record with a 5.74 ERA in 38 games. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday.

Ted Williams' children are close to announcing an agreement over whether the body of one of baseball's greatest hitters will remain frozen, an attorney said Monday.

Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell and her half siblings, John Henry Williams and Claudia Williams, met for hours Monday at a lawyer's office. John Henry Williams left with Claudia without commenting, as did Ferrell, who left in a separate car.

Richard Fitzpatrick, one of Ferrell's attorneys, would not say if an agreement has been reached, but said he is hopeful the feud can be resolved today.

John Henry Williams and Ferrell, have been fighting over what to do with their father's remains since the slugger died July 5 after a series of strokes and congestive heart failure.

Basketball

Allen Iverson prepared to surrender to police on charges he burst into his cousin's apartment with a handgun and threatened two men.

The 2000-01 NBA MVP has been confined to his $2.4 million house since prosecutors announced last week they would charge him and his uncle with assault, terroristic threats and related offenses.

Iverson also faces gun charges. The 27-year-old Philadelphia 76ers guard and his uncle were expected to turn themselves in Tuesday.

Iverson allegedly threw his wife, Tawanna, out of their suburban mansion during a fight, then barged into the cousin's Philadelphia apartment with a gun while searching for her the next night. Iverson and his uncle allegedly threatened two people inside the apartment -- 21-year-old Charles Jones and 17-year-old Hakim Carey.

Football

Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, whose 296 games played is an NFL record for non-kickers, retired Monday after 19 seasons with the same organization.

Matthews, 40, made the announcement at the southwest Houston offices of team owner Bud Adams. Matthews played his first 14 seasons for the Houston Oilers before the franchise moved to Nashville after the 1996 season.

Matthews will be inducted into the team's hall of fame and have his No. 74 retired in December, Adams said.

Houston's first-round pick in the 1983 draft, Matthews never missed a game because of injury in his career and played all five line positions during that time.

Hockey

The Chicago Blackhawks signed free-agent defenseman Jason Strudwick on Monday.

Strudwick, 26, played in 44 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season, recording two goals and four assists. He received a one-year deal from Chicago worth $500,000.

Originally a 1994 draft choice of the New York Islanders, Strudwick was traded to Vancouver in 1998.

He has played in 261 NHL games, scoring four goals and setting up 16 others with the Islanders and the Canucks.

Tennis

Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian was upset in the first round of the $381,000 Croatia Open on Monday, losing 6-4, 6-3 to Spanish qualifier David Ferrer.

Both players struggled with their serves under light rain, with breaks in four of the first six games. The top-seeded Nalbandian also was broken in the last game of the first set.

"I had some problems with my knee," Nalbandian said. "But that was not the reason for my loss. Ferrer is a very good player and he played very good tennis today." On July 7, Nalbandian lost to No. 1-ranked Lleyton Hewitt in the most lopsided Wimbledon final in 18 years. Nalbandian was the first player to reach the final at the All England Club in his Wimbledon debut.

In other first-round Croatian Open action, Mario Radic defeated Julian Knowle 6-4, 6-3, and Oliver Gross came back to beat Markus Hipfl 3-6, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5).

Motorsports

Ricky Rudd's options for his future were shortened Monday when his car owner indicated it was unlikely the veteran racer would be back in the No. 28 Ford.

While the team tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, car owner Robert Yates said chances were "slim" that Rudd would be back next season.

"I won't say none, but I'd say slim because I think his best situation would be if he goes somewhere that will be very competitive and pay very well," Yates said. "In a way it's sad, but I've looked at the numbers and they haven't lied to me."

Rudd had set Monday as his deadline to figure out what he's going to do next year, with returning to the No. 28, leaving for another team and retirement as his options.

His decision is expected to start a domino-effect on NASCAR's free agent season, with Elliott Sadler already coveting Rudd's ride.

But Monday came and went without a firm decision, only indications that Rudd's days with Yates are numbered.

Verbatim

Fans always complain that professional athletes are out of touch with the common man. Now, Dallas Cowboys Coach Dave Campo may have come up with a way to change that mentality. He's having his players punch in on a time clock every day.

Campo feels that with the Cowboys trying to build a playoff contender from last season's 5-11 team, a construction-worker mentality was a perfect idea.

"We are trying to build something, obviously," Campo told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I want guys thinking, `This is our job. We are going to take our lunch pails to work. We've got a construction job to do, so let's get it done.'`

-- From wire reports