Sports briefs 2/18/04

Baseball

The Phillie Phanatic has his head back. One week after the head of the Philadelphia Phillies' furry green mascot was stolen, it was returned. It had disappeared during a charity sale and auction of mementos from the soon-to-be-demolished Veterans Stadium. There were no leads in the case until Tuesday morning, when a listener called a disc jockey, saying he found the head and that he would bring it to the radio station's downtown offices. The man brought the head to the studio around 1 p.m. and police took it into custody.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made their first move under general manager Paul DePodesta, hiring Tim Wallach as batting instructor. The 46-year-old Wallach was a big league third baseman for 17 seasons, playing with Montreal from 1980-92 and the Dodgers from 1993-96.

Charlie Fox, who spent more than a half-century in pro ball and was the 1971 NL Manager of the Year with the San Francisco Giants, has died. He was 82. San Francisco won the NL West title under Fox in 1971, going 90-72 before losing to Pittsburgh in the NL championship series.

Major League Baseball does not have to rehire 10 umpires who are still out of work following a 1999 mass resignation, a three-judge federal appeals panel ruled. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision made in December 2002 by a U.S. District Court.

Basketball

Kings forward Chris Webber was suspended for eight games, five for violating the NBA's drug policy and three for pleading guilty to lying to a grand jury. Webber has missed the entire season after left knee surgery and was taken off the injured list Monday. His suspension started with Tuesday night's home game against Boston. The five-time All-Star hasn't played since tearing cartilage in his left knee during the second round of last season's playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jay Williams two weeks after reaching a contract buyout with the guard whose career is in jeopardy following a motorcycle accident. NBA rules require a player to be put on waivers after a team and the player make a settlement on their contract. The buyout was worth about $3 million.

College

In another blow to a program reeling from scandal, a female placekicker says she was raped by a University of Colorado football player four years ago and didn't tell police because she was too frightened. Katie Hnida makes the allegation in the upcoming edition of Sports Illustrated. She issued a statement Tuesday through the University of New Mexico where she is on the football team, saying she was "healing" from "horrors endured" at Colorado but does not mention rape. She said she did not plan to press charges.

Football

Kordell Stewart's short and disappointing one-year run with the Chicago Bears could soon be over. Bears general manager Jerry Angelo confirmed that the team could release Stewart with another year left on his contract, and might also cut linebacker Warrick Holdman and defensive end Phillip Daniels in cost-saving moves before the free agency period begins next month. Stewart signed a two-year deal as a free agent nearly a year ago.

Hockey

Vancouver Canucks forward Markus Naslund suffered a concussion and will be sidelined at least a week as a result of a hit in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. Naslund, injured when hit in the head by Colorado's Steve Moore on Monday night, was hospitalized overnight for observation and was released Tuesday morning.

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Steve Passmore will undergo hip surgery and will be out of the lineup indefinitely. Passmore is scheduled to have surgery on Saturday to repair torn cartilage in his hip. Passmore, who was recalled from Norfolk of the AHL on Dec. 9., was 2-6 this season and has allowed 2.89 goals a game.

-- From wire reports