NBey6's Blog

So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

 - John 8:7 -

Allen Iverson signs with 76ers again

• By DAN GELSTON, AP Sports Writer
• Dan Gelston, Ap Sports Writer
• 5 mins ago

PHILADELPHIA – Dust off the No. 3 jersey. Allen Iverson is a Philadelphia 76er again.

Sixers president Ed Stefanski announced the signing Wednesday on the team's Web site. Iverson is expected to make his debut Monday at home against the Denver Nuggets.

"In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time," Stefanski said in a release.

Williams, who averaged 17.4 points and 5.1 assists, broke his jaw in Philadelphia's loss to Washington on Nov. 24.

Iverson, his agent and business manager met with Stefanski, coach Eddie Jordan and two other members of the organization Monday.

The 34-year-old Iverson announced his retirement last week after an ill-fated stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. The 10-time All-Star was NBA MVP in 2001 when he led the Sixers to the NBA finals.

"We had, at times, a rocky road with Allen Iverson, but we also had a fantastic run with Allen," Peter Luukko, COO of Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the 76ers and Flyers, told The Associated Press. "The expectations with Allen have changed dramatically. We're not looking for Allen to individually lead this team the way he has in the past."

Iverson was offered a one-year, non-guaranteed contract on Tuesday, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract talks had not been made public.

The Sixers would owe just under $650,000 if they guarantee his contract for the remainder of the season on Jan. 10. Stefanski plans to talk about Iverson's return in a noon teleconference.

In 10 seasons with the Sixers, Iverson posted the highest scoring average in team history (28.1), was second on the points list (19,583) and holds the record for 3-pointers (877). He was a seven-time All-Star, won four scoring titles and two All-Star game MVPs.

The Sixers (5-13) have lost seven straight entering Wednesday night's game at Oklahoma City and need Iverson to spark sagging ticket sales and their playoff chances.

Luukko said Iverson's deal was "absolutely, strictly a basketball decision."

This reconciliation was once thought foolish after their acrimonious split three years ago. Iverson's last game with Philadelphia was Dec. 6, 2006 in Chicago. He refused to play the fourth quarter and was banished from the team two days later. He was eventually traded to Denver as part of the Andre Miller deal, and bounced to Detroit before landing in Memphis.

"Certainly, the way it left off, it's surprising. But anything can happen in sports," Luukko said.

The 6-foot Iverson played three games this season with Memphis before taking a leave of absence to attend to personal matters. He was waived after the two sides agreed to part ways.

The New York Knicks considered signing Iverson after he cleared waivers, before deciding he would take too much playing time from younger players they are trying to develop.

He will likely start for the Sixers with Williams out. Iverson's refusal to come off the bench ended his time in Detroit and Memphis on a sour note.

Iverson would get another look at his former teams after playing Denver. The Sixers, who have not won a playoff series since 2003, play at home Dec. 9 against Detroit.

Iverson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft, but his 10 turbulent seasons in Philadelphia were marred by his rants about practice, run-ins with former coach Larry Brown, arrests, and a failed rap career.

Iverson often arrived late for practices or missed them entirely. In one infamous blowup at the end of the 2002 season, he repeated the word "practice" nearly 20 times during a rambling monologue.

"Times change, situations change," Luukko said. "The best way was to make this a basketball decision. Don't get personal with it."

Iverson has career averages of 27 points and 6.2 points in 889 career games in 14 seasons. He is tied for the fifth-highest scoring average in NBA history and ranks third among active players.

Iverson has played in 71 career playoff games and owns the second-highest postseason scoring average (29.7 ppg) in NBA history, trailing only Michael Jordan (33.4 ppg).

Suspect in U.S. police murders dead

Tue Dec 1, 2009 9:42am EST

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A man accused of shooting to death four police officers in a Washington State coffee shop was shot and killed by police on Tuesday.

The suspect, Maurice Clemmons, was shot by a police officer in south Seattle, Pierce County Sheriff's Department said. It did not disclose additional details.

Clemmons was wanted in the Sunday morning shooting that killed four officers in a Tacoma, Washington-area, coffee shop. The officers were preparing for their day shift when they were shot.

A handgun belonging to one of the officers was found in Clemmons' possession, police said. A suspected getaway driver and three other people who may have helped Clemmons evade police for two days have also been arrested, police said.

Authorities have described the shootings at the Forza Coffee Shop as an ambush, but have not ascribed a motive. The attack occurred 40 miles southwest of Seattle.

Kangaroos May Hold Key to Skin Cancer Prevention

Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:41am EST

SYDNEY, Nov 30 (Reuters Life!) - Understanding how kangaroos repair their DNA could be the key to preventing skin cancer, according to Australian and Austrian researchers.

The teams are investigating a DNA repair enzyme found in kangaroos and many other organisms, but not humans, that is very effective in fixing a particular type of damage linked to many skin cancers.

The research is led by Dr Linda Feketeova and Dr Uta Wille from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Melbourne, along with scientists from the University of Innsbruck, Austria.

"As summer approaches, excessive exposure to the sun's harmful UV light will see more than 400,000 Australians diagnosed with skin cancer," Feketeova said in a statement.

"Other research teams have proposed a "dream cream" containing the DNA repair enzyme which you could slap on your skin after a day in the sun. We are now examining whether this would be feasible."

The groups are simulating kangaroo skin's exposure to harmful ultraviolet light in the laboratory, and then analysing the DNA repair process, which Wille said resulted in a number of chemical by-products that have not been seen before.

"But there is still much to investigate before this "dream cream" will be available at the pharmacy, so don't throw out your sunscreen just yet," Feketeova added.

The research will be published in the upcoming edition of Chemical Communications.

Over-exposure to sunlight is to blame for at least two-thirds of cases of melanoma, a notoriously difficult to treat cancer of the skin, as DNA in sunburnt skin cells becomes damaged, leading to genetic mutations.

Tuesday 12-1-09

367, 337, 181, 518, 053, 242, 876, 322

553, 028, 371, 803, 327, 652, 752, 000

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"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."

- Thomas Jefferson -

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Monday, November 30, 2009
Serena fined, faces Open suspension

Associated Press

Serena Williams was fined a record $82,500 for her U.S. Open tirade and could be suspended from that tournament if she has another "major offense" at any Grand Slam in the next two years.

Finally, we have a verdict: Serena Williams was fined and put on Grand Slam probation for her U.S. Open tirade. But did the punishment fit the crime, and are tennis officials prepared to enforce it uniformly in the future?

Grand Slam administrator Bill Bab<snip>'s ruling was released Monday, and he said Williams faces a "probationary period" at tennis' four major championships in 2010 and 2011. If she has another "major offense" at a Grand Slam tournament in that time, the fine would increase to $175,000 and she would be barred from the following U.S. Open.

"But if she does not have another offense in the next two years, the suspension is lifted," Bab<snip> said in a telephone interview from London.

He said Williams is handing over $82,500 right now, already nearly double the previous highest fine for a Grand Slam offense -- about $48,000 Jeff Tarango was docked in the 1990s.

Williams lashed out at a lineswoman after a foot-fault call at the end of her semifinal loss to eventual champion Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open in September.

"I am thankful that we now have closure on the incident and we can all move forward," Williams said in a statement released Monday by her publicist. "I am back in training in preparation for next season and I continue to be grateful for all of the support from my fans and the tennis community."

She earned $350,000 by reaching the U.S. Open singles semifinals, part of her more than $6.5 million in prize money in 2009, a single-season record for women's tennis. Her career prize money tops $28 million.

The American is an 11-time Grand Slam singles champion and ended the 2009 season at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.

Williams' profanity-laced, finger-pointing outburst drew a $10,000 fine from the U.S. Tennis Association in September -- the maximum onsite penalty a tennis player can face. But because it happened at a Grand Slam tournament, Bab<snip> was charged with investigating whether further punishment was merited.

He concluded that Williams violated the "major offense" rule for "aggravated behavior." The Grand Slam committee -- with one representative from each of the sport's four major championships -- approved his decision Saturday.

The USTA said it would comment later Monday.

Bab<snip> said a "major offense" under Grand Slam rules is "any conduct that is determined to be the 'major offense' of 'aggravated behavior' or 'conduct detrimental to the game.'" There is no specific definition of what sort of actions constitute a "major offense."

He said the highest possible fine that Williams could face -- $175,000, if she violates her Grand Slam probation -- was chosen because it is the difference in winnings between reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals at the U.S. Open. The $10,000 Williams was already docked by the USTA will be counted toward that total; that's why she is paying half of $165,000 now.

During the Sept. 12 match at Flushing Meadows, the foot fault -- a call rarely, if ever, made at that stage of such a significant match -- resulted in a double-fault for Williams, moving Clijsters one point from victory.

Williams paused, retrieved a ball to serve again and then stopped. She stepped toward the official, screaming, cursing and shaking the ball at her. Williams was penalized a point for that display; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semifinal with Clijsters ahead 6-4, 7-5.

Sunday, November 29, 2009
Davydenko beats Del Potro in final

Associated Press

LONDON -- Nikolay Davydenko won the first big tournament of his career Sunday, running down just about every ball and using a consistent serve to beat U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4 in the ATP World Tour Finals.

Davydenko, coming off his semifinal victory over top-ranked Roger Federer, dominated his service games against Del Potro, losing only five points on serve in the first set and eight in the second.

Del Potro had three chances to break Davydenko, but the Russian saved them all to complete a sweep of all three of this year's Grand Slam champions at the season-ending tournament.

"For me it was amazing," Davydenko said. "Coming here as No. 7 and winning the tournament, it was surprising for myself."

Davydenko lost in the final of last year's season-ending tournament for the top eight players in the world, falling to Novak Djokovic in Shanghai.

The Russian finished the match with 25 winners and only 15 unforced errors, while Del Potro had 20 winners and 19 unforced errors at the O2 Arena.

Both players had to contend with a crying baby.

While trailing 4-1 in the first set, Del Potro played one point despite the cries of a baby behind him. The Argentine lost that point, bringing the score to 40-15. He then waited to serve to while the baby was carried out of the arena.

In the second set, it was Davydenko's turn to wait while he was serving to even the score at 3-3. He held his serve after the baby quieted down.

This season, Davydenko struggled early in the year with an injury to his left heel, forcing him to withdraw from the Australian Open. But he returned in April, and later reached the quarterfinals at the French Open.

He won his fourth title of the season at the Shanghai Masters to qualify for the ATP finals. He stretched his record to 5-0 in championship matches in 2009 by beating Del Potro.

In London, Davydenko lost to Djokovic in his opening Group B match, but then beat Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal and French Open finalist Robin Soderling to advance. In the semifinals, he finally got the better of Federer, who had beaten Davydenko in their previous 12 meetings.

Federer won both the French Open and Wimbledon this year and clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the fifth time in his career.

"He beat everybody, so he's a worthy champion," Del Potro said of Davydenko.

In the doubles final, Bob and Mike Bryan beat Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram 7-6 (3), 6-3 to win their third season-ending title and claim the year-end No. 1 ranking for the fifth time.

Highway patrol: Agent asks to postpone Tiger Woods interview again

• NEW: Highway patrol says troopers were asked to postpone interview until Sunday
• Florida highway patrol wanted to talk about car crash outside Woods' home
• Troopers had tried to speak to the golfer Friday, but his wife said he was sleeping
• Woods' SUV struck a fire hydrant, then a tree, highway patrol says

(CNN) -- State troopers arrived at the home of Tiger Woods on Saturday to interview the pro golfer and his wife about a car crash near his home, but were told the couple was not available to talk as scheduled, a spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The troopers were asked by Woods' agent to postpone the interview until Sunday, spokeswoman Kim Miller said.

State troopers had tried to speak to Woods on Friday as part of a routine car accident investigation, but his wife said he was sleeping, said Kim Miller, a spokeswoman for the Florida highway patrol.

Woods was treated and released from a hospital after suffering minor injuries in a car accident early Friday in his neighborhood in Windermere.

A joint statement from Woods' publicist and Health Central Hospital said Woods was in "good condition" after the accident outside his home.

The single-vehicle accident occurred about 2:25 a.m. in Windermere, a suburb of Orlando, according to police.

Woods pulled out of his driveway in a 2009 Cadillac SUV and struck a fire hydrant, then a tree, according to an incident report from the Florida highway patrol in Orange County.

Police Chief Daniel Saylor said two Windermere police officers were the first to arrive on the scene.

"There was Tiger Woods laying on the ground in front of the vehicle with his wife over him rendering first aid," he told reporters.

"He was in and out of consciousness with lacerations to his upper and lower lip," Saylor said. "He was mumbling but didn't say anything coherent."

Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, told the police she was inside the house when she heard the accident. She said she went outside and used a golf club to break out the rear window of the vehicle, then pulled him from the SUV.

"According to the officers, yes, she was very upset," Saylor said in response to a question.

But, he added, "Things like this happen all the time ... I understand he's stable and he's fine."

About 10 minutes later, Orange County fire and rescue arrived and took him to Health Central Hospital, where he was treated and released, he said.

The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending, the police report said. Tiger Woods: A true sporting legend

It said the accident was not alcohol-related.

The SUV, which was drivable, was towed and state troopers didn't take pictures of the scene, she said.

Saylor said the vehicle's front end was damaged.

The 33-year-old golf phenomenon has won the Masters tournament and the PGA tournament each four times, and three U.S. Open Championships.

He was set to host and play the Chevron World Challenge on Monday at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. Woods has won the tournament -- which helps raise money for Tiger Woods Foundation programs -- four times. Cellphone pictures of the accident from CNN affiliate WFTV

Woods has won six times on the PGA tour this year after returning from knee surgery.

In a post on his blog last month, Woods said he was "absolutely thrilled" about his play, adding, "This has been one of my most consistent years on the PGA tour."

Woods and his wife have two children, ages 2 and 10 months.

"Inferiors revolt in order that they may be equal, and equals that they may be superior. Such is the state of mind which creates revolutions."

- Aristotle - 

Concussion expected to sideline Roethlisberger

• By ALAN ROBINSON, AP Sports Writer
• Alan Robinson, Ap Sports Writer
• Sat Nov 28, 2:22 pm ET

PITTSBURGH – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is expected to miss Sunday night's game at Baltimore because of a concussion.

Persons familiar with Roethlisberger's status spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday because the team has not made an announcement.

The development would force Dennis Dixon — who has thrown only one pass in two NFL seasons — to make his first NFL start in a game the Steelers might need to win to make the playoffs.

Roethlisberger practiced all week despite sustaining his fourth concussion since 2006 during a 27-24 overtime loss in Kansas City on Sunday. On Thursday, during his only interview of the week, he said he had been cleared to play, joking he passed "thousands of tests."

Roethlisberger, however, experienced headaches resulting from the concussion — his knee struck the knee of Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson as he leaned headfirst during a running play in overtime — and he began debating the wisdom of playing after consulting with the team's medical staff.

The Steelers continued to list Roethlisberger as questionable on Saturday, meaning there is a 50-50 chance he would play — creating the possibility Roethlisberger could decide at game time he is ready to go, if cleared by team physicians. There also is a possibility he would be listed as the third quarterback, allowing him to play in an emergency.

Foxsports.com first reported that Roethlisberger would not play.

Dixon, the former Oregon quarterback who has not played this season, took more snaps than usual in practice Friday — the first sign Roethlisberger's status might change. Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday the team expected Roethlisberger to play, and there were no signs Wednesday or Thursday he wouldn't.

If Dixon does start, the Steelers likely would rely mostly on running backs Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker and trim the amount of throws Dixon makes. Dixon was an excellent runner in Oregon's spread offense, but the Steelers — like every NFL team — limit their quarterback's running because of the risk of injury.

The Steelers (6-4), losers of their last two and a game behind Cincinnati (7-3) in the AFC North, were so convinced Roethlisberger would play, they did not sign an experienced quarterback even after backup Charlie Batch broke his left wrist a few plays after replacing Roethlisberger on Sunday. Their game plan for the Ravens (5-5) also was built around Roethlisberger playing.

Batch will miss most or all of the rest of the regular season. Tyler Palko, the former Pitt quarterback who didn't sign or practice with the team until Thursday, would be the backup despite going through only two practices.

Dixon's only game action came in a mop-up role against Cleveland in the final game of last season. He would be the most inexperienced Steelers quarterback to be thrown into a starting role since rookie Mike Kruczek replaced the injured Terry Bradshaw in 1976. Kruczek went 6-0 as a starter despite not throwing a single touchdown pass, and ended his five-season NFL career in 1980 without throwing a scoring pass.

Roethlisberger's apparent decision to not play comes in the same week the NFL has taken a heightened stance on protecting players from head injuries. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams outlining steps the league is tasking to reduce head impacts.

Roethlisberger also had two concussions in 2006, one in a motorcycle accident, and another last season in that Browns game in which Dixon played.

"It's part of the nature of the beast of playing this game," Roethlisberger said Thursday. "It's a violent, physical contact sport and there's a chance you're going to get hit. You guys don't talk about the bruises we have all over our bodies. If I showed you a bruise on my shoulder and a bruise on my shin, it wouldn't get talked about as much. It's a violent sport we play."

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