Rockets May Be After Payton

Gary Payton and Charles Barkley, teammates on the Dream Team, say they might soon be teammates with the Houston Rockets.

Payton, a free agent, said Tuesday in Chicago that the Rockets are bidding for his services. Barkley has been mentioned in a three-way trade that would send him to Houston.

“They made their bid. They done came in with a bid and they’re trying to do something,” Payton said.

“That’ll be a good lineup, Barkley, the Dream [Hakeem Olajuwon], Clyde [Drexler] and myself. That’d be a nice little lineup and we’d win a few ballgames.”

Teams are not allowed to make offers to free agents until Tuesday. Any offers tendered before that time could be viewed as tampering.

The rumored trade involving Barkley would send Robert Horry and Sam Cassell from Houston to Denver, with the Nuggets signing free-agent center Dikembe Mutombo and shipping him to Phoenix.

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NBA players would receive more than $80 million in additional money over six years if the revised agreement between the NBA and the players union is ratified by the players, according to the Washington Post.

The $5 billion deal would give players an extra $50 million for pensions and profits, $28 million for the sale of the union’s logo and a share of television profits, according to a nine-page summary of the agreement obtained by the Post.

Players will vote on the agreement by Monday.

Jurisprudence

Prosecutors told a jury in Michael Irvin’s cocaine possession trial that Angela Beck was shocked when police pulled drugs from her gym bag during a raid on the motel room where she, Irvin and two others were found on March 4 in Irving, Tex.

In an opening statement, Dallas Assistant District Attorney Mike Gillett said Beck acknowledged owning the drugs during the bust but later told her friend, Rachelle Smith, that she had no knowledge of the drugs in her bag.

“Beck said she almost had a heart attack when it was pulled out,” Gillett said. “Michael Irvin assured her it would be OK and he couldn’t forget what she was doing.”

Defense attorney Royce West dismissed the prosecution account, saying the defense would show a comedy of errors by Irving police.

As for Smith, West told jurors: “I suggest that she has a reason to lie.” That person, he said, is her fiance, former Dallas police officer Johnnie Hernandez, who was charged last week with trying to hire a hit man to kill Irvin.

Steve Yeager and a California sports collectibles company are being sued by the New York City Consumer Affairs Commission in an alleged baseball card scam.

The commission accuses Collectibles International of Laguna Niguel and the former Dodger catcher of bilking consumers of as much as $3,000 each by engaging in deceptive trade.

If found guilty, the defendants could be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and restitution.

Boston Celtic guard Greg Minor has agreed to enter a counseling program for batterers to avoid trial on charges he assaulted his girlfriend last month in Louisville, Ky.

Minor was charged with fourth-degree assault for hitting Celestyne Rowan on June 21. Had he been convicted, Minor could have been sentenced to a year in jail and fined $500.

Chicago Bear defensive back Donnell Woolford was found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol in Waukegan, Ill. Sentencing is set for July 17, two days before the Bears are due in training camp.

The criminal investigation into a $6,000 buying spree at a Foot Locker store by Florida State football players has closed with Raul Bey, an unregistered sports agent, sentenced to a year in jail in Tallahassee, Fla.

Bey financed the buying by Florida State football players in November 1993, the year Florida State won the national championship.

Three months ago, the NCAA put the Florida State football program on one year’s probation for failing to properly monitor agents on campus. The university is appealing that decision.

Cycling

Germany’s Erik Zabel edged sprint-specialist Mario Cipollini to win the third stage of the Tour de France.

France’s Frederic Moncassin took the overall lead by earning an eight-second time bonus for his third-place finish, moving ahead of Alex Zulle at seven seconds back, and Evgeny Berzin, 10 seconds back.

Five-time defending champion Miguel Indurain is sixth, 19 seconds back.

Pro Hockey

One day after the NHL released its list of free agents, the Phoenix Coyotes signed two unrestricted free agents to multi-year contracts in center Cliff Ronning from Vancouver and goaltender Darcy Wakaluk from Dallas.

Mike Murphy, an assistant with the New York Rangers and former coach of the Kings, will be named today as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Robert J. McNulty, an original owner of the Minnesota North Stars and developer of many sports arenas including the Metropolitan Sports Center, died at 74.

Soccer

A special FIFA committee met to discuss how to set up the organizing of the 2002 World Cup, which will be played in Japan and South Korea.

FIFA senior vice president Guillermo Canedo, vice president Antonio Matarrese and general secretary Sepp Blatter met for 75 minutes and began mapping out their strategy.

Miscellany

Monica Seles, Mary Joe Fernandez, Lindsay Davenport and Gigi Fernandez were selected for the U.S. Fed Cup team that will play Japan later this month.

Mike Tyson was offered $45 million to defend his World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Britain’s Lennox Lewis. The offer was faxed to Tyson’s promoter, Don King, by Lewis’ manager Frank Maloney.

James Toney struggled to a unanimous decision over Charles Oliver in a light heavyweight bout at St. Charles, Mo.

Names in the News

Todd Turner, athletic director at North Carolina State since 1990, will move to a similar position at Vanderbilt University.

Andy Allanson, a former catcher with the Angels, signed with the Long Beach Riptide of the Western Baseball League.