Carruth’s Lawyers Rest Case Without Him Testifying

Rae Carruth’s lawyers rested their case Wednesday without calling the former football player to the stand to deny he arranged the killing of his pregnant girlfriend.

Defense attorney David Rudolf rested his case after calling a series of witnesses to testify on Carruth’s behalf.

Judge Charles Lamm recessed court in Charlotte, N.C., until today to allow prosecutors time to prepare their rebuttal witnesses.

Rudolf said outside the courtroom that his client’s testimony was not needed since the defense contends Carruth was not present when Cherica Adams was shot.

Rudolf was asked if the jury would believe Carruth or the words of Adams, who said in a 911 call and in notes scribbled before she lapsed into a coma that Carruth was at the scene of the shooting.

“Bottom line, there’s nothing Rae could say about that, either,” Rudolf told CNN-SI. “She said what she said.”

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In a complaint filed Tuesday in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, Richie Phillips sued Commissioner Bud Selig, several other baseball officials and three of the umpires who helped force out the union.

Phillips, who as general counsel of the Major League Umpires Assn. represented umpires from 1978 through last year, alleged baseball officials and the three umpires illegally interfered with his relationship with the old union.

Miscellany

Five Florida cities worried that they might lose spring training teams have received $54.5 million from the state to help renovate ballparks or build new ones. Indian River County, which owns the stadium where the Dodgers train in Vero Beach, will get $15 million. Other communities receiving funds were Osceola County, Clearwater, Dunedin and Lakeland. . . . Kent Bottenfield, a free agent who pitched for the Angels and Philadelphia Phillies last season, agreed to a one-year contract with the Houston Astros. . . . The New York Yankees acquired right-handed reliever David Lee from the Colorado Rockies for right-hander Jay Tessmer and shortstop Seth Taylor. . . . Eddie Einhorn, Chicago White Sox chairman, has prostate cancer and is undergoing medical treatment.

Allison Bradshaw, a 20-year-old American qualifier only six months into her tennis career, upset second-seeded Barbara Schett of Austria, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4, in the second round of the ASB Bank Classic at Auckland, New Zealand. . . . Marcelo Rios of Chile routed Gianluca Pozzi of Italy, 6-2, 6-2, to reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open at Doha. . . . Cyril Saulnier of France defeated sixth-seeded Byron Black of Zimbabwe, 6-3, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals of the Gold Flake Open at Madras, India.

Four soccer players have been banned from Norway’s national team after refusing to sign a sponsorship deal by Monday’s deadline. Manchester United stars Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ronny Johnsen, Tottenham’s Steffen Iversen and the Glasgow Rangers’ Tore Andre Flo were taken off Norway’s team. A fifth player, Eirik Bakke, said he would sign the deal with 12 sponsors, which is the main source of income for the soccer association. . . . Major League Soccer might enter this year’s Copa Merconorte tournament, giving it a chance to gain respect--and fans--by having one or two of its teams beat some of South America’s better clubs. The Merconorte is one of two annual tournaments for the major clubs in South America. . . . Napoli owner Giorgio Corbelli said he wants to bring Diego Maradona back to the soccer club of his glory days, but not as general manager. “I see him rather in a role as public face” for the team, Corbelli said.

Fired Utah State football coach Dave Arslanian’s lawsuit against the university has been settled. Arslanian will be paid $183,000 to settle the contract dispute, according to the completed agreement. . . . Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch was scheduled to have surgery today on his throwing shoulder.

Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis of Britain would like to fight in April and is planning bouts against challengers every four months through 2003, his trainer Emanuel Steward said.

Marty Glickman, a track star who was pulled from the 1936 Berlin Olympics because he was Jewish and later enjoyed a long career as a broadcaster, died in New York from complications of heart bypass surgery. He was 83.

Defending champion Czech Republic, a defense-minded team, and high-scoring Finland will play for the gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships after the Czechs defeated Sweden, 1-0, and Finland outscored Canada, 5-2, in the semifinals at Moscow.