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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 4, 1999)
Defiv-erittg' 7~he Perfect Pizza/ Feed your Brain Two Large 1 Topping Pizzas For Only ASmall 2 Topping Pizza & a 20 oz. Coke Product $ 12.99 OR For Only $ 6.99 Open till 3 a*m. in College Station Thursday May 6 th thru Tuesday May 11 th Delivery or Carryout Limited Delivery Area Good at Any Bryan/College Station Papa Johns Pizza Aggie Bucks 1100 D. Harvey Rd 601 University Dr. 3414 E. 29th St. 764^7272 (Northgate) 267-7272 846-3600 Good Luck on Finals! Congratulations Class of *99! Page 14 • Tuesday, May 4, 1999 s PORTS Lewis’ doctors trial begins Widow's suit charges malpractice in death of Celtics star BOSTON (AP) — Six years after Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis died while shooting baskets, a malpractice suit went to trial Monday in an attempt by his widow to restore his reputation and collect the millions he could have made. Donna Harris-Lewis contends her husband’s doctors, some of the city’s most respected physi cians, misdiagnosed and mistreated the basketball player’s fatal heart rhythm disturbance. The doctors say Lewis used cocaine and lied about it, making an accurate diagnosis impossible. The lawsuit is against Dr. Gilbert Mudge, who led the specialists, and Drs. Mark Creager and Pe ter Friedman, who were consultants. A third con sultant, Dr. John Rutherford, recently reached an undisclosed settlement with Harris-Lewis. “If the proper treatment had been given, Reggie Lewis would be here today,” plaintiff attorney Robert Harley said. Harris-Lewis is suing to recover money Lewis would have made had he lived past 27. Estimates of his potential earnings have ranged from $40 mil lion to more than $100 million. Her attorneys con tend Lewis could have continued playing by wear ing a defibrillator or taking medication or could have held other positions like broadcaster or prod uct pitchman. William Dailey Jr., Mudge’s attorney, said in his opening statement that Lewis lied to doctors about his cocaine use until two weeks before he died, and the lack of full disclosure early in the treatment process made a proper diagnosis impossible. “It would be the same as if I went in with a stomach ache and never told my doctor I’d eaten a 2-week-old meatloaf,” Dailey said. Harris-Lewis has adamantly denied her husband ever used drugs. But Dailey said there was strong motivation to lie: Lewis’ three-year, $9 million contract would Celtic pride Reggie Lewis’ statistics for 1991-92, his final season: Points per game 20.8 Rebounds per game ... 4.8 Assists per game 2.3 Field goal % 50.3 Free throw % 85.1 Steals 125 Blocks 105 Season highlights: • Named to 1st All-Star game (East reserve) • Led Celtics in scoring, steals and blocked shots • NBA Player of the Week for the week of April 3 have been nullified by illegal drug use. Superior Court Judge Thayer Fremont-Smith im posed a gag order and none of the main partici pants in the case would comment publicly. But the story of Lewis’ death and the finger pointing that followed has played itself out very publicly in a city that loved its Celtics and adored the team’s brightest star when he died. In 1993, Lewis collapsed during a playoff game against the Charlotte Hornets. A “Dream Team” of New England Baptist Hospital doctors assembled by the Celtics diagnosed him with arrhythmia, a potentially life-threatening, career-ending heart condition. The grim conclusion led Lewis to seek a second opinion from one of Boston’s most respected car diologists — Mudge, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Mudge reported Lewis suffered from a neuro logical disorder that causes fainting spells. With proper treatment, he said, Lewis could return to basketball. Three months later, Lewis died while shooting hoops in the offseason. The state medical examiner listed the cause of death as adenovirus 2, a virus that could have caused inflammation of the heart, scarring of tis sue and, ultimately, a fatal cardiac arrest. The U Zone Textbook Buyback at Fitzwilly’s May 7-12. Get top dollar, shorter lines, and a free CD. UE'RE BLiyiNG BACK TEXTBOOKS AT COMPETmUE PRICES AND GIUING AUAS FREE CD’S FROM DR. MARTINS UHlLt SUPPLIES LAST, PLUS A 1/4 LB. HAMBURGER U/FRIES AND DRINK FOR $£.55. SOLI’LL GET IN AND GET OUT FAST. UHICH WILL LGAUE SOU MORE TIME TO FIGURE OUT UHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT EXTRA MONES. BUS BACK HOURS: FRI 9-6, SAT-SUN 10-4, M-U 9-7. TheB; Kidd, Cartel °J Popovich w: ^ NBA award' ^ Battalio RA1 El NEW YORK (AP) - Jf er hiVi Kidd of the Phoenix Suns,, l gtanl Carter of the Toronto Ra: [, rr j Ct) n and coach Gregg Popovicht: L on w . ^ fton San Antonio Spurs are ApIcR f]j award winners in the NBA | ij( j Kidd was picked as plave|The the month after accountii. | inc i more than 40 percent o: h j n Suns' offense during the it.: L ( e 11 as Phoenix qualified fo Ijght h Inking llnvesl ■led >ii playoffs for the 11th con secutive sea son. He aver aged 20.1 points, 10.4 assists, 6.7 re bounds and 2.38 steals during the month and had two triple ■rH w T* 1 roped | Hs not Ble to ■thei lo '■ner.iS i ■EflHou, POPOVK>[n: ende Bth a 2 ipubles, inc*day n Pa ing his league lead to sever Kt goal Carter, who led all firs L s t 0 p players in scoring and«"Wht blocking during April, wa> gur e nvi sen as rookie of the monrlf averaged 20.6 points, bounds, 4.2 assists and, blocked shots. He wasthd {flayer chosen in lastJune'il lege draft. - Popovich's Spurs had* , best record in the NBA for.* 1 ’ 1 ^ 1 at 13-3 — including 9-0 atrB' 11 ® 11 — making him coach o® te 101 month. San Antonio begrB 1 ^ ,:iaI lockout-abbreviated NBA>eBP ro y e at 6-8 but has improved!®’ ’ 13, challenging the UtahJar*' vSac ' first place in the Midwest® ^ Sion. lashec The Spurs defeated six albert team. ha top Western Conference including Utah, Portland,. _ ton, the Los Angeles L® n ° t 1 Phoenix and Minnesota. ® ,u ' av San Antonio began Mav®®y ac ' important victories over The land on Saturday and Ut. th. t it Sunday. “ llli If the Spurs win theirii|y ol * u two games — at Portlaii®,^ tat Tliesday and Golden State : Wednesday — San Antonio g I'.vn thr best record in the \± m and have homecOUrtadvawi throughout the playoffs. Other candidates for Coal the Month were Pat Riley ol ami. Chuck Daly of Orlal Larry Brown of Philadela Rick Adel man of Sacrani and Jerry Sloan of Utah. Pete Ros to instru Steelhea SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP Pete Rose, baseball’s banned reer hits leader, will be bai uniform on a field next weel The Sacramento Steelheai the Western League said M they are hiring Rose as a s] hitting and infield instruct spring training. The start their first season May21 Rose, expected at camp 10, agreed to a lifetime ban organized base ball in August 1989 after an in vestigation by baseball com missioner A. Bartlett Giamat- ti, who conclud ed the then- Cincinnati Reds manager bet on games involving his teal charge Rose still denies. The following year, pleaded guilty to two counts ing false income taxes by to report income and was tenced to five months in pti three months in a halfway and 1,000 hours of comiW service. Rose applied for reinstatei to baseball in September but commissioner Bud Sel not ruled on the application unlikely Selig will ever Rose’s reinstatement, many ball officials have repeal" said! His ban does not apply Steelheads because the Wi League is not affiliated with nized baseball — the leagues and the National A; ation of Professional Basi Leagues, which is the gove: body for the minors.