Eskin suspended 30 days By Laura Nachman Bucks County Courier Times September 10, 2004 Sports radio host Howard Eskin was suspended for 30 days as part of the settlement of a lawsuit brought against him last year by an attorney for 76ers star Allen Iverson. Eskin, a host on the sports-talk station WIP-AM, had accused attorney Richard Sprague of tampering in 2002 when Iverson was facing charges in connection with a domestic dispute with his wife. Iverson was accused of threatening two men with a gun, but all 14 charges were later dismissed or dropped. Eskin claimed on the air that summer that Sprague paid a witness to lie in court and that Sprague spread a false rumor that another witness had failed a lie detector test. In a written statement, Eskin admitted neither assertion was true and that he'd known no such lie detector test took place, but never said so on his show. "I apologize to Mr. Sprague and his family for making false statements that disparaged his reputation," Eskin said. "I also apologize for not correcting the record for over two years, and, instead doing so only after Mr. Sprague sued me." Infinity Broadcasting, the station's owner, will pay "substantial compensation" to Sprague, the company said. WIP-AM on Thursday broadcast an apology, which will air eight times over a four-day period. Cataldi signs new contract WIP 610-AM morning host Angelo Cataldi, 53, signed a new five-year contract this week. At the end of the deal, Cataldi will have logged 20 years in the same time slot at WIP, two years short of the record by the late Ken Garland. Contract terms were not disclosed, but estimates place Cataldi's salary in the seven-figure range. Tollefson engaged WTXF sportscaster Don Tollefson and his girlfriend of a year and a half, Marilyn Torres, are engaged. The wedding for 150 guests will take place at the Pyramid Club in Center City the day after Thanksgiving. The couple will go on their honeymoon after the Eagles' season. This is the second marriage for Tollefson, 52, who was married briefly in the early 1990s and has no children. This is the first marriage for Torres, 30, who, Tolley would say, "Is the pride of Archbishop Ryan High School and Temple University." The couple met at Fox when Torres worked as a production assistant for "Good Day Philadelphia." Remembering Sept. 11 Lower Makefield's Ellen and Brielle Saracini are part of a documentary about the role baseball played in New York's recovery after Sept. 11 in "Nine Innings From Ground Zero" on HBO Tuesday at 10 p.m. Ellen's husband and Brielle's father, Victor Saracini, was the pilot of one of the hijacked planes. Grade-A team The Fox "A" team of Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver will do the Eagles-Giants game Sunday at 4:15 p.m. Back on his feet Mike Rodgers, who just left Comcast SportsNet has landed with the Eagles. He will host a talk show on http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/ presented by 360media.com. Bear of a guest Jack Nicklaus will be the subject of a half-hour interview on "The Sports Connection with Lou Tilley" Wednesday at 11 p.m. The Associated Press contributed to this report. September 10, 2004 10:42 AM