Mullin Sidelined Again After Injuring Left Knee

Forward Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors will sit out the first six to eight weeks of the NBA season while he recovers from a knee injury.

The 6-foot-7 five-time All-Star suffered a chip fracture and sprained ligament in his left knee and also strained his left hamstring in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 95-90 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night in San Jose.

It’s the third consecutive season in which Mullin, 31, has been felled by a significant injury. He sat out the final 36 games of the 1992-1993 season because of a thumb injury and the first 20 games last season because of a finger injury.

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The Trail Blazers signed free-agent guard Negele Knight to a one-year contract after veteran guard Terry Porter underwent ankle surgery. . . . Vernon Maxwell of the Houston Rockets was fined $3,500 by the NBA for throwing a forearm at Chris Mills during Monday night’s exhibition game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oklahoma City.

Baseball

Relief pitcher Jeff Brantley became the first free agent to sign this off-season, returning to the Cincinnati Reds for a $2.5-million, two-year deal. . . . Koichi Ogata hit a grand slam to help the the Yomiuri Giants defeat the Seibu Lions, 9-3, to move within one game of winning the Japan Series.

Hockey

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman sent a letter to Bob Goodenow, executive director of the NHL Players Assn., asking the union to find independent auditors to analyze financial data the league has used to support its claims of financial difficulties.

He proposed that if the auditors verify the league’s calculations, the union should then agree to play under terms of the NHL’s last contract proposal. If the auditors contradicted the NHL’s claims, the union would not be obligated to accept the proposal.

Wayne Gretzky of the Kings said he is planning to lead an all-star goodwill tour of Europe later this year if players are still left idle by the NHL lockout. Marty McSorley, Rob Blake and Charlie Huddy are expected to play. . . . Four locked-out NHL players began playing in Sweden, despite the Elite League’s vote last week against accepting NHL players on short-term contracts. . . . Seven Dallas Star fans have sued the team for refunds of their season tickets and parking passes because of the NHL lockout. . . . Mighty Duck goaltender Guy Hebert was named USA Hockey’s male athlete of the year for his performance with the U.S. national team at the World Championships last spring.

Names in the News

Top-seeded Pete Sampras advanced when his third-round opponent, Marc Rosset, withdrew because of flu, and Andre Agassi rallied from a set down for the second consecutive day to defeat fellow American Todd Martin, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 6-1, at the Stockholm Open. . . . Boxing promoter Dan Duva underwent surgery to remove a small growth from his skull.

Todd Eldredge, a two-time U.S. champion making a comeback, won the men’s short competition in the Skate America International at Pittsburgh. The Russian team of Marina Eltsova and Audrey Bushkov had the best score in the pairs short program. The husband-and-wife team of Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., took the lead in the first compulsory dance.

Neil Bonnett’s widow is suing two companies she says are illegally selling toy cars bearing the late NASCAR driver’s name. . . . Derek Newman, a lineman for the Cleveland Thunderbolts of the Arena Football League, was shot and killed in the parking lot of an apartment complex near Louisville, Ky., in what police described as a drug-related incident.

Dennis Conner and Australia’s John Bertrand renew their rivalry and the America 3women’s team makes its competitive sailing debut when the second International America’s Cup Class World Championship starts today off San Diego.