Knicks, Nelson Close New York
Don Nelson is expected to be hired by Friday as coach of the New York Knicks.
John O’Connor, Nelson’s lawyer in San Francisco, and the Knicks confirmed they were close to finalizing contract details, the New York Times reported today.
The newspaper said the hiring would be made today or Friday. The New York Post on Wednesday said the announcement would most likely come today.
Gotti surges at Tour Le Havre, France
Ivan Gotti took advantage of a fall by overall leader Laurent Jalabert to take a 1-second lead in the Tour de France.
Gotti, an Italian with no major wins, gained the leader’s yellow jersey after the fourth stage over Gewiss teammate Bjarne Riis. Jalabert fell with a small group of riders 1 miles from the finish of the 100-mile stage from Alencon to Le Havre.
He was uninjured, but lost about 50 seconds to the leaders, which was enough to drop him to 148th on the day. He fell to eighth overall, 40 seconds behind Gotti.
Outside of Jalabert, the relative standings remain unchanged. Miguel Indurain, seeking his fifth consecutive victory, was 10th.
Italy’s Mario Cipollini won the fourth stage with a final sprint.
HBO plans fight tourney London
HBO Sports, making a second effort within 10 years to produce a universally acknowledged world champion, is negotiating with eight heavyweights for a boxing tournament to start in October.
The cable television network, which lost out to rival Showtime in the bidding for ex-champ Mike Tyson’s comeback, would bring together Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, George Foreman, Michael Moorer, Evander Holyfield, Herbie Hide, Ray Mercer and Tommy Morrison.
All are current or former champions of the WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO and none is under contract to promoter Don King.
“If the Don King heavyweights - Mike Tyson, Oliver McCall - want to come into it, they are welcome,” said Seth Abraham, head of HBO Sports. “But they won’t, because Don King won’t let them.”
Miscellany
The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee recommended San Jose, Calif., as the site of the 1999 women’s Final Four and Philadelphia for 2000.
The recommendations must be approved by the NCAA Executive Committee at its Aug. 2-4 meeting.
The committee also chose regional sites for 1998 and 1999.
Vanderbilt, Dayton, Texas Tech and California-Berkeley are to host the 1998 regionals, scheduled March 21-23. The 1999 regionals were awarded to the Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex, the University of Cincinnati, Illinois State and Southern California. The regionals are scheduled for March 20-22.
Uruguay, which failed to qualify for last year’s World Cup, opened the America Cup tournament in Montevideo, Uruguay, with a 4-1 rout of Venezuela.
Japan took a 20-16 lead over the United States with one round to play in their annual Collegiate Golf Championship at Ichihara, Japan.
Sports people
Montana State named Tracey Sheehan of the University of Denver its women’s basketball coach. … Gene Iba, a former basketball coach at Baylor and nephew to coaching legend Hank Iba, was named coach at Pittsburg (Kan.) State. … Liselotte Neumann, the second-ranked LPGA golfer last year, has received threats and this week played a one-day tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, under guard, a Swedish newspaper reported. … The funeral for tennis great Pancho Gonzalez, who died Monday at 67, is Saturday in Las Vegas. … Roberto Baggio, soccer’s world player of the year in 1993, left Juventus of Turin and signed a three-year contract with AC Milan. … Germain Barrette, who spent 12 years coaching with the Canadian men’s downhill ski team, was named women’s coach. … In Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, 1992 Hartford Whalers draft choice Jarrett Reid was acquitted of sexual assault. … PBA Hall of Famer Roy Buckley of New Albany, Ohio, used a 300 game to vault from 10th place into the lead after the fourth round of the $55,000 PBA Twin Falls (Idaho) Senior Bowling Open. Buckley’s match-game record is 10-6, with his 34-game pin total at 7,998. Spokane’s Jim Frazier (8-8, 7,810) remained ninth.