Basketball
OLAJUWON OPERATION: Doctors operated on Hakeem Olajuwon's left elbow Tuesday to remove a tiny fluid sack that was causing swelling and pain for the Houston Rockets center.
Rockets spokesman Tim Frank said Olajuwon won't be able to practice with the team for 10 days to two weeks, meaning he likely will miss the McDonald's Championship in London next week.
MAHORN'S A NET: The New Jersey Nets signed 15-year veteran forward-center Rick Mahorn to a one-year contract.
The 37-year-old Mahorn averaged 3.4 points and 2.8 rebounds last season, his third with New Jersey.
CAVS SIGN CLAXTON: The Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday signed 7-foot rookie center Charles Claxton of the University of Georgia.
JONES INJURES THUMB: Guard Eddie Jones, who averaged 14 points and 3.9 rebounds as a rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, will be out for up to eight weeks with an injured thumb.
ROOKS INKS WITH T-WOLVES: Minnesota Timberwolves, trying to strengthen their play at center, agreed to a one-year contract Tuesday with Sean Rooks.
Football
JAGUARS HURT: The Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday placed tight end Derek Brown and linebacker Reggie Clark on injured reserve.
SANDERS WAIVED: Ricky Sanders, a veteran receiver who has not played this season, was waived by the Miami Dolphins and said he may retire.
Sanders, 33, had been declared inactive for each of the first five games this season.
Soccer
MAJOR LEAGUE: Major League Soccer will unveil the names, uniforms and schedules of its 10 teams next Tuesday, and will assign one player to each team.
The first Division 1 national soccer league in the United States in more than a decade will begin play next spring in Boston; Denver; Dallas; Columbus, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles; San Jose, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; East Rutherford, N.J., and Washington.
Baseball
ASTROS, PADRES DEAL AGAIN: The Houston Astros traded left-handed pitcher Pedro Martinez to the San Diego Padres for infielder Ray Holbert.
The Astros acquired the 27-year-old Martinez from San Diego in December 1994 as part of a 12-player deal between the teams. He split the 1995 season between Houston and Triple A Tucson.
Martinez had no decisions, a 7.40 ERA and no saves in 25 relief appearances for the Astros.
Holbert, 25, spent the majority of the 1995 season in San Diego. The rookie hit .178 in 63 games with two home runs and five RBIs.
RATINGS DOWN: The new wild-card playoff round averaged a 10.5 rating, down from the prime-time ratings of the league championships two years ago.
The rating for Game 4 Saturday night was an all-time low for a postseason baseball game in prime time.
Seattle's 11-inning, 6-5 victory over the Yankees on Sunday night - the only playoff game televised nationally - got an 11.6 rating and a 20 share.
SEATTLE'S PLAN: Gov. Mike Lowry and legislative leaders said they have a plan to finance a new stadium for the Seattle Mariners. Whether they can sell it to rank-and-file lawmakers remains to be seen.
The plan reportedly includes bonds, a sports lottery and increased restaurant, rental car and sports admission taxing authority for King County.
The county and the state each would provide $127 million toward the $300 million stadium. The Mariners would pay $45 million.
The Mariners owners have said they will put the team up for sale if a outdoor stadium plan isn't in place by Oct. 30. A sale would virtually ensure that the team would leave Seattle.
BREWERS' BALLPARK APPROVED: The state Assembly gave final legislative approval to a plan to save major league baseball in Wisconsin by raising taxes to help build the Milwaukee Brewers a $250 million ballpark.
PIRATE BUYER FOUND: Kevin McClatchy apparently ended the Pittsburgh Pirates' 14-month search for a new buyer, making a $1 million down payment after completing a purchase agreement to keep the team from moving.
Ten of 14 NL owners must approve the purchase along with eight of 14 AL owners.
Golf
MATCH PLAY: Host pro Jeff Green led a group of 26 qualifiers at the Utah Section PGA Match Play Championship by shooting a 67 at Stansbury Park. Green is the No. 2 seed behind defending champion Kim Thompson. Two rounds were scheduled for Wednesday, with two rounds Thursday and the finals on Friday. Lanny Nielsen led senior qualifiers with a 69.
SHOOT-OUT: Dale Douglass made a downhill 8-foot birdie putt to defeat Jim Albus and win the year's final Merrill Lynch Shoot-Out on the Senior PGA Tour.
WORLD MATCH PLAY: Ryder Cup teammates Sam Torrance and Bernhard Langer, vying to lead the PGA European Tour money list, will face each other in the opening round of the World Match Play Championship.
Tennis
GRAF DROPS OUT: Steffi Graf, under investigation for tax evasion, has dropped out of the Brighton tournament later this month and is unlikely to play again until Philadelphia in November because of her chronic back condition.
Graf, 26, has not played since beating Monica Seles in the U.S. Open final last month. She has said she will reduce her tournament schedule due to her chronic back condition.
U.S. OPEN: The U.S. Open tennis championships, a staple on CBS since 1968, will remain on the network for at least another five years under a contract extension announced.
DAVIS CUP: The United States will play its first-round Davis Cup match at home Feb. 9-11 against Mexico, perhaps the weakest team in the field of 16 countries in the World Group.
SEIKO SUPER: American Louis Gloria, No. 233 in the computer rankings, took the second-seeded Ivanisevic to a third-set tiebreak before Ivanisevic pulled it out with an ace, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) at the Super Seiko Tennis Tournament.
SHARKS COACH EXTENDS: Kevin Constantine, who coached the San Jose Sharks to the second round of the playoffs the last two seasons, signed a three-year contract extension.
Boxing
KING'S TRIAL: Boxing promoter Don King's insurance fraud trial started with prosecutors calling him an insurance thief and his lawyer saying he was a benevolent banker who loaned hundreds of thousands of dollars to his fighters.