Basketball

MAVS' GM SEARCH OVER: The Dallas Mavericks' search for a general manager is finally over.

Keith Grant, the team's director of player personnel for the past two seasons, was told after new owners took over in May that he wasn't being considered for the GM's job.

But new owners Ross Perot Jr., David McDavid and Frank Zaccanelli said Wednesday they have changed their minds.

They announced they were splitting the GM job in two, naming the 38-year-old Grant as vice president for basketball operations and chief financial officer Jim Livingston, 49, as vice president for business operations.

Norm Sonju stepped down as general manager shortly after original owner Donald Carter sold the team on May 1.

SPURS OWNERS REJECT OFFER: Owners of the San Antonio Spurs, reaffirming their commitment to keep the team where it is, have rejected a $120 million offer from a New Mexico family to buy the NBA franchise.

"The Spurs ownership overwhelmingly - overwhelmingly - decided to reject the offer," said Leo Gomez, Spurs vice president for community and governmental affairs.

"The San Antonio Spurs have been a part of San Antonio for 25 years with local ownership, and that's the way we intend to keep it."

WOOTTEN TRANSPLANT: Morgan Wootten, the acclaimed Baltimore DeMatha High School coach who sent a dozen players to the NBA, had a life-saving liver transplant and might be able to coach next season.

The 51/2-hour operation went as planned, said Dr. James Burdick, director of the kidney transplant program at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Wootten was listed in critical condition in the surgical intensive care unit.

Wootten was hospitalized Sunday after collapsing at his basketball camp at Mount St. Mary's College. He was diagnosed several years ago with primary biliary cirrhosis, an autoimmune disease extremely rare in men.

Baseball

ALL-STAR RATINGS DOWN: Tuesday's All-Star game got the lowest rating ever in prime-time and was the least-watched in 27 years.

NBC's broadcast got a 13.2 rating and 23 share, Nielsen Media Research said, down 5 percent from the 13.9 rating for last year's game, which had the previous low rating for a prime-time All-Star game.

The game was seen in 12.7 million homes, the fewest since 1969's All-Star game, which was played in the afternoon because of a postponement and was watched by 8.6 million.

Tennis

HALL OF FAME: In Newport, R.I., top-seeded Byron Black of Zimbabwe beat South African qualifier Robbie Koenig 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Miller Lite Hall of Fame Championships.

No. 4 Sandon Stolle of Australia lost 6-2, 6-3 to Marcos Ondruska of South Africa; fifth-seeded Patrick Rafter of Australia was upset by Daniel Nestor of Canada 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8), and India's Leander Paes outlasted eighth-seeded Mark Knowles of the Bahamas 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.

Also, Nicholas Pereira of Venezuela defeated Jonathan Stark 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second round; South Africa's Grant Stafford downed Italy's Laurence Tielman 7-6 (7-4), 6-2; and South Africa's David Nainkin topped David DiLucia 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).

SWISS OPEN: In Gstaad, Switzerland, MaliVai Washington and local favorite Marc Rosset were ousted in the first round of the Swiss Open.

Washington, a Wimbledon finalist, lost to Francisco Clavet of Spain 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, while Rosset, the Olympic champion, was beaten by German qualifier Oliver Gross 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Defending champion and top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov downed Spain's Roberto Carretero 7-5, 6-1; sixth-seeded Alberto Costa of Spain outlasted Slava Dosedel of the Czech Republic 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 7-6 (11-9); Italy's Renzo Furlan defeated Jakob Hlasek of Switzerland 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4; Argentina's Hernan Gumy ousted Spain's Emilio Alvarez 6-4, 6-3, and Karim Alami of Morocco beat Argentine qualifier Andres Zingman, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.

SWEDISH OPEN: In Bastad, Sweden, Stefan Edberg, playing his last Swedish Open, completed a 6-2, 6-2 victory over qualifier Jack Waite in the first round.

The top-seeded Edberg will retire after the Stockholm Open in October. Fifth-seeded Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine downed Alexander Volkov of Russia 6-3, 6-4 in another first-round match.

Track

NIKAIA GRAND PRIX: In Nice, France, Wilson Kipketer, the Kenya-born runner who competes for Denmark, ran the fastest 800 meters in 11 years, 1 minute, 42.51 seconds at the Nikaia Grand Prix meet.

Noureddine Morceli won the 2,000 meters in 4:49.55. Martin Keino, son of former Kenyan great Kip Keino, was second in 4:53.84.

World champion Donovan Bailey of Canada edged Olympic champion Linford Christie in the 100 in 10.17.

Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco won the 1,500 in 3:30.61, with Venuste Niyongabo of Burundi second in 3:31.65.

Sonia O'Sullivan of Ireland established the best women's 3,000 time of the year with 8:35.43. Torrance Zellner set his fastest time of the season, 48.24 in the 400 hurdles.

World champion Ana Quirot of Cuba took the women's 800 in 1:59.21 and Mary Onyali of Nigeria captured the women's 100 in 11.18.

Lumilla Engquist of Sweden remained unbeaten for the season with a 12.67 victory in the 100 hurdles, and Kenya's Joseph Keter won the 3,000 steeplechase in 8:08.47.

Auto racing

BRAYTON REPORT: Indy-car driver Scott Brayton wasn't covered by life insurance when he died May 17 while practicing for the Indianapolis 500, a published report said.

Brayton, 36, of Coldwater, Mich., had extensive medical insurance to cover injuries he sustained while racing but no coverage in the event he lost his life, The Indianapolis Star reported.

The U.S. Auto Club pays $40,000 to any driver fatally injured. One Indy-car circuit, Championship Auto Racing Teams, awards benefits of $100,000 to $300,000 to survivors of drivers who are killed.

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Brayton, however, did not compete on the CART circuit and had specialized in racing only at Indianapolis until this year.

Figure skating

COPPER CUP: The Utah Figure Skating Club will host the 1996 Copper Cup competition Thursday through Saturday at Bountiful City Ice Arena. More than 165 skaters from Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming will join those from Utah in events ranging from beginners to senior ladies freestyle.

Some events begin at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The competition continues Friday (8 a.m.-8 p.m.) and Saturday (8 a.m.-1 p.m.). Admission to all events is free. Contact the Bountiful Recreation Center for further information, 298-6220.

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