Daily Sports Capsule

*Index*
BASKETBALL	FOOTBALL	BASEBALL	BOXING
TENNIS	LOCAL

BASKETBALL

For Alonzo Mourning, being chosen NBA Defensive Player of the Year isn't much of a consolation prize. "That's great," he said yesterday. "Can I trade it in to be playing Atlanta?" The Miami Heat center was a lopsided choice for the honor, three days after his team's season ended against the New York Knicks. Mourning received 89 of a possible 118 votes in balloting by a panel of sports writers and broadcasters from the United States and Canada. Atlanta's Dikembe Mutombo, winner of the defensive award three of the previous four seasons, was second with 10 votes. Seattle's Gary Payton, who won it in 1995-96, was third with six votes. ... Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz and Shaquille O'Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers were fined yesterday by the NBA for their actions in the opening games of the conference semifinals. Malone was fined $10,000 for elbowing Portland's Brian Grant with 3:27 left in the second quarter of their game Tuesday night. The Jazz won the game 93-83. O'Neal was fined $7,500 for failing to leave the court in a timely fashion and verbally abusing officials after the Lakers lost to the San Antonio Spurs 87-81 on Monday night.

FOOTBALL

The NFL's finance committee voted unanimously to recommend that the league approve Daniel Snyder's $800 million purchase of the Washington Redskins. A final vote is scheduled for NFL meetings Tuesday in Atlanta. Snyder needs votes from 24 of the league's 31 owners to be accepted. The eight-member finance committee's vote, taken yesterday at NFL headquarters in New York, is key because owners generally follow its recommendations. If Snyder's bid is approved, it will be the highest price ever paid for a North American sports franchise. The expansion Cleveland Browns were sold for $530 million in September, setting the previous record. The Redskins were put up for sale after owner Jack Kent Cooke died in 1997. His will instructed trustees to sell the team and use the proceeds to create a children's charity. ... Structural defects found in five places in the new Cleveland Browns stadium were minor, and will not threaten the $283 million structure, Mayor Michael R. White said yesterday. Inspectors found the problems in five of 1,000 joints in the stadium where steel beams attach to concrete or steel columns. Contractors were paying to add bolts to improve support and fix the problems, White said. Construction on the 72,000-seat stadium is about 85 percent complete. The stadium is expected to open on time in August. The Browns play their first regular-season game at home Sept. 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

BASEBALL

Tim Johnson, fired in spring training by the Toronto Blue Jays, was hired yesterday to manage in the Mexican league. Fired in part for telling lies about serving in the Marines in Vietnam, Johnson took over the Mexico City Red Devils in the Triple-A-rated Mexican Baseball League before yesterday's game against the Aguascalientes Railmen. The 49-year-old Johnson led Toronto to an 88-74 record last year, but admitted in November that he had told people he served in Vietnam while he actually had been in the Marine reserves in the United States. That led to conflicts with some players and coaches and the team fired him on March 17, during spring training. ... Tom Burgmeier, bullpen coach for the Kansas City Royals, fractured his wrist and knee yesterday when he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle to Kauffman Stadium. The Royals said the 55-year-old Burgmeier was struck when a car made a right turn in front of him. He was treated for a laceration to the right knee and he will undergo surgery tosday. A 17-year major league veteran with five clubs, including the Boston Red Sox, Burgmeier was 79-55 with 102 saves and a 3.23 career ERA.

BOXING

A Sept. 18 fight between unbeaten welterweight champions Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad might happen after all. Rival promoters Bob Arum and Don King exchanged new proposals for the 147-pound showdown yesterday, and Arum was encouraged enough to move back a deadline for Trinidad to sign for the bout. Arum had given Trinidad, who is promoted by King, until 8 p.m. last night to accept a $10 million offer for the fight. But, after getting a counteroffer from King for $11 million, Arum extended the deadline until the same time on Friday. Talks over the fight have overshadowed title defenses by both fighters, including a Saturday night WBC welterweight title defense by De La Hoya against Oba Carr in Las Vegas. Trinidad fights a week after De La Hoya, defending his IBF 147-pound title against Hugo Pineda. Trinidad is 34-0 with 29 knockouts while De La Hoya is 30-0 with 24 knockouts.

TENNIS

Yet to win a title this year and still warming up for the French Open, Pete Sampras helped the United States sweep Slovakia yesterday at the World Team Cup in Duesseldorf, Germany. Sampras, who has lost his No. 1 ranking to Yevgeny Kafelnikov, defeated Karol Kucera 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-2 in an event leading to next week's clay court major, the only Grand Slam tournament he has not won. Doubles specialist Richey Reneberg opened the best-of-3 series by upsetting 31st-ranked Dominik Hrbaty 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The Americans completed their 3-0 victory when Reneberg and Jonathan Stark beat Hrbaty and Tomas Catar 7-5, 6-3 in doubles. ... Lindsay Davenport won her first match after being out two months with a wrist injury, defeating Spain's Gala Leon 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 yesterday at the Madrid Open. Davenport, the top seed, is tuning up for next week's French Open, where she is the second seed.

LOCAL

The Committee for People With Concerns, an advocacy and service organization for the Greater New Bedford area, will hold a ziti and meatball dinner June 14 at Trinity's Restaurant in the city's south end. Former Red Sox catcher Russ Gibson will be on hand to show a film and talk about the 1967 World Series between the Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. Tickets are $5.50 and may be obtained by calling the organizers of the event -- Bob Branco (994-4972) or Larry Teixeira (994-3981).

-- COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS