Baseball’s Executive Council Suspends Steinbrenner

New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner was suspended Tuesday from baseball’s executive council because of his recently filed lawsuit against other owners. In addition, the Yankees were suspended from participation on all committees.

The Yankees sued major league baseball last week, claiming that the sport’s officials were interfering with their 10-year contract with Adidas, a deal thought to be worth about $95 million.

The Major League Agreement, however, bars teams and owners from suing baseball.

Auto Racing

Johnny O’Connell and Tyce Carlson found rides for the Indianapolis 500 as substitutes for drivers who have been injured.

O’Connell replaces Scott Sharp, who was knocked unconscious in a crash Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and still is being monitored for a brain bruise.

Carlson will fill in for John Paul Jr., who broke his lower right leg and left heel in another crash Friday.

Defending champion Buddy Lazier was fastest of the 17 drivers who made it onto the track. He turned his fast lap of the month at 217.040 mph.

Tennis

Steffi Graf, pleased with neither her shots nor her effort, played her first singles match since being sidelined because of a knee injury and needed three sets to beat Chanda Rubin, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, in the second round of the German Open at Berlin.

College Basketball

Former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps has expressed interest in the DePaul coaching job left open by the departure of Joey Meyer, according to a report published in the Chicago Tribune. . . . Delray Brooks, a four-year assistant under Rick Pitino at Kentucky, was named coach at Texas Pan American. . . . Florida sophomore Kendrick Spruel, a highly regarded recruit who sat out half of last season because of injuries, plans to transfer. . . . Longtime Campbellsville College coach Lou Cunningham died at Louisville, Ky., of complications following emergency colon surgery last month. He was 60.

Miscellany

U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian dismissed a lawsuit filed by Fox Sports West against the Mighty Ducks, but said he will give the upstart sports cable network 30 days to file a new complaint, court documents showed today. The channel filed suit in February against Disney, ESPN and the Ducks, claiming they conspired to lock Fox Sports West out of local cable markets.

Sprinter Ben Johnson, banned because of drug use, has filed an application with a Canadian court, charging track’s world governing body and Athletics Canada with keeping him from making a living by imposing a lifetime suspension.

Grambling and Alabama State have agreed to play a football game in the Rose Bowl next Nov. 8, in what is expected to be long-time Grambling Coach Eddie Robinson’s final season. The Pasadena City Council has approved the addition of the game.

Unrestricted free agent linebacker Lew Bush agreed to a four-year contract with the San Diego Chargers, the team announced. Financial terms were not released.

Geoff Sanderson, Anson Carter and Mark Recchi scored the goals and Sean Burke made 28 saves as Canada beat Sweden, 3-1, to tie their title playoff, 1-1, in the World Hockey Championships at Helsinki, Finland.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Assn. Olympic trials will be held Dec. 30-Jan. 4 at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Lennox Lewis will defend his World Boxing Council heavyweight title in Lake Tahoe, Nev., July 12 against Henry Akinwande, Lewis’ manager Frank Maloney said.

The fight was announced last month for Atlantic City, N.J., but that site was ruled out because of legal problems in New Jersey for Akinwande’s promoter, Don King.

Meanwhile, King was sued for $64.5 million in New York by WBC welterweight champion Terry Norris, who asked the court nullify a “horribly one-sided and unfair” contract that his manager, Joseph Sayatovich, allegedly misled him into signing.

Dennis Conner will return to the America’s Cup in 1999-2000, representing the Cortez Racing Association, a small yacht club in San Diego. The event will be held off Auckland, New Zealand.