Clippers Claim Traded Edwards Can't Play In Italy

-- BASKETBALL

Center James Edwards, a new Los Angeles Clipper, was reported fleeing for Italy, but his European career may be brief.

Clipper officials noted yesterday that Edwards, a former Washington Husky just acquired from the Detroit Pistons, has a year remaining on his NBA contract and isn't free to leave, despite the three-year, $5 million deal he recently signed with Knorr Bologna.

Edwards' agent has declared it will take a two-year, $3.2 million deal to make Edwards, 35, a happy Clipper. However, a Clipper source says the team has only $100,000 free under the salary cap.

-- GOLF

PGA champion John Daly, who won $230,000, said he will contribute $30,000 to set up a college scholarship fund for the two daughters of a man killed by lightning during the tournament in Carmel, Ind., last week.

-- Bill Pelham of Auburn and Jim Tucker of Vancouver, Wash., shared the lead entering today's final round of the Washington State Golf Association championship at Tumwater Valley. Pelham shot a 68 and Tucker 72, putting them at 212 after three rounds.

-- FOOTBALL

Senior tackle Constantino Romero and tailback Takim Brown, a redshirt sophomore who never played a down because of academic ineligibility, have notified Washington State University officials they have left school.

-- Cornerback Lewis Billups, who racked up $39,000 in non-reporting fines, said he feels "real comfortable" after signing a contract for an estimated $575,000 with with the Cincinnati Bengals.

-- The Minnesota Vikings made another sack-happy defensive lineman financially happy, tripling Al Noga's 1991 salary.

-- Pro Bowl linebacker Pepper Johnson signed a three-year contract with the New York Giants for $3 million.

-- Indianapolis guard Pat Tomberlin may miss the season after he suffered a broken leg in practice Tuesday.

-- Bruce Wilkerson moved into the Los Angeles Raiders' starting lineup, replacing Rory Graves at left offense tackle.

-- Paul Brown's two sons will inherit his shares in the Cincinnati Bengals, according to the will of the late team founder's will.

-- Major Harris, who quit the B.C. Lions a year ago because of a lack of playing time, has joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a practice-roster quarterback.

-- COURTS

A former college football player, James Mackey, bent on succeeding in real estate offered to kill a man after millionaire developer Michael Blatt twice suggested he would not mind if that happened, a prosecutor told jurors in Oakland, Calif.

-- Orlando Magic forward Terry Catledge was sentenced to three days in jail, 125 hours of community service and an undisclosed fine for driving with a suspended driver's license last February.

-- TENNIS

Top-seeded Boris Becker defeated David Pate 6-3, 6-2, and third-seeded Andre Agassi beat Kent Kinnear 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 in the second round of the U.S. Hardcourt Championships in Indianapolis.

In other second-round matches, unseeded Tim Mayotte defeated fourth-seeded Guy Forget 7-6 (8-6), 6-1; fifth-seeded Pete Sampras beat Grant Stafford 6-4, 6-2, and sixth-seeded David Wheaton defeated Aaron Krickstein 6-4, 7-5.

-- Top-seeded Stefan Edberg defeated MaliVai Washington 6-4, 6-4, and second-seeded Ivan Lendl beat Arnaud Boetsch 6-2, 6-2 in the second round of the Volvo International in New Haven, Conn.

Fourth-seeded John McEnroe defeated Luiz Mattar 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

-- Second-seeded Gabriela Sabatini defeated Patricia Hy 6-3, 6-0, and third-seeded Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario beat Isabelle Demongeot in the second round of the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles.

In another second-round match, unseeded Jo Durie upset fourth-seeded Zina Garrison 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5.

-- TRACK AND FIELD

The South African Amateur Athletics Association formally rejected the International Amateur Athletics Federation's invitation to compete in this month's world championships in Tokyo.

-- BOXING

Simon Brown's scheduled defense of his WBC welterweight title Sept. 14 against James "Buddy" McGirt has been postponed because of Brown's injured hand.

-- CYCLING

Renee Duprel, a former Bellevue resident, was eliminated by France's Felicia Ballanger in the quarterfinal sprint heats at the world championships in Stuttgart, Germany. Defending champion Connie Paraskevin-Young advanced.

-- HOCKEY

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow for the Tacoma Rockets' inaugural Western Hockey League season. Tickets are available at the Rockets' office and TicketMaster outlets.