Muster, Capriati Out of Wimbledon

Thomas Muster and Jennifer Capriati withdrew from Wimbledon because of injuries Wednesday, the second year in a row they have pulled out on short notice.

Muster, who was seeded sixth, said he sustained a hip injury during his 6-4, 6-2 loss to Moroccan Karim Alami on Tuesday at the Wimbledon grass-court warmup in Rosmalen, Netherlands.

Muster, an Austrian whose success has been mostly on clay, has not won a match at Wimbledon in four appearances.

Capriati’s withdrawal is not surprising. The American has not played since the Italian Open in May because of an injured ankle.

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Top-seeded Michael Chang overcame German Alex Radulescu, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, in the second round of the Heineken Trophy tournament at Rosmalen.

In women’s play, top-seeded Anke Huber of Germany outlasted Czech Sandra Kleinova, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, and second-seeded Mary Pierce defeated French compatriot Sarah Pitkowski, 6-3, 7-5.

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Jim Courier lost to Australia’s Jason Stoltenberg, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the second round of the Nottingham (England) Open. . . . Iva Majoli, the French Open champion, was defeated, 6-2, 7-5, by Natasha Zvereva in the grass-court tuneup at Eastbourne, England. Also ousted was Venus Williams, who lost to France’s Nathalie Tauziat for the second time in three weeks, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. She lost to Tauziat in the French Open. . . . Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis will win the titles at Wimbledon in the opinion of British bookmakers. Ladbrokes and William Hill, Britain’s leading bookies, list Sampras at 13-8 to win his fourth Wimbledon title in five years. Hingis is listed as a 4-6 odds-on favorite.

The Dallas Cowboys are considering signing free agent linebacker Seth Joyner, who was released Monday in a cost-cutting move by the Cardinals.

“We want to see if Joyner’s seen his better days or if he can still play,” Cowboy vice president Stephen Jones said.

Jurisprudence

The FBI arrested a man accused of threatening to blow up the Delta Center this week unless paid an undisclosed sum by Jazz owner Larry Miller.

Richard Christiansen, 43, of Tremonton, Utah, was arrested at 9:30 a.m. by the bureau’s Violent Crimes Task Force, Woods Cross Police Department and investigators from the U.S. Postal Service, said Thomas Kubic, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Division.

In letters mailed to two of Miller’s auto dealerships, the Jazz owner was instructed to deliver money to a semi-secluded spot in a field near Sky Park Airport in Woods Cross, according to the FBI.

Running back Elijah Williams, the Florida football team’s captain, was put on school probation and will miss the Gators’ opener over charges he obstructed an investigation into sexual assault. . . . Offensive tackle Dan Drogan of Penn State was charged with drunken driving after smashing his pickup truck into a tree and leaving an injured passenger at the accident, police said.

A felony gun charge against Chicago Bear Alonzo Spellman was thrown out by a Cook County judge. Circuit Judge Nicholas Pomaro ruled that Illinois state police had no legal right to search Spellman’s Mercedes-Benz when they stopped him for speeding March 9. . . . The daughter of NFL Hall of Fame kicker Jan Stenerud has been charged with participating in a large cocaine conspiracy. Klancy J. Stenerud, 25, was arrested and appeared in federal court before being released on $15,000 unsecured bond. She was one of 20 people named in a secret indictment issued last week by a grand jury in Lake Charles, La.

Joe Paquette, a teenager whose arm was seriously slashed during a high school football game at Albuquerque, N.M., is suing the dentist who sharpened a helmet buckle that cut him. Paquette filed a lawsuit in state district court against Stephen Cito, alleging the buckle was sharpened with “a wanton disregard for the lives, safety or property of other persons.”

Pro Hockey

Vladimir Konstantinov wiggled his toes and opened his eyes in response to commands in Russian on Wednesday, five days after a limo accident left the Detroit Red Wing defenseman in a coma.

“We can’t guarantee that he’ll have a full recovery,” said Dr. Karol Zakalik, a neurosurgeon. “But it certainly makes me much more optimistic than [with] many similar head injuries like his.”

Konstantinov, 30, and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov, 43, remained comatose and breathing through ventilators. Doctors at William Beaumont Hospital hope the two men escaped severe brain damage, but they would not venture many opinions about the extent of their recovery.

Pierre Page was let go as coach of the Calgary Flames after he asked to be given a two-year extension on his existing contract or be released, Flame executive vice president Alan Coates said. . . . Defenseman Kjell Samuelsson signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Miscellany

One day after he was released by the Oakland Raiders, Jeff Hostetler signed a three-year, $3-million contract with the Washington Redskins.

Hostetler, 36, will enter training camp next month as the backup to Gus Frerotte. The Redskins have been in the market for a veteran backup since free agent Heath Shuler signed with the New Orleans Saints in April.

Wide receiver Andre Rison signed a two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. . . . Jeff Herrod, the leading tackler for the Indianapolis Colts seven of the last eight seasons, had his contract terminated. There was no immediate word if the Colts planned to negotiate a new agreement with Herrod.

The British Medical Assn. renewed its call for a ban on boxing after a British fighter was left in critical condition with brain injuries. Chris Henry, 28, was listed as “critical but stable” at London’s Oldchurch Hospital after surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. He was hospitalized Tuesday after a punishing loss to fellow Briton Dominic Negus. . . . National Assn. for Stock Car Auto Racing officials levied a $12,500 penalty against Dennis Connor. The penalty was imposed as a result of unapproved cylinder heads found during the prerace, post-qualifying inspection process June 6 at the Pronto Auto Parts 400. . . . Sergei Bubka, who set 35 world records in the pole vault over the past 13 years, failed to clear 18 feet, 4 1/2 inches in his first competition in 10 months, a Grand Prix event at Helsinki, Finland. Newcomer Riaan Botha of South Africa cleared 19-4 1/4 to win the competition. . . . Azusa Pacific is adding women’s tennis to its athletic program for next season.

Even though all of the ballots haven’t been counted, billionaire Paul Allen and Seattle officials all but declared victory in a stadium referendum and agreed to move forward with Allen’s purchase of the Seattle Seahawks. The measure was ahead by 21,660 votes--715,073 votes (51%) to 693,413 (49%). A survey of county auditors indicated at least 100,000 ballots remained to be counted. . . . The Florida Supreme Court denied a request by former Tampa Mayor Bill Poe that could have stopped a bond sale to build a new football stadium for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Poe filed a motion June 3 asking the court for a rehearing.