Lightning Executive Shot in Car in Tampa

An executive with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning was shot in a confrontation with two men as they were stopped at a traffic light, he told police.

Chris Phillips, 46, was driving home early Friday in Tampa, Fla., and had stopped for a red light when the other car pulled up. His window open slightly, Phillips said he couldn’t understand what the men were saying, and he began to make a right turn to avoid a dispute.

That’s when a gunshot shattered the driver’s window, and a bullet hit Phillips in the lower left arm.

Phillips, the Lightning’s vice president and alternate governor, turned his car around and drove to Tampa General Hospital, where he underwent surgery to remove the bullet. He is in good condition.

Police have not made any arrests and have no motive.

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Houston Oiler offensive tackle Stan Thomas said a woman pointed a gun at his head Thursday night, wanting his $100,000 Mercedes and almost everything in it.

Thomas told Houston police he expected the woman, wearing a bandanna, to ask for money. Instead, she opened the car door, pressed a black, small-caliber, semiautomatic gun against his head, and told him, “Get the . . . out of the car or I’ll kill you,” reports said.

Four hours later, the car was found burning a few miles away. The auto’s wheels and tires were gone, as were CDs, golf clubs and two custom suits from the interior and trunk. Thomas said the woman also took his wallet, which contained about $1,200.

Tennis

Second-seeded Jana Novotna pulled up lame midway through her semifinal against Magdalena Maleeva at the Pathmark Classic in Mahwah, N.J., retiring while leading, 6-4, 3-4.

Maleeva advances to today’s final against the winner between sixth-seeded Chanda Rubin and unseeded Ai Sugiyama of Japan.

Down 1-4 in the second set, Novotna called for a tournament trainer, who taped the toe in an attempt to immobilize it. The Czech native then held serve and broke Maleeva before calling it quits.

“I just didn’t want to take any chances or make it any worse,” said Novotna, who is seeded fifth at the U.S. Open, which begins Monday.

Top-seeded Thomas Muster of Austria defeated Francisco Clavet of Spain, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), in the semifinals of the Croatia Open at Umag. He will face Carlos Costa of Spain, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Andrea Gaudenzi of Italy.

Defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia defeated Switzerland’s Marc Rosset, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, in the semifinals of the Hamlet Cup in Commack, N.Y. Kafelnikov, who had not defeated Rosset in five previous meetings, will face unseeded Jan Siemerink of the Netherlands, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Italy’s Renzo Furlan.

Miscellany

The Coast Guard has had no luck in its search for Jim Bertken, a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Daily News, who has been missing since early Friday morning while on fishing expedition. Bertken, 36, was apparently swept overboard while on an overnight charter trip off the California coast near San Luis Obispo.

Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger had the fastest qualifying lap at the Belgian Grand Prix at 137.177 m.p.h., while Formula One points leader Michael Schumacher finished a disappointing 16th at Spa-Francorchamps.

Unwilling to enter anything but an equal partnership when Schumacher moves to the Italian team next year, Berger still has to decide whether to sign Ferrari’s contract offer.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams from the United States registered victories at the World University Games in Fukuoka, Japan. The men’s team defeated Great Britain, 95-59, and the women knocked off Mexico, 100-78.

Names in the News

Britain’s Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent continued their domination of the men’s coxless pairs by winning their fourth consecutive title at the rowing World Championships in Tampere, Finland. . . . Franzi van Almsick of Germany won her fifth gold medal at the European swimming championships in Vienna as she anchored the medley relay team to victory in 4:09.97.