Robinson Takes Pay Cut to Sign With Suns

Free-agent forward Clifford Robinson, who played eight seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, accepted a one-year, $1-million contract with the Phoenix Suns on Monday.

Robinson, who ranks second in Portland history in blocked shots (726) and three-pointers (492), said he was influenced by the desire to remain close to his two sons in Portland and by the fact that Phoenix Coach Danny Ainge is a former teammate.

“It’s not the best situation as far as salary is concerned but, all things considered, next year they’ll have a lot of capital and I’ll be able, hopefully, to go out there and show what my value is,” Robinson said.

Robinson was seeking up to $6 million a year, but poor performances during the playoffs the past few years dropped his stock. He had to accept the only offer the Suns could make under their salary cap exemption.

*

Robert Parish, who played in more NBA games than any other player, retired after 21 seasons that included three championships with the Boston Celtics and another last season with the Chicago Bulls.

Parish, who turns 44 Saturday, played in 1,611 NBA games over 21 seasons, averaging 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 1,561 games during the 1995-96 season.

*

Former Clipper swingman Malik Sealy signed a free-agent contract with the Detroit Pistons.

*

Houston guard Cynthia Cooper, a former USC standout, was the only unanimous selection to the All-WNBA first team.

Joining Cooper on the first team were two other former USC players, forward Tina Thompson of Houston and center Lisa Leslie of the Sparks. Sacramento guard Ruthie Bolton-Holifield and Cleveland forward Eva Nemcova also made the first team.

Jurisprudence

Former Virginia basketball player Courtney Alexander was convicted of assaulting his girlfriend and sentenced to 60 days in jail with 56 days suspended by Judge Jannene Shannon. . . . Incoming Ohio State freshman Jon Sanderson, a 6-foot-7 forward on the basketball team, was arrested in Dayton on charges of assaulting a peace officer, underage drinking and public intoxication.

Pro Hockey

Defenseman Mike Crowley, one of the top collegiate players last season, signed a two-year contract with the Mighty Ducks.

Crowley, who played the last three seasons at Minnesota, led the Western Collegiate Hockey Assn. in scoring with nine goals and 56 points.

Center Dale Hawerchuk, a 16-year veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, retired because of an arthritic left hip.

The Toronto native is 21st in NHL history with 518 goals, 10th in assists with 891 and 10th in points with 1,409.

Neal Broten, the last member of the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to play in the NHL, retired. Broten ended last season with the Dallas Stars.

New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner is interested in buying the New York Islanders, according to a published report.

Steinbrenner has made preliminary inquiries, through an intermediary, about purchasing the Islanders, according to several persons close to the NHL and major league baseball, the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reported.

The St. Louis Blues reacquired defenseman Steve Duchesne from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Igor Kravchuk. . . . The Carolina Hurricanes traded center Andrew Cassels and goalie Jean-Sebastian Giguere to the Calgary Flames for forward Gary Roberts and goalie Trevor Kidd. . . . The Islanders acquired right wing Mariusz Czerkawski from the Edmonton Oilers for left wing Dan Lacouture. . . . The New York Rangers signed defenseman Jeff Brown, the 22nd overall pick in the 1996 NHL draft.

Horse Racing

Pat Day became the fifth jockey to win 7,000 races when he rode 2-year-old filly Bay Harbor to a one-length victory in the second race at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

A rival trainer allegedly stuffed bits of sponge up the nostrils of the odds-on favorite in a high-stakes horse race in New Mexico in a bid to stop it from winning. Julian Luna, director of the New Mexico Racing Commission, said pieces of wash sponge were found in the nostrils of Absolutely Nothing before a race at the Downs racetrack in Santa Fe on Friday.

Miscellany

Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer lost a charity skins event, $15,000-$3,000, to Davis Love III and Tom Lehman at Ligonier, Pa. The money went toward the $750,000 Palmer said was raised for the Latrobe Area Hospital foundation in his hometown.

Hunkie Cooper caught a touchdown pass, returned a kickoff 56 yards for another score and ran back an interception for a third, leading the Arizona Rattlers to a 55-33 victory over the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League title game at Phoenix.

Chinese divers Lu Haisong and Chen Lixia were first and second in the women’s one-meter springboard, and Michelle Rojohn of the U.S. took bronze at the World University Games in Sicily. . . . John “Buddy” Hassett, 85, who set a rookie record for fewest strikeouts with 17 in 156 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936, died of cancer in Westwood, N.J. . . . Gigi Villoresi, 88, a pioneering Formula One race car driver, died of heart failure in Modena, Italy.