Stadium Proposals Soundly Defeated

Voters in Pittsburgh overwhelmingly rejected a sales tax boost Tuesday to build two stadiums, and Minneapolis voters demanded a say before multimillion-dollar sports projects even start.

Residents of 11 southwestern Pennsylvania counties rejected a half-cent sales tax hike proposed to finance stadiums for baseball’s Pirates and football’s Steelers.

“Maybe we didn’t tell the message right, maybe we waited too long to get our message out,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, who supported the tax increase.

With votes counted from 98% of Allegheny County’s 1,309 precincts, the referendum trailed by a 3-2 margin. Returns from other counties were even more lopsided.

Steeler President Dan Rooney said both teams must find other ways to pay for the stadiums, which they argue are crucial to remain competitive with other teams.

In Minneapolis, voters overwhelmingly approved a change in the city charter that will require a citywide vote before more than $10 million in taxpayer money is spent on a sports project. With 98% of precincts reporting, the change was approved 70% to 30%.

The baseball Twins and football Vikings play in the Metrodome.

Tennis

Jonas Bjorkman and Thomas Enqvist, expected to lead Sweden in the Davis Cup final against the United States this month, won their opening matches in the Stockholm Open.

Bjorkman, whose climb from 69th at the start of the year to fourth is one of the most impressive in ATP rankings history, led, 6-4, 5-2, when Germany’s Marc-Kevin Goellner retired because of a hip injury. Enqvist, the two-time defending champion, beat Magnus Norman, 7-5, 6-3.

Top-seeded Pat Rafter of Australia moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Belgium’s Johan Van Herck.

Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic upset fourth-seeded Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil, 6-2, 6-4, in the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

The loss cost Kuerten a spot in the ATP Tour Championships next week in Germany.

Meanwhile, top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia defeated Byron Black of Zimbabwe, 6-4, 6-3, and No. 2 Petr Korda of the Czech Republic downed Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark, 7-6 (8-6), 5-7, 6-4.

College basketball

Pacific drew all 12 first-place votes in the coaches’ poll and 45 of the 46 votes in the writers’ poll--Long Beach State had the other--in the Big West Conference’s Western Division at media day and far outpointed the Eastern favorites Nevada and New Mexico State.

A doctor has recommended that former New Mexico State basketball coach Neil McCarthy, scheduled to begin a new job at the school this week, remain on sick leave indefinitely because of stress-related illness.

Miscellany

Jurors deliberated only four minutes in a Houston courtroom before clearing free-agent third baseman Wade Boggs of civil assault in a profanity-laced verbal encounter with Continental Airlines flight attendant Karen Plympton in 1996. . . . Alexis Lalas, a star of the U.S. World Cup soccer team in 1994, signed with the popular Ecuadorean team Emelec in Guayaquil. Lalas will join the team Nov. 23, a club official said.