Yankees to Get Knoblauch for 4 Players, $3 Million

After more than a week of dickering, Chuck Knoblauch’s trade from Minnesota to the New York Yankees will become a reality today, with the Yankees giving up four minor leaguers and $3 million.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that, for Knoblauch, a four-time all-star second baseman, Minnesota will receive pitchers Eric Milton and Danny Mota, outfielder Brian Buchanan and shortstop Cristian Guzman.

Members of baseball’s ruling executive council approved the trade after they were polled by telephone. Final approval was needed from acting Commissioner Bud Selig.

Knoblauch, 29, hit .291 last season with 117 runs, 62 steals, 10 triples, nine homers and 58 runs batted in. He also won his first Gold Glove award. He has a .304 average in seven major league seasons, with 713 runs and 276 steals.

The Yankees were thought to be discussing a contract extension for Knoblauch, who can demand a trade after this season because he was dealt during a multiyear contract. He has four seasons remaining on a $30-million, five-year deal.

*

Right-handed reliever Bobby Ayala and Seattle agreed on a $3.1-million, two-year contract.

Golf

Davis Love III took advantage of benign conditions on the forgiving Torrey Pines North Course and birdied the first three holes en route to an eight-birdie, one-eagle 62 for a one-stroke lead over four players in the Buick Invitational at La Jolla.

Fuzzy Zoeller, Bob Tway, Steve Jurgensen and Jeff Sanday were tied at 63. They will play the South Course the next three days.

Steve Pate’s 67 was the best score on the South Course, over which Tiger Woods shot a 71.

Football

Novelist Tom Clancy said he is confident that the Minnesota Vikings are his, despite claims to the contrary by team President Roger Headrick.

After Clancy was announced as the new owner, Headrick--one of the 10 current owners--said he has a legal right under ownership group by-laws to match any offer from an outside bidder.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is expected to be asked to settle the dispute, and Headrick is expected to lose the presidency today in a vote of the other nine owners.

New York Giant kicker Brad Daluiso signed a new contract with the team. Terms weren’t announced.

Tennis

Second-seeded Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia, seeking his third title in the Croatian Indoors, beat three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker of Germany, 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (9-7), 6-4, in a second-round match at Split. In another match, top-seeded Greg Rusedski of Britain defeated Slovak Jan Kroslak, 6-4, 6-3.

Top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia defeated Romania’s Adrian Voinea, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, in a third-round match at the Marseille Indoors in France. Sixth-seeded Thomas Enqvist of Sweden also advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Francisco Roig of Spain.

Second-seeded Lindsay Davenport of the United States beat Japan’s Naoko Sawamatsu, 6-2, 6-2, to become one of four seeded players to advance to the quarterfinals at the Pan Pacific Open tournament in Tokyo.

The former Los Angeles Open, which has been played under several names in its 72-year history, has changed sponsors again and this year’s event, staged July 27-Aug. 2 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA, will be called the Mercedes-Benz Cup.

Auto Racing

Bill Baird, a 48-year-old driver campaigning for ARCA rookie of the year, drove a Chevrolet owned by Winston Cup driver Kenny Schrader on a 186.197-mph lap to win the pole for the Firstplus Financial 200 at Daytona.

Boxing

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson scoffed at suggestions he is in financial trouble and avoided answering questions at a World Wrestling Federation news conference about whether he is handling his own affairs, free of promoter Don King and managers Rory Holloway and John Horne.

Miscellany

Thomas Pfueller, the director of the German Ski Federation, is the fourth official included in a doping investigation involving athletes of the former East Germany, according to Sport Bild, a Hamburg-based magazine.

The others are Raimund Bethge, coach of the German bobsled team; Joachim Franke, coach of Olympic speedskating champion Claudia Pechstein; and Stefan Gneupel, coach of Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann, another speedskater.

Eight students injured when celebrating Wisconsin football fans created a crush at Camp Randall Stadium after the Badgers beat Michigan in 1993 cannot sue school officials, a state court ruled.