Clippers Sign Draft Pick Ely

The Clippers on Wednesday signed Melvin Ely, the second of their two first-round draft picks, to a standard rookie contract of three seasons plus a team option on a fourth. The deal potentially is worth $7.3 million.

Ely was Fresno State’s leading scorer last season, averaging 23.3 points. He is the school’s career leader with 1,951 points and 362 blocked shots.

The Clippers expect Ely to fill in occasionally for power forward Elton Brand and center Michael Olowokandi.

The Clippers signed their other first-round pick, forward Chris Wilcox, last month.

Training camp begins Oct. 1 at Palm Desert.

Elliott Teaford

Hockey

Russian forward Maxim Afinogenov, who had 21 goals for the Buffalo Sabres last season, agreed to a two-year, $2.4-million contract with the team.

Afinogenov, 23, will have base salaries of $1.1 million this season and $1.3 million in 2003-04 in the deal that includes numerous bonus clauses.

Miscellany

All Major League Baseball night games Sept. 11 will pause at 9:11 local time for a moment of silence in remembrance of last year’s terrorist attacks.

During afternoon games, the moment of silence will be held during the seventh-inning stretch.

NFL fans will hear an address Sunday on last year’s events from President Bush and team personnel will wear logos commemorating the events.

On Saturday night, NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway are planning a pre-race tribute to include a card display by more than 100,000 spectators and a flag salute by Winston Cup drivers.

Taylor Davison, a 10-year-old youth football player from Bartlett, Ill., died Monday of a blood clot on the right side of her brain caused by blunt trauma, according to a Cook County medical examiner’s report.

The youngster left a noncontact practice Friday complaining of a headache and collapsed as she walked off the field. Family members said she complained of headaches after a practice earlier in the week.

Albuquerque’s new Pacific Coast League baseball team will be called the Isotopes.

The name comes from the Fox animated show, “The Simpsons,” in which Homer Simpson stages a hunger strike after learning the mayor of Albuquerque was trying to lure away the Springfield Isotopes baseball team. In the end, the team remained in Springfield.