Jazz Put Rockets Down 2-0

Karl Malone and John Stockton took charge and the Utah Jazz got a big boost from their bench in a 104-92 victory over the Houston Rockets that gave them a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. Malone had 24 points and 15 rebounds. The NBA Most Valuable Player again won his showdown with Rockets All-Star forward Charles Barkley, who fouled out with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Stockton had 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds. Hakeem Olajuwon scored 30 points for the Rockets. The series now shifts to Houston, where Game Three will be played Friday.

Malone, Jordan on NBA First-Team

MVP Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls superstar guard Michael Jordan head the list of players named Wednesday to the NBA's All-Star team. Malone and Jordan were each unanimous selections from a panel of 115 sports writers and broadcasters. They are joined on the First Team by Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon, Detroit Pistons forward Grant Hill and Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway. This marks the ninth First Team selection for Malone and Jordan, the sixth for Olajuwon, and the first for Hardaway and Hill.

Glavine Said to OK $42M Deal

Atlanta Braves left-hander Tom Glavine reportedly will become the $42 million man. The ESPN cable TV network reports that Glavine has agreed to a five-year, $42 million contract extension that would make him baseball's highest-paid pitcher. ESPN says the contract includes a $4 million signing bonus. The deal is to be officially announced Thursday. Glavine, 31, has 121 wins in the 1990s, more than any pitcher except teammate Greg Maddux, who has 125. He is in the final year of a five-year deal that pays him $5 million this season. Glavine won the 1991 Cy Young and was runner-up to Maddux in 1992 before finishing third for three straight years.

Braves Win on Homer in Ninth

Pinch-hitter Keith Lockhart pounded a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Atlanta Braves over the Montreal Expos, 3-2, Wednesday. Lockhart jumped on a 1-0 pitch from reliever Ugueth Urbina and drove it just inside the right-field foul pole for his first home run of the year. In Chicago, the Cubs finally won on a Wednesday. After dropping six straight mid-week games, the Cubs pounded the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-0, at Wrigley Field. In other National League games, Pittsburgh nipped St. Louis 3-2, Colorado tripped San Francisco 10-7, New York shaded Florida 2-1 and Houston needed 14 innings to trim Cincinnati 4-3.

No Luck for Cards' Benes

St. Louis Cardinals starter Alan Benes can't catch a break. Benes has pitched well in his past four starts but hasn't picked up a win, and Wednesday was no exception as the Cards lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2. Benes allowed just two hits over seven innings, and struck out nine. But he walked five, including the tying run in the seventh. Pittsburgh's Mark Johnson and Saint Louis catcher Mike Difelice were ejected for fighting after Johnson ran into Difelice while trying to score in the eighth inning.

O's Erickson Wins Eighth

Scott Erickson joined teammate Jimmy Key as the American League's only eight-game winners Wednesday by leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Erickson scattered four hits over 7 2/3 innings to improve his record to 8-1. Randy Myers pitched the ninth inning to record his league-leading 15th save. In Milwaukee, the Brewers ended a seven-game slide with a 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Brewers starter Ben McDonald got the win to stay unbeaten at home. In other American League games, Cleveland nipped Kansas City 1-0, Toronto beat New York 4-1, Chicago pounded Boston 10-5, and Oakland hammered Texas 7-3.

Pavlik to Miss 12 Weeks

Texas Rangers right-hander Roger Pavlik is expected to miss at least the next 12 weeks after he undergoes arthroscopic surgery Friday to remove loose fragments from his pitching elbow. The elbow locked up on Pavlik May 10th, and he has missed action since. A 1996 All-Star, Pavlik is 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA in six starts this season. In other personnel news, Florida Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo -- who leads the team in stolen bases -- will be activated Thursday from the 15-day disabled list. Castillo, Florida's leadoff hitter, was batting .289 with 12 steals before being placed on the disabled list with a bruised left heel.

Burns Named Bruins Coach

Pat Burns has been given the job of building the Boston Bruins into a Stanley Cup contender again. Burns Wednesday was named head coach of the Bruins, replacing Steve Kasper. Kasper was fired after the storied NHL franchise failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 30 years. Boston finished last in the Northeast Division to end a playoff streak that had been the longest in professional sports. The 45-year-old Burns has been out of hockey since he was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in March of last year.

Captain Bodgit Retires

Silver Charm's run for the Triple Crown received a big boost Wednesday when Captain Bodgit pulled out of the Belmont Stakes. Captain Bodgit's owners say the colt will be retired after injuring his left front leg in Saturday's third place finish at the Preakness. Bodgit finished second by a nose to Silver Charm in the Kentucky Derby and was considered Silver Charm's chief threat in the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

Seles Advances in Madrid

Top-seeded American Monica Seles and second seed and defending champion Jana Novotna of the Czech Republic easily advanced Wednesday to the third round of the Yellow Pages Open in Madrid. Seles crushed Spain's Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo, 6-0, 6-1, while Novotna stormed past Sweden's Asa Carlsson, 6-2, 6-2. At the ATP World Team Championship in Dusseldorf, Germany, Alex O'Brien and Jonathan Stark downed the Croatian duo of Goran Ivanisevic and Sasa Hirszon, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), Wednesday to give the United States a 2-1 victory in the deciding match of the event.

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