White Sox Expected to Send Raines to Yankees

Tim Raines, who was once one of baseball’s premier base-stealing threats, is set to join the New York Yankees.

The Chicago White Sox and the Yankees just about completed the trade Wednesday night, with the White Sox to receive future considerations for the outfielder, a source told the Associated Press.

Raines, who is signed for next season at $3.7 million, will agree to a one-year contract extension through 1997, with a club option for 1998.

Raines batted .285 with 12 homers and 67 runs batted in last season. He has 777 steals in his career, fourth on the career list, but had only 13 steals in 15 attempts in 1995.

“I don’t feel like I’ve slowed. I feel like I was slowed down by them,” Raines said of the White Sox.

*

Hall of Fame umpire Al Barlick, known for the loudest ball-or-strike call in baseball, died of cardiac arrest Wednesday in Springfield, Ill., at 80.

Barlick retired in 1972 after 33 years as a National League umpire and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989, at the time only the sixth umpire to be so honored.

Barlick was called tough but respected, and one of his favorites was Stan Musial. He asked to umpire Musial’s final game, then called him out on strikes in his first at-bat.

*

The St. Louis Cardinals, on something of a spending spree in anticipation of new ownership, have guaranteed outfielder Ron Gant $25 million over five years, according to the Associated Press. . . . Right-hander Willie Blair agreed to a one-year contract with San Diego, a week after he was allowed to become a free agent.

Football

Only five members of the Nashville delegation in the Tennessee state legislature say they will vote for the state to sell $55 million in tax-free bonds toward building a stadium for the Houston Oilers. Eight others, polled by the Nashville Banner, say they are undecided, and five of those appeared to lean against the proposal in interviews with the Banner.

Danny O’Neil, who passed for a record 456 yards while playing for Oregon in the 1995 Rose Bowl game, has become the first player to sign a contract with the Anaheim Piranhas of the Arena Football League.

Jurisprudence

Former Nebraska football player Lance Lundberg has filed a federal lawsuit against Coach Tom Osborne and other university officials, claiming an assault by a teammate in 1993 left him with permanent facial disfigurement.

Lundberg said he sustained broken bones in his face and cranium when defensive back Leslie Dennis punched him a few days before the 1994 Orange Bowl game. The lawsuit claims Lundberg was assaulted because of “considerable ill will” between blacks and whites on the team. Lundberg is white and Dennis is black.

Hockey

The United States got off to a bad start and lost its second consecutive game at the World Junior Hockey Championships, falling, 4-3, to Ukraine at Boston.

Only 1:01 into the game, Erik Rasmussen was called for hooking, and Ukraine’s Andrei Bakunenko scored 37 seconds later.

In other games, three-time defending champion Canada defeated Switzerland, 2-1; the Czech Republic beat Germany, 6-3, and Russia and Slovakia tied, 3-3.

Basketball

No. 4 Kansas lost two shortened exhibition games to French teams in the Buckler Challenge at Strasbourg.

The Jayhawks lost to Pau-Orthez, 45-38, and to Strasbourg, 50-48, in 20-minute games.

Names in the News

Richey Reneberg and Chanda Rubin will represent the United States in the Hopman Cup tennis tournament in Perth, Australia. . . . Coach Paulo Autuori, who led Botafogo to the Brazilian soccer championship in his first season, will join Portugal’s Benfica next year.