It's a deal: Yi agrees to play for Bucks

Basketball
Yi Jianlian will play for the Milwaukee Bucks after all. Yi, the sixth overall selection in the NBA draft in June, signed a standard rookie scale contract with the Bucks in Hong Kong yesterday and is expected to be in Milwaukee for the start of training camp Oct. 1, or shortly afterward. On draft night, Yi said he was surprised he was picked by the Bucks, but thought he'd play for them. But his agent, Dan Fegan, had pushed for the 19-year-old 7-footer to be drafted or traded to a city with a large Asian influence, or at least a larger city . . . Sacramento Kings forward Kevin Martin signed a five-year contract extension reportedly worth more than $50 million. He averaged a career-high and team-leading 20.2 points last season . . . Forward Ruben Patterson, who averaged a career-high 14.7 points with the Bucks last season, signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. No terms were announced . . . Mayor Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City said the suggestion that city officials have spoken with members of the Seattle SuperSonics ownership group about a possible move is "preposterous." But the Tacoma News Tribune, citing a Sonics employee who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported Saturday that Clay Bennett, an Oklahoma City businessman and the leader of the ownership group, told team employees during a meeting last week that Oklahoma City would pay the team's expenses should it relocate there . . . The Bobcats re-signed point guard Jeff McInnis to a one-year, $1.2 million contract . . . Robert Mitchell, a 6-6 forward who was the Atlantic 10 rookie of the year last season with Duquesne, has left the team and plans to transfer.

Baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed righthander Esteban Loaiza off waivers from the Oakland Athletics, assuming more than $8 million in guaranteed salary. Loaiza, a two-time All-Star, had made only two starts after missing the first 4 1/2 months of the season because of three different injuries. He has allowed just three earned runs in 14 2/3 innings, and gives the Dodgers' depleted rotation a boost for the stretch run . . . Florida Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen has enrolled in a pretrial diversion program that could lead to dismissal of felony charges against him stemming from a DUI arrest in which he fought with police . . . George Kotteras hit a tying three-run home run in the ninth inning, and Brandon Moss singled in the winning run as Pawtucket rallied for a 7-6 victory over Buffalo at McCoy Stadium. Pawtucket's Jacoby Ellsbury singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 24 games . . . Chris Smith allowed just three hits and an earned run in six innings, pitching the Portland Sea Dogs to a 5-1 victory over the Trenton Thunder in the first game of a doubleheader at Hadlock Field. In the nightcap, Trenton scored all of its runs on bases-loaded walks to take a 4-3 victory.

College football

The University of Oklahoma will ask the NCAA for a waiver to allow a booster to raise money for the funeral of a football recruit who was killed last week. Herman Mitchell, a 6-foot, 200-pound linebacker, verbally committed in June to play for the Sooners, but the 17-year-old from Westfield High School in Houston was shot to death Friday after getting into a fight at an apartment complex. Oklahoma booster and Houston resident Adam Fineberg began raising money for Mitchell's family to help defray the player's funeral costs, but university compliance officials told him his actions violated NCAA rules . . . Tennessee senior quarterback Erik Ainge has a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, but is expected to play Saturday when the No. 15 Volunteers visit No. 12 California . . . Former TCU linebacker LaMarcus McDonald was sentenced to seven years in prison, a day after pleading guilty to a drug charge in Waco, Texas. McDonald, 26, was the Conference USA defensive player of the year in 2002.

Miscellany

David Beckham left the field in the 30th minute of the Los Angeles Galaxy's SuperLiga final against Pachuca in Carson, Calif., after spraining his right knee during a fall. Initially, Beckham's injury was announced as a strain. But after he was examined at halftime, the team said he had a sprain. He did not return for the second half . . . Chaswe Nsofwa, 26, a forward who played for Zambia at the 2002 African Cup of Nations, collapsed during a practice session in the Israeli city of Beersheva and died minutes later in a hospital . . . Matias Mantilla scored just 40 seconds into the game as host Real Salt Lake defeated Kansas City in MLS action, 3-1 . . . Chivas USA defender Alex Zotinca was fined $1,250 and suspended three games for head-butting Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Kevin Harmse in a game last Thursday . . . Four Duke men's lacrosse players, including national player of the year Matt Danowski, will return for a fifth season granted by the NCAA to restore a year lost amid rape allegations that led to false charges against three former teammates.