Marv Albert’s Name Reportedly on Slain Dominatrix’s Client List

The name of sportscaster Marv Albert, awaiting trial in Virginia on forcible assault and sodomy charges, appears on a “client list� recovered by police from the Manhattan apartment of a dominatrix slain Saturday night, law enforcement sources said Wednesday in New York.

There is no indication that Albert is a suspect in the slaying.

The New York Police Department declined to confirm or deny whether Albert’s name appears on the client list.

In the Virginia case, Albert is accused of attacking a Vienna, Va., woman, who the police said he had known for 10 years, after an argument in a room at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pentagon City, Va.

Auto Racing

The Taurus, the best-selling car in America the past five years, will replace the Thunderbird as Ford Motor Company’s racing entry in the NASCAR Winston Cup series starting next season.

The Taurus will be the first four-door car in NASCAR racing in more than 40 years and the first in the series on a full-time basis.

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Ford Thunderbird drivers did well in the opening practice for Saturday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, turning in four of the top five laps.

Defending champion Dale Jarrett, coming off a victory two weeks ago at Pocono, led with a lap of 178.980 mph, followed by teammate Ernie Irvan at 177.943 mph. Wally Dallenbach Jr. was third in a Chevy Monte Carlo at 177.144, with Thunderbird drivers Ted Musgrave and Lake Speed close behind at 176.908 mph and 176.706 mph.

Qualifying for the 400-mile race begins today.

Pro Basketball

Charles Barkley testified in Cleveland that he pushed the man who is suing him for $500,000 because he was a “drunk redneck� who deserved it.

“I don’t know if I ever got to hit him or not,� Barkley said of Jeb Tyler, 24, of Spencerport, N.Y. “I would hope I did, but I don’t know if I did.�

Jess Kersey, 56, one of four NBA referees indicted on charges of federal income tax evasion, resigned after 24 years with the league. He was regarded as one of the NBA’s top officials.

Kersey pleaded guilty in Norfolk, Va., to filing false federal income tax returns and was sentenced to three years’ probation. He was fined $20,000 after agreeing to cooperate in the investigation of tax fraud by NBA referees.

Shawn Kemp of the Seattle SuperSonics was involved in a one-car accident in Beverly Hills last Saturday at 2 a.m., Sgt. John Edmundson of the Beverly Hills Police Dept. said.

Kemp was driving a rented 1997 Jaguar when he lost control and hit a fire hydrant in a residential area at Hillcrest and Elevado, Edmundson said. “There were no injuries and no alcohol,� he added. Kemp was not cited.

The Detroit Pistons re-signed Joe Dumars.

New Jersey Net center Jayson Williams says the team fined him $10,000 last week for making disparaging comments about Coach John Calipari in an article he wrote for GQ magazine’s June issue.

Tennis

Top-seeded Michael Chang advanced at the du Maurier Open tennis championships in Montreal when Sandon Stolle of Australia retired trailing, 6-1, 1-0, because of a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, second-seeded Goran Ivanisevic struggled to a 6-3, 6-7 (8-10), 6-4 victory over New Zealander Brett Steven and third-seeded Thomas Muster looked rusty in a 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 win over American qualifier Jeff Salzenstein.

Golf

Beth Bauer of Valrico, Fla., shot a six-under-par 66 to maintain her lead after the second round of the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship in Franklin, Tenn.

Bauer’s two-round 134 gave her a seven-shot lead over second-place Candy Hannemann of Brazil. Candie Kung of Fountain Valley, who trailed Bauer by two shots after the first round, shot a 73 Wednesday for a 143 to tie for fifth.

Three Orange County golfers made the cut following the second round of the American Junior Golf Assn. Boys’ Junior Championship in Trophy Club, Texas.

Nate Blauer of Trabuco Canyon shot a two-under-par 70 for a two-round 143, five off the pace set by leader Leif Olson of Golden, Colo., in the 15-18 division. Bret Parker of Villa Park was at 148 and Jin Park of Fullerton made the cut at 149.

Swimming

Kristine Quance of Northridge won the 200 individual medley at the U.S. Swimming National Championships in Nashville as Neil Walker set a meet record in winning the 100-meter butterfly. Walker, of Verona, Wis., won in 53.06 seconds, bettering Matt Biondi’s 53.09 set in 1988. Quance won in 2:13.55, the fastest time in the world this year. Huntington Beach’s Steve West placed fourth in the 200-meter breaststroke, which was won by Kurt Grote in 2:12.35.

Miscellany

Austria’s Wolfgang Fasching maintained the lead Wednesday after passing station 38 on the fourth day of cycling in the Race Across America.

Danny Chew moved into second place, and three-time champion Rob Kish is in third in the race that began in Irvine and will end in Savannah, Ga.

Fasching passed through Mayflower, Ark., which is 2,132 miles into the race, at 11:08 p.m. Chew came through at 11:56. Kish passed through station 37, Dardanelle, Ark., at 8:55.

Jirka Batlik, Sam Couch, Brandon Krovosa, all of Newport Beach, and Zbigniew Wadyznski of Chicago, won the Senior four-man 1,000-meter canoe race Wednesday at the U.S. National Canoe and Kayak Sprint National Championships in Lake Lanier, Ga.

The four won in 3 minutes 55.76 seconds. Deanne Hemmens of Newport Beach and her partner, Julia Sorzano of Arlington, Va., won the senior two-women 100-meter kayak race in 3:43.84.