Thomas Edges Bonds as Year’s Top Player

Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox was named major league baseball player of the year by The Sporting News. Thomas drove in 128 runs, hit a career-high 41 home runs and batted .317.

Mike Piazza of the Dodgers and Tim Salmon of the Angels were named rookies of the year.

Thomas won the player of the year award over the San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds in a close poll of major league players, 161-159.

Lee Thomas, general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, was voted major league executive of the year. Other winners were Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves, National League manager of the year; Johnny Oates of the Baltimore Orioles, American League manager of the year; Greg Maddux of the Braves, National League pitcher of the year, and Jack McDowell of the White Sox, American League pitcher of the year.

Either Tony Muser or Tom Trebelhorn will replace Jim Lefebvre as manager of the Chicago Cubs, said general manager Larry Himes, who expects to make the announcement by the end of the week.

Tennis

Tom Gullikson, 42, was chosen to succeed Tom Gorman as U.S. Davis Cup captain. Gorman was captain for eight years before resigning last month. Although the U.S. won the Cup twice in his regime, Gorman’s term was not serene and it was often difficult to get top players to commit. Part of the problem was timing and taking away preparation from Grand Slam events.

Guenter Parche, a 39-year-old unemployed lathe operator, testified in a Hamburg, Germany, court that Steffi Graf was a dream girl with eyes like diamonds and hair like silk. Her defeats drove him to despair, testified Parche, he is accused of plunging a kitchen knife into the back of Monica Seles, Graf’s rival.

Stefan Edberg got a tough battle from Chuck Adams of Pacific Palisades before winning their third-round match at the Super Seiko tournament at Tokyo, 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (8-6). Boris Becker defeated Australian qualifier Neil Borwick, 6-2, 6-2.

A funeral will be held Saturday at Ridgewood, N.J., for one of the three O’Reilly triplets, all of whom played pro tennis. Christine O’Reilly, 25, died Sunday at the UC Irvine Medical Center, of a massive head injury in an auto accident at 1:35 a.m. Saturday in Irvine.

Soccer

Thousands of angry soccer fans staged a six-mile march in Lusaka, Zambia, to protest what called biased refereeing in the match that kept Zambia out of the World Cup finals. Zambia’s team was beaten, 1-0, by Morocco in the final of their Group B World Cup qualifying round Sunday in Casablanca.

Boxing

Backed with a court order, Dallas Malloy and Heather Poyner will step into the ring in Seattle on Oct. 30 for a landmark sanctioned amateur boxing event between two women, Malloy’s lawyer said.

The 16-year-old Malloy’s path to the ring had been blocked when USA Boxing, which governs amateur boxing in the United States, refused to send her an application because she is female. U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein of Seattle held that a USA Boxing bylaw barring female fighters violated Washington’s anti-discrimination laws.

Names in the News

Ball State Coach Dick Hunsaker resigned amid allegations of NCAA rules violations. A university investigation uncovered violations regarding four basketball players since the summer of 1989.

Manute Bol, a 7-foot-7 center who spent the last three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent. The 76ers released Sidney Green and acquired guard Sean Green from the Indiana Pacers.

Pro golfer Heather Farr, 28, is in stable contition after undergoing surgery to stop excessive bleeding she has had since August after removal of a reconstructive breast implant. In 1989, she underwent surgery for breast cancer.