BRIEFLY : BILLS ASSISTANT PITTS, 60, DIES.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

Elijah Pitts, who spent 25 years in the NFL, playing for the Green Bay Packers and helping to coach the Buffalo Bills, died Friday in a Buffalo, N.Y., hospital. He was 60.

Pitts had been on medical leave from the Bills since being diagnosed with abdominal cancer last October. He was undergoing prolonged chemotherapy treatment.

Pitts spent 16 years as a Bills assistant. He became former coach Marv Levy's assistant head coach in 1992. Pitts took over as head coach for three games in 1995 season when Levy was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Pitts coached in four Super Bowls with the Bills.

``Eli was an outstanding human being. He always carried a smile and was respected by all he came in contact with,'' said Bills president and owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr.

As a player, Pitts spent nine years with the Green Bay Packers during their championship years under Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi. The Packers won four NFL championships and two Super Bowls during Pitts' career.

The woman who claims Miami Dolphins running back Lawrence Phillips punched her in the face at a nightclub is likely to lose a tooth as a result of the incident, her sister said in a published report.

Saglenda Johnson, who shares a West Palm Beach, Fla., apartment with accuser Michelle Black, told The Miami Herald that there was no mistaking Phillips after the June 27 encounter at the Brickhouse Restaurant & Lounge in Plantation, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.

Phillips, who pleaded no contest to assaulting a former girlfriend while in college, has asserted his innocence to Dolphins officials.

Mike Rosenthal, a Notre Dame offensive lineman, came to the defense of Joe Moore in Moore's federal age discrimination suit against Notre Dame, saying in court the former coach made him what he is today and disputing claims that he regularly abused players.

Head coach Bob Davie, who spent most of the afternoon on the witness stand, testified he discussed Moore's age on several occasions with players after he fired the former offensive line coach but maintained that he dismissed Moore because of his performance and not his age.

MOTOR SPORTS: Rick Craven wrote perhaps one of the most dramatic stories of the Winston Cup season when he returned from an injury before adoring fans at his home track to win the pole for the Jiffy Lube 300 in Loudon, N.H.

Craven, who had missed the last 12 races with post-concussion syndrome, waited until the end of a rain-delayed qualifying session to knock teammate Jeff Gordon off the pole for Sunday's race.

BASKETBALL: The Chicago Bulls aren't leaving anything to chance in their search to replace the coach who won six NBA titles in eight years.

When Cleveland assistant Ron Rothstein interviewed with Chicago management last week, the meeting lasted almost an entire afternoon. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and general manager Jerry Krause were involved, Rothstein said.

``There were a couple of surprises along the way,'' the 19-year NBA veteran told The Associated Press on Friday by telephone from Cleveland. ``It was in-depth and very thorough.''

The Bulls have at least five people on their short list to replace Phil Jackson, who left almost three weeks ago. In addition to Rothstein, they are Iowa State coach Tim Floyd and current NBA assistants Rick Carlisle (Indiana), Paul Silas (Charlotte) and Scott Skiles (Phoenix).

An FBI affidavit says Atlanta Hawks free-agent center Greg ``Cadillac'' Anderson admitted involvement in a four-person cocaine operation, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

ALSO: Semi-retired Boris Becker, who has not won a tournament in two years, resumed his bid for his first clay-court title by beating defending champion Felix Mantilla 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Swiss Open semifinals in Gstadd, Switzerland. . . . Jana Novotna, finally adjusting to clay after her Wimbledon triumph, moved into the Czech Open semifinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over France's Sarah Pitkowski in Prague, Czech Republic. . . . Cleveland Indians hitting coach Charlie Manuel will have quadruple bypass surgery on Monday after having a mild heart attack during the All-Star break. . . . In a rare case of a hockey fight leading to legal action, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jesse Boulerice, 19, faces criminal charges for swinging his stick and leaving an opponent unconscious and in convulsions. He was charged with ``assault to do great bodily harm less than murder'' - a felony that carries a jail sentence of up to 10 years and up to a $5,000 fine, prosecutors said. . . . The NCAA is considering proposals to eliminate preseason football games and to expand the Division I baseball tournament field from 48 schools to 64, the organization said.

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PHOTO Cavaliers assistant coach Ron Rothstein is one of at least five finalists for the Bulls' head-coaching job.

Associated Press