FOUR POTENTIAL BUYERS OF THE A'S CLEARED FOR NEGOTIATIONS

     Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris said four potential buyers of the
Athletics "have been cleared by Major League Baseball and
American League officials as able to pay" the $85M asking price.
None of the four potential buyers are from the Bay Area, but all
are committed to keeping the team in Oakland.  Harris said the
process of reviewing the books would take from 30 to 60 days.
"After that the most viable buyer would emerge."  However, Harris
noted that there is a "second tier of buyers," which included
local groups that had joined together as syndicates as potential
buyers.  The team's owners, the Haas family, put the team up for
sale in April '94.  A's CEO Walter Haas set a price of $85M for
anyone who would keep the team in Oakland.  Some experts say the
team would be worth $120M in the open market.  If no buyer who
would keep the team Oakland is found by December 1, the Haas
family said it plans to seek other offers (Gregory Lewis, SAN
FRANCISCO EXAMINER, 9/10).