THE MICHAEL JORDAN REPORT: UPPER DECK LAUNCHING CARDS

     Upper Deck's newest basketball cards featuring Michael
Jordan in a No. 45 jersey could be out next week.  None of the
three other NBA-licensed trading-card makers (Topps, SkyBox and
Fleer) will be ready to roll out that soon.  "After a disastrous
baseball-card season, trading card makers are scrambling to get
Jordan onto basketball cards."  Upper Deck may also sell cards
with Jordan in his old No. 23.  Topps will feature Jordan on
cards to be sold the week of April 17; Fleer will introduce their
Jordan cards April 21 and SkyBox's Jordan cards hit the market
May 17 (Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY, 3/30)....This week's "NBA
Inside Stuff" will feature a segment on the making of the new
McDonald's ad featuring NBA stars Jordan, Larry Johnson, Reggie
Miller, Shawn Kemp, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Looney Tunes
characters Tweety Bird, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (Inside
Stuff)....Jordan's 55-point performance against the Knicks was
the highest rated TNT NBA broadcast ever.  TNT drew a national
cable rating of 5.1, "shattering" its previous high of 3.3
(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/30).