With the defeat this week of a sports lottery to help fund a
new stadium in Milwaukee, the Brewers are now left with a
"handful of alternatives that each carry their own set of
political obstacles."  They are:  A wholesale tax on petroleum
stored in Milwaukee, some temporary local sales tax increase, or
tapping Indian gaming revenue.  Each option was weighed by
various officials this week.  According to Milwaukee County Exec
F. Thomas Ament, a 2-cent-per-gallon petroleum fee on gas stored
in Milwaukee could raise about $20M a year -- "about the cost of
constructing the new baseball stadium."  On the other hand,
officials in surrounding counties have "uniformly rejected" the
idea of a regional sales tax hike.  The use of Indian gaming
revenues, is getting mixed reactions, including an "immediate"
dismissal by a spokesperson for Gov. Tommy Thompson (Gilbert &
Rinard, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/5).
     VOTE FALLOUT:  In Milwaukee, Craig Gilbert notes many
reasons for the lottery's "landslide" defeat.  According to
lobbyist/lottery opponent Mike Birkley, "There was a strong anti-
Milwaukee, but not anti-Brewer, sentiment."  But state Sen. Gary
Drzewiecki said "voters were fed up with gambling and fed up with
major-league baseball after the strike" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL
SENTINEL, 4/5).  Brewers Owner Bud Selig feels the team must
continue to work with the community to find a way to finance a
stadium.  Selig:  "In January, the business community announced
an aggressive and significant ticket commitment.  The Brewers
have committed $60 million to $90 million (in rent and other
contributions) toward a new ballpark.  It's important that we now
further this partnership and formulate the right financing
package" (Tom Haudricourt, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/5).

     Cincinnati City Manager John Shirey is expected to recommend
a plan "within weeks" to search for a private firm to manage
Riverfront Stadium.  Councilman Phil Heimlich, who suggested the
same idea last year, "was pleased":  "It's exactly the direction
the city needs to be going" (Laura Goldberg, CINCINNATI ENQUIRER,
4/7).

     Bank One's $66M, 30-year deal to name the Diamondbacks' new
retractable dome stadium "Bank One Ballpark" is joined by a $66M,
30-year radio and television advertising and promotional contract
with the team, according to the ARIZONA REPUBLIC.  Under the
terms of the naming-rights deal, Bank One will pay $1M for the
first year and an additional 5% per year for the next 29 years.
The Maricopa County Stadium District, the taxpayer-funded body
that is paying for the park, will receive $325,000 the first year
and an additional 5% for 30 years, with the team receiving the
remainder of the payment.  Diamondbacks Owner Jerry Colangelo
says the move will allow the team to remain competitive on the
field.  Colangelo added that "baseball purists who might object
to the commercial name of the stadium should confine their
interests to the game, not the management of it":  "In order to
deliver that product of the game itself, you need to build venues
that have the opportunity to pay for it."  Bank One CEO Richard
Lehmann said that $1M is not a lot of money to spend compared
with the millions the bank spends each year on advertising:
"This is going to help my colleagues in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky
and so on and so forth, because Bank One's name is going to be
talked about on a national basis" (Eric Miller, ARIZONA REPUBLIC,
4/6).

     The Kiel Center and Tickets Now have signed a "peace
agreement" which calls for the ticket agency to continue as the
official ticket provider for the arena "for a minimum of three
years."  Blues hockey, St. Louis Univ. basketball, concerts and
other shows are all included in the new deal.  The deal comes in
the wake of last year's "threat" by Kiel Center Partners, the
group who owns and operates the arena, and Contemporary
Productions Inc., the region's biggest producer of concerts and
other events, to form their own ticket agency after they were
outbid in their effort to buy Tickets Now.  According to Kiel's
new President and CEO, William Haviluk, "it did not make sense to
start [our] own ticket agency" (Adam Goodman, ST. LOUIS POST-
DISPATCH, 4/7).

     In a move that has "dimmed" San Francisco Mayor Frank
Jordan's hopes that the Warriors will join the Giants at a
Mission Bay entertainment complex, Warriors attorney Robin Bagget
has told Jordan that a Rincon Hill location "is the only
acceptable site in the city for a new arena."  If the Warriors
decide to move, however, team spokesperson David Looman says any
decision on Rincon Hill "was on hold for now."  Jordan backs the
Giants' plan to organize an entertainment district in Mission Bay
including a baseball stadium, music and TV studios, virtual
reality exhibits, specialty theaters and shops, and possibly an
arena.  Giants Exec VP Larry Baer:  "They can come along if they
want, but there's no linkage in order for us to go forward with
the ballpark" (Gerald Adams, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER, 4/7).