Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau yesterday said he would not
support a taxpayer-funded bailout of the Nordiques.  Parizeau
told the Quebec National Assembly that he would like to keep the
team in the province's capital city, "but has no intentions of
handing out millions of taxpayers' dollars."  Parizeau:  "The
hockey industry, if I can call it that, has been terribly managed
over the last few years.  Players salary increases, along with
other expenses are so rampant that for seven or eight teams, and
maybe as many as 10 or 12, you have to wonder what their chances
are of succeeding in relatively small markets" (Rheal Seguin,
Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 4/7).  Nordiques Owner Marcel Aubut wants
government help to finance a new C$125M arena and to pay the
team's annual deficits (estimated at C$10M this year) until the
facility is completed.  Aubut has given the government a May
deadline.  Parizeau says he will announce his government
intentions within a month, with a lottery as a possible revenue-
maker.  Parizeau, interviewed on a pre-game hockey talk show,
said the government "would consider pumping some money into the
team if private interests were also investing" (Andy Riga,
Montreal GAZETTE, 4/7).
     VOTE DELAYED: Parizeau has confirmed that he will not put
Quebec separation on the ballot this spring.  Support for
separation from Canada "seldom tops" 45% in polls (Charles
Trueheart, WASHINGTON POST, 4/7).  Many believe a vote for
secession could damage both the bid for a new arena and Quebec
City's chances for landing the 2002 Games.

     Two sources say the Rams' latest offer to the NFL to allow
them to move to St. Louis is worth nearly $40M, according to Jim
Thomas in this morning's ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH.  Rams President
John Shaw "would neither confirm or deny" that figure, but said
yesterday, "It's a lot of money, isn't it?  Most of it's up
front, more than 50 percent of it."  The team offered the NFL
$25M three weeks ago at the NFL meetings in Phoenix, but owners
voted it down 21-3.  The owners reportedly wanted $50M.  Shaw
increased the offer on March 27-28 in meetings with NFL
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.  Shaw says he has not spoken with
Tagliabue since then and doesn't expect to until the commissioner
returns from a European vacation in time for Wednesday's NFL
owners meeting in Dallas.  Shaw said he didn't know if the Rams
move would be voted on at that meeting: "There might be other
issues discussed; I think there might be other alternatives
discussed" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/7).

     The Winnipeg City Council is scheduled to vote April 19 on a
zoning amendment that would allow the Manitoba Entertainment
Complex (MEC) to build a new arena for the Jets.  If the zoning
for the facility is approved, Mayor Susan Thompson says the
council will look at the MEC's final business plan for approval
of the project on April 28.  The MEC, a group of local business
leaders, has until May 1 to submit a deposit to buy the Jets and
keep them in Winnipeg (Nick Martin, WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 4/7).