YANKS READY TO TAKE THE "BRONX" OUT OF "BRONX BOMBERS"

     Although the Yankees say no formal decision has been made to
move, the chances of them staying in the South Bronx "appear
dim," according to Matthew Purdy of the N.Y. TIMES.  Government
officials say that the team appears "eager" to be in a position
of deciding between a "glitzy" stadium in Manhattan and a
"convenient lucrative" ball park in New Jersey.  Purdy reports
that an official of the Guliani Administration said, "It had
become clear to all those involved that if the Yankees had their
druthers, they would prefer a stadium on the West Side" (N.Y.
TIMES, 9/24).  Columnist William Rhoden writes, "In an effort to
ring out the best possible deal, Steinbrenner is using urban
decay --not the erosion of his marketing department -- to justify
the team's low numbers" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/23).