Abe Pollin's MCI Center "remained in limbo" yesterday as DC
Superior Court Judge Linda Turner Hamilton said she won't decide
until tomorrow if next week's groundbreaking can proceed as
scheduled, according to the WASHINGTON POST.  Hamilton said the
city could prepare the site for construction, including moving
city employees from buildings on the site, but other steps must
be put on hold until she hears on BET President Robert Johnson's
argument against the project (Haggerty & Miller, WASHINGTON POST,
10/12).

     Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy said Tuesday he plans to form a
committee to study options regarding a new baseball park and the
city's other two sports facilities, the Civic Arena and Three
Rivers Stadium, according to the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE.  "Faced
with demands" from the Steelers and Pirates, ideas such as
building a domed football stadium/convention center and a new
stadium for the Pirates, or turning over Three Rivers to the
Rooney family to run privately have all been discussed.  Murphy
called both ideas "premature" (Mark Belko, PITTSBURGH POST-
GAZETTE, 10/11).
     NO CITY MONEY:  Tom Barnes writes in the POST-GAZETTE that
Murphy's in "wish-list" for $309M in capital spending unveiled
this week before City Council, there are no mentions of a stadium
(PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 10/10).  Steelers President Dan Rooney
said city officials need to make a decision "immediately" about
Three Rivers.  While he did not threaten to move, he did say, at
a minimum, Three Rivers needs a $75M face-lift for the team to
"compete financially" (Ed Bouchette, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE,
10/10).

     A poll in Wednesday's DETROIT FREE PRESS shows that,
statewide, 67% oppose the use of state money to build a new
downtown stadium for the Tigers (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 10/11).
...The MA House Ways and Means Committee is likely to issue a
megaplex bill that directs the MA Convention Center Authority to
call for proposals from private developers (BOSTON GLOBE,
10/12)....The Florida Restaurant Association "rallied" local
members last night to "fight vigorously" any plan for a
restaurant tax to help pay for a new football stadium in Tampa
(Joe Henderson, TAMPA TRIBUNE, 10/12).

     Chicago Mayor Richard Daley issued a "stern warning" to
Bears President Michael McCaskey saying he will offer plans next
week to refurbish Soldier Field, but those plans will not be as
"lavish" as McCaskey has demanded, according to today's CHICAGO
TRIBUNE.  Kass & Kirby note Daley's renovation plans are modeled
after a '92 renovation effort that became "bogged down" when the
Mayor and McCaskey could not agree on financing for the then-$70M
project (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/12).  In the SUN-TIMES, Fran
Spielman writes the new plan is more "elaborate" and will include
adding 4,000 premium club seats, a glass-enclosed VIP lounge and
a new lease that "pumps millions of dollars" more each year to
the Bears.  Daley is skeptical about McCaskey's reaction at next
week's presentation:  "I don't think anything can satisfy his
demands" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/12).