GIANTS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR NEW CHINA BASIN BALLPARK

     The Giants announced plans yesterday to build the first
privately financed baseball park in more than 30 years at San
Francisco's China Basin.  The 42,000-seat facility is scheduled
to open April 2000.  The Giants will be responsible for $140M of
financing, with remaining capital from concession rights,
advertising, business partners, and a limited number of premium
seat commitments.  The team will lease the site from the Port of
San Francisco.  If voters decide in March the site is acceptable,
construction will begin in late '97 (Giants).  A key element of
the financing will be the sale of 15,000 PSLs, from which the
owners expect to raise $35M (Seligman & Brazil, S.F. EXAMINER,
12/21).  The ballpark will have 63 luxury suites, 5,200 club
seats and 1,500 special field seats located on ground level
between home plate and the dugouts (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/22).