Baseball could be out of the Olympics after this summer if
the IOC can't find a way to have MLB players participate in the
Sydney Games in 2000, according to the BOSTON GLOBE.  USA
Baseball Head Dick Case:  "If we don't get the pros like they do
in basketball, we have a chance of going down."  Case noted
Sydney is not "hot to trot" about baseball as they still have to
build a stadium.  The major problem for MLB is that the 2000
Games will take place in September, during pennant races (John
Powers, BOSTON GLOBE, 2/18).

     ACOG got the "highest marks possible" from the IOC's
oversight group Tuesday after two days of reports on the final
months of preparations for the Games, according to the ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION.  IOC Coordination Commission head Dick Pound said
ACOG has dealt satisfactorily with such concerns as
transportation and its marketing agreement with the city of
Atlanta.  The IOC is confident ACOG will reach its revenue target
of $1.7B, but Pound said organizers can't relax until Aug. 5, the
day after the Closing Ceremonies.  Pound: "ACOG will be managing
its pennies, much less its dollars, until the end."  Pound also
said IOC's focus will get "sharper and sharper" as the Opening
Ceremonies approach (Turner & Harris, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION,
2/21).
     DEAL WITH CITY:  The Atlanta City Council on Monday adopted
an agreement with ACOG aimed at protecting taxpayers from paying
for any extra costs of staging the Games, according to the
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION.  The agreement calls for ACOG to provide
$8M in cash and another $1.5M in goods to the city in return for
such service as police, fire and sanitation (Charmange Helton,
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/21).