EFFORT TO BRING MLB TO NC GAINS FAMILIAR LOCAL FACE

      John Connaughton, the UNCC economist whose economic impact
studies assisted in efforts to bring the Hornets and Panthers to
NC, has been hired by N.C. Baseball Committee Inc. -- the group
attempting to bring an MLB club to Greensboro, NC, according to
the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL.  The organization, which has
raised over $600,000 since January to pay for consulting fees and
studies, has also received the help of Jefferson-Pilot Corp. CEO
David Stonecipher and Wachovia Bank President Walter McDowell.
The ownership group is headed by Don Beaver, who owns four minor-
league clubs, as well as a share of the Pirates (Erik Spanberg,
CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/27).