MLB COURTING TROUBLE, BUT IS DEMISE GREATLY EXAGGERATED?

     Not wanting to upset the status quo in MLB, the players'
union has used the '95 injunction issued by U.S. District Court
Judge Sonya Sotomayor as "protection" against altering the game's
structure.  Tracy Ringolsby of the DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
reports, however, this "security blanket could disappear" if a
deal is not reached by mid-August and owners ask Sotomayor to
acknowledge an impasse and withdraw her injunction.  Under this
scenario, owners could implement a new agreement -- a possibility
that causes "the union's lawyers to make subtle threats of a
strike next spring" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/16).
     DON'T BURY 'EM YET:  In Chicago, Bob Verdi acknowledges
MLB's '96 All-Star ratings are down from '95, but he notes the
NBA's 11.7 All-Star rating was also down from the previous year.
Also, Verdi notes MLB's 13.2 "was on a Tuesday evening in the
summer," while the NBA staged its game on a Sunday night in
winter (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/16).