FRANCHISE NOTES

     The Red Sox and True Value will team for the "Field of
Dreams" program in Boston benefiting young baseball fans and the
fields they play on.  The Red Sox will host a special event today
at this year's marquee field, M Street Park, in South Boston.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Sox players will be on hand (Red
Sox)....A CFL source says the league must make a decision on
whether the "financially-strapped" Ottawa Rough Riders will make
it through the season before player contracts become guaranteed
in September (TORONTO SUN, 8/20)....Bob Verdi writes of the
Blackhawks recent trade of Jeremy Roenick, "The Hawks have
extended the patch of ice between them and their annually
aggravated fans" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/20)....Cubs Ticket Manager
Frank Maloney predicts the club will draw 2.2M fans for the
season, which would translate into one of the highest attendance
years ever for the team (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/20).