STADIUM NOTES

          The City of Montreal has "backed down" on a proposal to
     cut property taxes at the Molson Centre by C$5.35M a year. 
     City officials claim a deal with the team has not been
     finalized. A GAZETTE editorial notes, "The question [is] ...
     whether the Molson Companies, proprietors of the arena, are
     entitled to a tax break that no other Montreal company is
     entitled to.  The answer is, resoundingly, no" (Montreal
     GAZETTE, 12/18)....The Ft. Worth Sports Authority and the
     City Council approved an deal yesterday allowing the Texas
     Motor Speedway to avoid an estimated $90M in property taxes
     over 30 years.  The deal involves track owner Bruton Smith's
     Speedway Motorsports transferring the title to the sports
     authority, and then leasing the raceway from the property
     tax-exempt public body (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/18).