SABATES SAYS HE WAS "USED," THREATENS TO WITHDRAW NHL BID

          Charlotte businessman Felix Sabates, claiming his NHL
     bid is "in jeopardy," said he "must have an agreement by
     Friday" to lease a new arena in Raleigh or he will withdraw
     his expansion application, according to Alexander & Williams
     in the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER.  Centennial Authority
     officials, saying it is "impossible" to finish a lease that
     quickly, say county and city officials still must meet to
     reconcile differences over financing the $120M arena before
     they can work out final details with Sabates.  Sabates is
     "angry" about the pace of talks and "said he now feels
     deceived" by the authority.  He said his group of investors
     was "lured" into pursuing a team as a means of completing
     the funding on a new arena for N.C. State Univ. basketball
     games.  Sabates: "We're dejected because we feel we have
     been used in this whole arena deal. ... Hockey was nothing
     more than a backstop.  Once the people who wanted to build
     the building got the money they needed, pro hockey became a
     non-issue" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 2/12).