FRANCHISE NOTES

          In Seattle, the TIMES examined the Mariners' minority
     hiring.  The team employs 21 execs or department heads, two
     of whom are minorities, and they employ 81 full-time
     workers, 10% "of whom are minorities (African American,
     Hispanic or Asian).  That compares to an 18-percent figure
     for all of baseball" (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/13)....Although the
     Hornets "are having their best season ever," attendance is
     at an "all-time low," according to Phuong Ly of the
     CHARLOTTE OBSERVER.  Ly: "The fever's lagging now, even
     though there's something to cheer about."  Ly notes the
     Panthers may have taken away some interest in the Hornets
     and "the talk of an uptown arena also dampened some fans'
     spirit" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/12)....With the NL saying
     that Deion Sanders' uniform tribute to Jackie Robinson does
     not conform with the rest of the Reds players' uniforms,
     ESPN's Linda Cohn reports "rather than having Deion conform
     to the team, the team's going to conform to Deion." 
     Beginning today, Reds uniforms will look like the one Deion
     has been wearing, with the sleeves shortened to barely cover
     their shoulders and pants knee-high ("SportsCenter," 4/11).