Expos President Claude Brochu told the Journal de
     Montreal that the team will lose "more than" C$13M this
     year.  Brochu made his remarks after a meeting of the club's
     ownership group.  The team "may consider" cutting its
     payroll next season; it currently has MLB's lowest payroll
     at "about" C$17M.  The team is "expected to draw a major-
     league-low" 1.4 million spectators this season, including
     300,000 on promotional give-away tickets.  Brochu: "There's
     no hiding it, we're last in everything. We're last in ticket
     sales, parking, television, etc" (GLOBE & MAIL, 9/26).
     

          GENERAL: The Lightning will donate 10% of all ticket
     revenue from their home opener October 1, to the Children's
     Cancer Center in a tribute to Lightning C John Cullen who
     was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last March
     (Lightning)....In Seattle, Blaine Newnham wrote that drawing
     3 million fans for the season "is a big deal," and that the
     Mariners "will be close" to 3.2 million.  Team President
     Chuck Armstrong said that the team "will make money" for the
     first time its 20-year history (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/25)....
     Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford, on the team's financial state:
     "The situation isn't quite as bad as the perception.  If we
     draw 10,000, we'll lose about the same as we lost in
     Hartford last season" (HARTFORD COURANT, 9/26). 
          

          There is a "good chance" the NFL Giants will have their
     smallest September crowd since the team moved to the
     Meadowlands 21 years ago this Sunday against the Saints,
     which could mean "about 10,000 no-shows, if not more,"  
     according to Bill Pennington of the N.Y. TIMES.  Giants co-
     Owner Wellington Mara: "Nothing sends a more powerful
     message than empty seats.  It's a message that we're not
     pleasing our patrons" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/26).
          OTHER NOTES: In Tampa, Bucs officials said "only 57,000
     are expected for Sunday's game against Arizona," leading to
     a local blackout (ST. PETE TIMES, 9/25)....As of late
     yesterday, "about" 12,000 tickets remained for Sunday's
     Eagles-Vikings game, which will be blacked out in the Twin
     Cities area (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/26).....In San
     Diego, Mayor Susan Golding sent a letter to NFL Commissioner
     Paul Tagliabue in "an attempt to have the league lift" the
     Chargers blackout this Sunday.  Golding said in a statement:
     "The NFL created the blackout to encourage people to
     purchase tickets to sell out home games.  However, through
     the rent credit, the Charges will not lose ticket revenue
     for unsold general admission tickets.  Therefore, the
     financial requirement needed to lift the blackout has in
     essence been met."  According to an NFL source, Tagliabue
     said he would review the request (UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/26).