FRANCHISE NOTES

          TICKET PRICES: WNBA Mercury officials will increase
     ticket prices next season and expect their season-ticket base
     to reach 6,000-8,000, up from 4,500.  Mercury VP/Operations
     Seth Sulka said there would still be 8,000 upper-level seats 
     for $8: "We're not talking about anything massive" (ARIZONA
     REPUBLIC, 11/19)....The ECHL Raleigh IceCaps announced a new
     ticket price -- $5 -- for youth 14-and-under and high school
     and college students with ID (NEWS & OBSERVER, 11/18).
          NHL: The SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS reports that twice in the
     last week, the Sharks have played against teams with African-
     American players.  In each game, the Foreigner song "Dirty
     White Boy" was played when the African-American players were
     sent to the penalty box.  In San Jose, David Pollak asks,
     "Coincidence?  Pattern?  Two minutes for cluelessness?" 
     Sharks Exec VP Malcolm Bordelon: "Mistakes.  Embarrassing
     mistakes."  Bordelon said that the team has pulled the song
     from the playlist (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 11/18).