Penske Motorsports said Wednesday that the NC Business
     Court in Charlotte ruled in its favor and dismissed a
     lawsuit by Speedway Motorsports Chair Bruton Smith.  Smith
     filed the suit against Penske, NC Motor Speedway (NCMS) and
     the directors of the Rockingham, NC, track, challenging the
     proposed merger of Penske and NCMS (Mult., 11/6)....With the
     MA House close to approving a convention center bill for
     Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino said, "Now that the convention
     center is on the one-inch line, I hope in the very near
     future we will be able to work with the Red Sox on their
     commitment to Boston" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/7)....The 81 suites
     at the new Tiger Stadium will cost between $90,000-125,000
     per year to lease, "a deal compared with prices at some
     other new baseball parks."  Tigers VP/Business Ops David
     Glazier: "We tried to be realistic.  This is the only market
     in the country where all four teams have their own buildings
     (and suites)" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/5).

          Modell's Sporting Goods will open a 2,500-square-foot
     store at the MCI Center when the arena opens December 2. 
     The store will feature an information kiosk, satellite feeds
     of sporting events, and a "visitor's locker room section,"
     which will feature merchandise of the Wizards' or Capitals'
     opponent each night (Modell's Sporting Goods).
          MORE ON MCI: In DC, Pat Lopes examines other businesses
     at the MCI Center.  The Velocity Grill is a 500-seat,
     20,000-square-foot restaurant and bar, with an 800-square-
     foot glass floor over the Wizards' practice courts.  MCI
     will also open its first store in a sports arena.  The
     "other major retail tenant" is the Discovery Channel Store,
     which is slated to open February 14 (WASHINGTON BUSINESS
     JOURNAL, 10/31 issue)....Abe Pollin is interviewed by Ken
     Adelman in WASHINGTONIAN magazine.  Pollin, on Washington as
     a sports city: "I find it maddening to see guys who have
     lived here 20 years rooting for their former home teams"
     (WASHINGTONIAN, 11/97 issue)....After Pollin's teams move to
     the MCI Center in December, the MD-based Cordish Co. will
     "begin converting" US Airways Arena into an amateur sports
     facility "ringed by movie theaters, restaurants and
     entertainment-oriented stores," according to Maryann
     Haggerty of the WASHINGTON POST.  Cordish President David
     Cordish said that construction is scheduled to begin in
     December or January, and the first phases of the project
     "should be open" by late 1998.  Cordish's firm is will
     partner with Pollin on the project.  Pollin owns the arena
     and leases the surrounding land (WASHINGTON POST, 11/7).