Washington Sports & Entertainment has sold 5,268 WNBA
     season tickets, which tops the league-imposed ticket goal of
     3,000 in order to qualify for a team.  The NBA Board of
     Governors meeting next week will officially decide whether
     to award Washington and Detroit with WNBA expansion
     franchises for the '98 season (WSE).  In DC, Amy Shipley
     reports that Washington Sports has also "secured the
     requisite" local TV and radio deals, with Home Team Sports
     and WRC-AM, respectively.  They have also "committed
     $250,000 to promotional activities" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/7).
          MOTOWN LOVES ITS HOOPS: In Detroit, Vartan Kupelian
     writes that the Pistons will announce that they have sold
     the required 3,000 season tickets.  Pistons President Tom
     Wilson said that the TV and radio deals "are not complete
     but progress is being made" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/7).

          The payrolls of each NBA team were listed in the Newark
     STAR-LEDGER by Dave D'Allesandro.  The top three, in
     millions: Bulls, $61.87M; Knicks $53.70M; Magic, $42.48M
     (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 11/6)....The impact of the NHL's six
     "prominent" unsigned Group II free agents on the early part
     of the league's season is examined by SI's Michael Farber. 
     Fox/MSG hockey analyst John Davidson: "I understand
     business, but the [1994-95] lockout beat us up, and I'd put
     these players' being out only a little behind that" (SPORTS
     ILLUSTRATED, 11/10 issue)....The Corel WTA Tour's Kremlin
     Cup in Moscow will increase its '98 prize money to over
     US$1M, making it the eight WTA Tour event to top the million
     dollar mark in prize money. This year's Cup set an
     attendance record with 59,397 for the week, more than triple
     its previous best of 17,000 (Corel WTA Tour). 

          Acting MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said yesterday that
     "achieving Phase I of realignment doesn't mean he plans to
     step down" from his post, according to Tom Haudricourt of
     the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.  Selig made the formal
     announcement that the Brewers will shift from the AL to the
     NL for the '98 season, but said that the "latest development
     would not prompt him to step aside any earlier than
     originally planned."  Selig: "This doesn't change any of
     that.  There is a commissioner search committee.  [Rockies
     Chair] Jerry McMorris is the chairman.  He and I have been
     spending a lot of time on it" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL,
     11/7).  McMorris told USA TODAY's Hal Bodley that he hopes
     to have a commissioner recommendation for the Exec Council
     by the end of this month.  McMorris said a list of 12
     candidates a month ago is down to 5, including NL President
     Len Coleman and Selig (USA TODAY, 11/7). 

          NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue testified Tuesday and
     Wednesday in the St. Louis Convention and Visitors
     Commission's (CVC) $130M antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. 
     On Tuesday, Tagliabue said that neither he nor league
     officials had any meetings with the commission, "nor played
     any role in terms the Rams and the commission ultimately
     reached" regarding the team's relocation fee from Anaheim. 
     Tagliabue said he only dealt with Rams President John Shaw
     in negotiating a $29M relocation fee.  Tagliabue added that
     he "wrote" the league's nine relocation guidelines and
     "conceded that the rule requiring three-fourths approval of
     league owners for a team to move could be construed as a
     restraint of trade" (POST-DISPATCH, 11/5).  Under cross
     examination on Wednesday, Tagliabue said that the $20M the
     CVC paid to get the Rams went to "low-income" NFL teams to
     pay their bills, according to William Lhotka of the ST.
     LOUIS POST-DISPATCH.  Tagliabue was "questioned for several
     hours" by CVC attorney Alan Popkin, "who was trying to show
     the jury that the NFL's fee assessments were arbitrary and
     part of a pattern of restraint of trade."  The trial is
     expected to resume on Monday (POST-DISPATCH, 11/6).