CHARLOTTE MAKES PITCH TO BE TWINS SECOND OPTION IN CAROLINA

          The city of Charlotte held a public forum on the
     possibility of the Twins relocating to the area, and the
     "message" from the meeting was "if the Triad doesn't want"
     the Twins, Charlotte "will gladly step in," according to
     Foon Rhee of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER.  The meeting drew 150
     people, and representatives of potential Twins buyer Don
     Beaver used the positive response "to issue a warning to"
     Greensboro-area residents.  A Triad poll released Sunday
     showed public opposition to a May ballpark referendum and
     Beaver hopes to move an MLB team to the Triad in 2001 after
     two years in Knights Castle.  Beaver's NC Major League
     Baseball VP Tim Newman said, "The message to the Triad is:
     It's your ball, hit it. ... If you swing and miss, then
     there's some other options out there.  And I think there
     might be some options here" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/16).