FRANCHISE NOTES

          NFL: The Colts named Bill Polian team President and
     dismissed Dir of Football Ops Bill Tobin and coach Lindy
     Infante.  Along with investing about $1M a year in Polian,
     Owner Jim Irsay must pay Tobin, Infante and the 13
     assistants.  All were under contract through '98.  All told,
     Irsay's restructuring will cost more than $3M (STAR-NEWS,
     12/23)....Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen, on if Denver voters do
     not pass a sales-tax referendum in '98 to help build a new
     stadium: "I will not be the owner of the Broncos for much
     longer.  Somebody else will buy this team, they will pay me
     the appropriate sum and I will maximize whatever I can get -
     - not on the basis of what they're going to do in Denver but
     what they're gonna do somewhere else, and it will end up in
     Houston, or Toronto or somewhere else" (L.A. TIMES, 12/27).
          OTHER NOTES: Through their "Give the Gift of Soccer"
     holiday campaign, the MLS Revolution generated an additional
     1,300 season-ticket sales (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/26)....Flames
     co-Owner Harley Hotchkiss, on the team's fan base: "One of
     the challenges we face here is we are in transition with our
     longer-term fans who like to focus on just hockey, and now
     we have a group of younger fans who want a total
     entertainment package, other attractions and more noise. 
     It's a challenge to strike the happy balance and not
     alienate our older fans and yet recognize the change we are
     going through" (CALGARY SUN, 1/1).