SELIG CLOSE TO PINNACLE? USA TODAY's Hal Bodley reports
     that a "move to draft Bud Selig as permanent commissioner is
     gaining so much momentum among baseball's owners that the
     word interim could be removed from his title as early" as
     the March quarterly meetings in FL.  Bodley reports that the
     votes for the necessary three-quarters support in the NL
     "are there now."  Bodley adds that the Yankees and adidas
     "are attempting to settle their suit" against MLB.  One
     possible settlement is to have adidas outfit "at least" six
     teams as an official MLB sponsor (USA TODAY, 1/9).
          NHLPA: In Toronto, David Shoalts examines the NHLPA
     after the plea bargain of NHLPA Founder Alan Eagleson to
     charges of fraud and theft.  Taking over for Eagleson in
     '91, NHLPA Exec Dir Bob Goodenow put in place "an accounting
     system to ensure that the union never again fell victim to a
     leader who had free reign to loot its treasury."  NHLPA
     President Mike Gartner: "Literally every dollar in and out
     of the association is accounted for" (GLOBE & MAIL, 1/9).

          NBA fans "will not be able to purchase a ticket for
     either" the NBA All-Star Game or All-Star Saturday at MSG
     this February, according to Bob Raissman of the N.Y. DAILY
     NEWS, who examines the "lack of ticket availability" around
     the event.  NBA VP/Communications Brian McIntyre: "Would we
     like to open it up to everybody?  Yeah.  But there isn't a
     building in the world that can accommodate the (ticket)
     requests we have.  The demand for tickets this year is
     outrageous."  Raissman reports that "roughly" 5,500 to 6,000 
     of the 19,763 seats available at MSG were part of a lottery
     for Knicks season-ticket holders (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/9).
          MISSING OUT ON THE FUN: In SI, Jackie MacMullan reports
     that the league's move to replace the Slam Dunk competition
     with the 2ball shooting contest during the All-Star Weekend
     was "made without checking with" the NBPA.  The move to
     2ball, which includes an NBA and WNBA player from the same
     city, "didn't sit well with some of the players who do not
     have WNBA franchises in their cities and were therefore
     automatically disqualified from participating" (SI, 1/12).
          IT'S SOUTH PARK: ESPN's "SportsCenter" listed
     attendance at four Wednesday night NBA games.  In L.A., the
     Clippers game drew 4,107 (at 26% cap.); in Oakland, the
     Warriors drew 11,023 (57% cap.); in Toronto, the Raptors
     drew 15,168 (75% cap); and in San Antonio, the Spurs drew
     15,200 (74% cap.).  ESPN's Gary Miller: "For the sixth time
     in 16 home dates, the [Clippers] crowd was less than 6,000
     ... They are drawing extremely poorly" (ESPN, 1/8).
          ELIGIBILITY CHALLENGE? In N.Y., Garcia & Ackert report
     that the family of Riverdale High School women's basketball
     star Niesha Butler, 17, "is seriously considering
     challenging the criteria for eligibility" to the WNBA.  WNBA
     rules state a player must be at least 22-years-old; or have
     completed college eligibility; or graduated from a four-year
     college; or played two seasons in another league.  Butler's
     mother, Alice Johnson: "We are not trying to upset the WNBA. 
     But, if it were to be challenged it would be a good case,
     because of the double standard between males and females. It
     warrants looking at."  The WNBA had no comment.  Butler is
     reportedly "less interested" in the ABL (DAILY NEWS, 1/9). 

          The Corel WTA Tour is "expected to introduce" Bart
     McGuire, an OR-based attorney who has been the "tour's
     business and legal adviser for the past decade," as its new
     CEO on Monday, according to Robin Finn of the N.Y. TIMES. 
     McGuire, a graduate from Princeton and Columbia Law School,
     is a legal professor at Northwestern Law School in Portland. 
     Finn reports that the 54-year-old "had not been an active
     candidate during the WTA Tour's yearlong search to replace
     Anne Person Worcester" (Robin Finn, N.Y. TIMES, 1/9). 

          Giants GM George Young was named the NFL's Senior
     VP/Football Operations.  Young, who will report directly to
     Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, will handle the NFL's relations
     with college football, the World League in Europe and youth
     football.  He will also serve as league office liaison with
     the NFL Competition Committee and be responsible for
     proposing an annual agenda of priorities for the committee. 
     Young will also oversee the league's officiating process. 
     He begins working at the NFL offices on February 2 (NFL).
          SAYS IT STRAIGHT: Young, after 19 seasons as the Giants
     GM, will be succeeded by Assistant GM Ernie Accorsi.  Young:
     "I have things that concern me about the game in the area of
     sportsmanship and taunting" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/9).