ESPN STAR Sports, a joint venture between ESPN and News
     Corp.'s STAR TV network, announced a series of management
     changes: CHRIS MCDONALD moves to Senior VP/Strategic
     Planning from VP/Marketing; Senior VP & GM/Affiliate Sales
     SIMON YU will add VP/marketing to his title; SALLY VAUGHAN
     was promoted to Marketing Dir from Marketing Manager (AD
     AGE, 4/10)....The Buccaneers "fired" Ticket Dir KEVIN BROOKS
     and two members of his staff.  A replacement has not yet
     been announced (Pat Yasinskas, TAMPA TRIBUNE, 4/14).

          KARL MALONE will start acting classes at the Strasberg
     Institute in New York after the season (N.Y. POST, 4/14).
     ...In Tampa, H.A. Branham reports that a "friend" of MARY
     PIERCE's family said that she and ROBERTO ALOMAR are engaged
     (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 4/14)....The Bucks have invited full season-
     ticket holders to a Milwaukee premiere of SPIKE LEE's "He
     Got Game," starring Bucks G RAY ALLEN.  A charitable
     donation of $75 is requested for each ticket (MILWAUKEE
     JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/14)....DEION SANDERS donated $1M for a
     youth center, Project 2000, to be built by his Dallas-based
     church, The Potter's House. Sanders said the church pulled
     him from the "brink of suicide last year," which will be the
     subject of his autobiography to be released in October
     (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/11)....Skater SCOTT HAMILTON wrote a
     Letter to the Editor of USA TODAY criticizing CHRISTINE
     BRENNAN's column last week on TARA LIPINSKI going pro. 
     Hamilton wrote Brennan "has stepped over the line" and said
     she was "very biased in her coverage of the Nagano Games. 
     Clearly, she was promoting MICHELLE KWAN at Tara Lipinski's
     expense" (USA TODAY, 4/13)....The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
     SPORTS COMMISSIONS (NASC) annual meeting takes place
     tomorrow through Saturday at the Huntington Hilton on Long
     Island.  The meeting will be the NASC's largest (NASC).
     ...Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Chair TOM HICKS and his
     holdings (including the MLB Rangers and Stars) were examined
     by CNBC's Renay San Miguel on "Business Center."  San
     Miguel: "For the last two years or so, Tom Hicks has been on
     a shopping spree. ... His strategy: unlike the '80s, instead
     of tearing down he's building up, and the foundation is in
     media and sports" ("Business Center," CNBC, 4/13).