Houston Mayor Lee Brown and Harris County Judge Robert
     Eckels made a "hard push" Tuesday for Houston's business
     community to help attract the 2012 Summer Olympics to
     Houston, according to John Williams of the HOUSTON
     CHRONICLE.  Brown and Eckels asked the Greater Houston
     Partnership to pay half of the $3M needed to put together a
     bid to get the U.S. nomination to host the Games.  Williams
     reported that "they want an answer by the end of the month,
     the deadline for Houston to withdraw" its bid to the USOC
     and recoup its $100,000 deposit (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/7).
          2008: In Toronto, Mary Ormsby reported that Toronto's
     chances of landing the 2008 Summer Games "may have been
     given a boost ... with the collapse of Cape Town's bid." 
     Cape Town was considered one of Toronto's "major
     competitors, along with Beijing and Buenos Aires"  Cape Town
     officials are said to be "concentrating on getting the World
     Cup of soccer (in 2006)" (TORONTO STAR, 4/8).
          NBA TIME: Four "mini-commercials advertising" Utah and
     the 2002 Games will air 90 times during the 13 weeks of the
     NBA playoffs.  The promos, two 10-second and two 20-second
     spots, were produced by Video West (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 4/7).