POWER PLAYER TOM HICKS IS SPORTS FLAVOR OF THE MONTH

          Stars Owner Tom Hicks "expects" MLB to approve his
     purchase of the Rangers at a June 12 owners' meeting in
     Seattle, an action that will allow him "to proceed with his
     plans to assemble his sports assets into one company,"
     according to Alm & Kirkpatrick of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. 
     Hicks said that he "still intends to package" the Rangers,
     Stars, an "as-yet-to-be-created [RSN] and perhaps other
     assets into a public company."  The company will "be
     financed privately initially" but Hicks said "[a]t the right
     time, we'll consider accessing the public so our fans can
     own some of the teams with us."  An IPO "may" come in the
     next 12-36 months (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/23).  In Toronto,
     Damien Cox called the Stars "one of the NHL big boys now,"
     and that if Hicks "has his way, they'll soon be a giant." 
     (TORONTO STAR, 5/25).  In Ft. Worth, Simon Gonzalez wrote
     that the Stars have sold out every playoff game thus far and
     are the "hottest thing around."  Stars President Jim Lites
     said "if [TV] and attendance are indicators," the team is
     "getting closer to" the MLB Rangers in popularity, and is
     "past basketball, by a long shot" (STAR-TELEGRAM, 5/26).
          WHO'S DOING HIS PR? In N.Y., Carlos Tejada wrote that
     Hicks' new consolidated sports company "would seek
     advertising with the promise of a national network of radio
     and [TV] outlets and possibly billboards," and would "give
     the laconic Mr. Hicks an impressive sports and media empire"
     (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/26).  Hicks was also profiled by
     Allen Myerson of the N.Y. TIMES, who wrote that Hicks "has
     transformed" the Stars into a Stanley Cup contender, and
     "plans to pit" Fox against Disney/ESPN "[t]o compete for
     rights to carry" the Rangers and Stars on cable through a
     partnership with his planned RSN (N.Y. TIMES, 5/25).