Monday's crowd of 5,206 for the A's game against the
     Blue Jays was the team's smallest since it announced an
     attendance of 5,000 April 20 (S.F. EXAMINER, 5/5)....The
     sale of the NHL Oilers to the Edmonton Investors Group
     Limited Partnership was completed yesterday (NHL)....Mavs'
     Owner Ross Perot Jr. recently announced a restructuring of
     his real estate empire, "shuffling the lineup of top
     officers and consolidating some corporate divisions."  In
     Dallas, Miles Moffeit wonders where Hillwood Development
     Corp. Exec VP Frank Zaccanelli, who has "hammered out some
     of Perot's biggest deals," fits into the mix.  Real estate
     sources close to Hillwood say that Zaccanelli, "who has
     drawn sharp criticism for his hardball negotiating style,
     hot temper and misadventures in running the Mavericks, is
     leaving day-to-day operations of Hillwood" (DALLAS MORNING
     NEWS, 5/6)....The Indians' June IPO is examined by Scott
     Reeves of BARRON'S, who writes, "Indians' IPO investors
     should ask a basic question: What is the purpose of putting
     your money into [team Owner Richard] Jacobs' pocket?  If you
     view the stock certificate as a trophy to be displayed above
     your desk, it almost makes sense.  If you're interested in a
     real investment, look elsewhere" (BARRON'S, 5/4 issue).

          Jacor Communications CEO Randy Michaels said Tuesday
     night that his OH-based media conglomerate "is exploring the
     possibility of buying the Reds," according to Geoff Hobson
     of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER.  Michaels: "We don't know what
     [Reds Owner Marge] Schott plans to do, but of course it
     interests us.  This is all in the preliminary stages but
     we're certainly looking at it."  Jacor owns 5% of the
     Rockies and would have to sell that stake before purchasing
     an interest in another club (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 5/6).   
          NOTES: The Cincinnati City Council "is poised today to
     approve" a $20M incentive package "to lure the Reds to the
     Broadway Commons ballpark site, despite hearing that the
     team and Hamilton County aren't even talking about the site"
     (Lucy May, CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 5/6)....Columnist Bill Koch
     wrote an open letter to Schott asking her to sell the team:
     "Don't do it for them [other MLB owners].  Do it for
     yourself.  The organization is at a crossroads.  It needs
     new blood. ... It's a good time for you to cash in and let
     someone else deal with the headaches.  Sell your control of
     the partnership.  Keep a share as a limited partner if you
     prefer to keep your hand in it" (CINCINNATI POST, 5/5).

          Although Oakland city and Alameda county officials
     "haven't spoken to the Raiders" since they filed suit
     against them in September, "now -- just a month before
     Election Day -- two mayoral candidates say an olive branch
     has been extended to the team," according to Laura Counts of
     the OAKLAND TRIBUNE.  Ignacio De La Fuente, a city council
     member who serves on the Coliseum Authority, said he has
     crafted "a comprehensive proposal" to resolve the lawsuit if
     a meeting with the Raiders can be arranged.  County
     Supervisor Mary King, who chairs the Authority, said that a
     letter has been sent to the Raiders requesting a settlement
     meeting before a May 15 court date.  Both candidates deny
     that any "settlement proposal" is timed to coincide with the
     election (Laura Counts, OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 5/5).

          Pistons Owner William Davidson has made "a preliminary
     bid" to purchase the Lightning, "just as a local group has
     dropped its pursuit of the debt-ridden" franchise, according
     to Ira Kaufman of the TAMPA TRIBUNE.  Pistons President Tom
     Wilson said Davidson has set a "semi-drop-dead date" of May
     15 to finalize negotiations.  A source involved with the
     talks said that a bid was made Monday, but it "was not
     answered immediately by the Lightning."  Meanwhile, Kaufman
     reports that businessman Mike Cone, who was heading a Tampa
     group, "has lost interest in purchasing the team."  Cone did
     not return phone calls (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 5/6).  In St. Pete,
     Tom Jones reports that Davidson is deciding whether to make
     "a conditional offer on paper in the next day or two," and
     Wilson told him, "I wouldn't say we made them an official
     offer, but we did give them some numbers to consider.  It's
     down to the point where we've done a lot of work, looked at
     a lot of the figures, and we've given them some numbers to
     see if it's in their ballpark" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 5/6).
          UNSUNG HERO? In a sidebar, the TIMES' Jones writes that
     Davidson is "on the short list of the most successful owners
     in professional sports. ... Virtually every business he has
     taken over -- from his family's wholesale drug company to an
     automotive glass supply company to the Pistons -- has gone
     from near-bankruptcy to thriving leaders in their
     industries.  He has two rules of business: hire competent
     people and do everything first class" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES,
     5/6).  In St. Pete, columnist Gary Shelton, on Davidson:
     "This is our guy.  This is the owner we want.  If this was a
     vote, it would be a landslide" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 5/6).

          Marlins President Don Smiley "hopes to entice investors
     in his bid to buy the team for $169 million by drastically
     slashing an already slim player payroll through 2001,"
     according to Alan Snel of the Fort Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL. 
     The move, which would pare the player payroll to $16M each
     year from '99-2001, was outlined in Smiley's business plan
     issued Monday to prospective investors.  Smiley is also
     telling potential investors "that he thinks Broward and
     Miami-Dade counties would each provide" $80M for a $250M
     retractable-roof stadium that could be opened by 2002 at the
     Pro Player Stadium complex.  The Marlins' general
     partnership would provide $30-40M toward the facility.  The
     document says that team expenditures would be sliced by
     $23.3M in '98 and that another $20M would be cut in '99,
     with the "bulk" of the budget cuts coming from reducing
     player payroll.  With the cuts, the Marlins project the
     team's cash flow loss to decrease from $32.4M in '97 to
     $10.5M this year.  Smiley hopes the cuts would yield a
     positive cash flow of $7.8M in '99 (SUN-SENTINEL, 5/6). 
          CABLEVISION BACKING SMILEY UP? In Miami, Barry Jackson
     reports that TX-based First Plus Financial CEO Dan Phillips
     has become "the second person to confirm publicly" that he
     is a part of Smiley's group.  Phillips declined to say how
     much he is investing, "but it is believed to be" in the $10M
     range.  Jackson also notes a reported "backup plan to help
     finance Smiley's sale" would involve Cablevision buying
     Marlins Owner Wayne Huizenga's SportsChannel FL, and then
     providing Smiley with capital by signing a long-term cable
     rights deal for Marlins games.  Smiley has declined to
     discuss any investors (Barry Jackson, MIAMI HERALD, 5/6).