NFL: During his presentation to NFL owners in K.C.,
Michael Ovitz said that league owners "wanted assurances"
that a southern CA team would be supported. Ovitz: "I'll
put an L.A. fan up against an East Coast fan any day of the
week" (USA TODAY, 10/30). After the league meetings, John
McClain of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE writes, "Houston is not the
long shot everyone says" to win the league's expansion
franchise. Besides having a stadium plan in place, Bob
McNair "is the kind of person the owners want as a partner"
(HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/30)....In Miami, Greg Cote writes
this season's complaints about the officiating in the NFL
"are approaching a mutinous pitch." The "root of the
problem" is that "too many officials are too old" and that
they are "part-timers" (MIAMI HERALD, 10/30).
NOTES: The AFL is returning to L.A., as a "yet unnamed
expansion team will play in the Staples Center." An
announcement could come "early next week." The identity of
the "ownership group has not been revealed," but one
"unconfirmed report had Universal Studios involved, but a
studio spokesperson said she knew nothing about it" (L.A.
DAILY NEWS, 10/29)....BLOOMBERG reported that MLB "expects
to draw sellout or near-sellout crowds for all eight games
on its upcoming tour of Japan." MLB Int'l VP/Market
Development Jim Small said that 93% of available tickets for
the tour had been sold as of late last week. Each MLBer
receives $85,000 for participating (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 10/28).
