DC MAYOR WANTS TO BRING BASEBALL ALONG THE POTOMAC

          DC Mayor Anthony Williams joined "top" DC city council
     leaders yesterday in "launching what they envision as a
     community effort to attract" an MLB team to DC and build a
     $330M, 45,000-seat ballpark, according to Eric Lipton of the
     WASHINGTON POST.  A consultants study [conducted by MN-based
     CSL] indicated that the new facility could be partially paid
     for by PSLs and through the sale of naming rights. 
     Additional revenue streams could be provided via a tax on
     tickets and restaurant and vendor sales in the area. 
     Williams "did not rule out the possibility of investing
     public funds in the project."  Williams: "I would not
     preclude it."  Williams also said that DC will "hire a
     consultant to search for an investor group, preferably one
     led by an African American or other minority."  The DC
     Sports & Entertainment Commission hired HNTB to review eight
     possible ballpark sites, with the city's Mt. Vernon Square
     area winning the "highest score" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/24).