A'S BANKING ON DEPOSITS FROM TWO GROUPS AS DEADLINE ARRIVES

          There is a 5:00pm PST deadline today to put in a bid
     for the A's, and "one offer was made official" Tuesday with
     a $12M deposit, and a second one "was apparently nearing
     completion," according to Laura Counts of the OAKLAND
     TRIBUNE.  Save Mart Foods Chair Bob Piccinini, who is part
     of a group headed by former A's exec Andy Dolich, placed his
     group's $12M into an escrow account.  The deposit, which is
     10% of the team's total sale price of $122.4M, "locks in"
     the group's offer.  A second group, which includes CA
     attorney Michael Lazarus, AZ banker Lyle Campbell and Cubs
     broadcaster Steve Stone, has also deposited $12M into an
     escrow account, according to Game Plan Inc., which is
     brokering the sale.  A's President Mike Crowley: "My
     understanding is the Lazarus group has put up some money,
     but we don't yet have an escrow agreement."  So far, neither
     group "had yet been cleared" by MLB to review the team's
     confidential financial documents (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 4/21).