LABATT LIGHT: EXPOS TONE DOWN BALLPARK PLANS TO SAVE COSTS

          The Expos' new proposal for Labatt Park calls for a
     "pared down," C$175M facility that "will feature a simpler,
     no-frills facade," according to David Johnston of the
     Montreal GAZETTE.  Roger Samson, who joined the Expos last
     week as a special advisor to the team's ownership consortium
     and is in charge of creating a seat-license program, said
     that the ballpark "will retain many of the interior features
     first proposed" in '97, but the "ornate," red-brick exterior
     first proposed in the original C$250M design "will have to
     give way to a less elaborate exterior."  Samson noted that
     members of the team's ownership consortium "now hope to
     finance the stadium's construction solely through" a C$100M
     government-backed loan and C$75M raised from PSL sales.
     Samson said that plans call for a capacity of around 35,000,
     with the ballpark facing north to offer a view of downtown
     Montreal beyond the outfield fences (GAZETTE, 5/12).