LAYING THE GROUNDWORK: LORIA DISCUSSES PLANS FOR EXPOS

          Expos Chair & CEO Jeffrey Loria said that he needs to
     place "an emphasis" on marketing the team "for a minimum of
     two years" until the site of the proposed ballpark becomes
     "more than merely a snowy or grassy field," according to
     Jeff Blair of the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL.  Loria believes that
     "season ticket sales can be tripled" to between 9,000-9,500
     and that the club can draw 1.5 million fans "for the first
     time since" '96.  The Expos drew an MLB-worst 773,277 fans
     in '99.  Loria said that he now "hopes the composition of a
     new ownership consortium can be formally revealed in late
     March" and that he "held out hope" that ground could still
     be turned for a new ballpark by "the start" of March. 
     Loria's "most pressing concern" is negotiations on French
     and English-language radio and TV rights: "We are
     entertaining some proposals.  There are standards in
     baseball for rights fees" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 1/20).