MLB: In N.Y., James McKinley writes, "No one knows for
certain how many professional ballplayers are using
testosterone-based drugs, but there is a growing suspicion
among many people in baseball that the national pastime has
become tainted with steroid abuse." MLB Exec VP/Labor
Relations Rob Manfred: "We are clearly interested in getting
some sort of steroid testing program in place" (N.Y. TIMES,
10/11)....Of the four MLB playoff teams remaining, the
Yankees have the highest payroll at $113.4M (first in MLB),
followed by the Mets (fifth at $89.8M), Cardinals (eighth at
$72.4M) and Mariners (ninth at $62.6M) (Mult., 10/11).
FOOTBALL: Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
spokesperson Michelle Fusco said that the city "was busy"
yesterday completing its 70-page bid to host the 2006 Super
Bowl. Fusco added that the bid "meets or exceeds" the NFL's
requirement for 17,500 hotel rooms priced no more than 10%
above the highest price for the previous year (FREE PRESS,
10/11). Meanwhile, Jacksonville's bid for the 2005 Super
Bowl pledges $2.7M in services and cash from local agencies
to "support" the event. In FL, David DeCamp writes that a
$20M upgrade at Alltel Stadium with 70 new skyboxes and a
platform to support 5,800 seats "remains in the works,
though financing needs to be decided" (TIMES-UNION,
10/11)....USA TODAY's Pete Williams cites WPFL officials as
saying that teams "must draw roughly" 3,000 fans per game
"to break even." The Bonham Group Chair Dean Bonham, on the
WPFL: "There just isn't a lot of enthusiasm for watching
women play a sport that requires an aggression level that
football or boxing requires." The WPFL season begins
Saturday (USA TODAY, 10/11).
