PRAISING GEORGE POSTOLOS: In Houston, Eric Berger wrote
on Rockets COO George Postolos' strategy to build a pro-
Rockets coalition for a new arena, after last November's
defeat at the voting booth. Berger: "[Postolos] made the
issue less about Leslie Alexander, the wealthy Florida-based
team owner, and more about stimulating downtown development.
After the stormy reign of his predecessor, John Thomas,
Postolos became someone locals felt they could trust,
dispelling the notion that Alexander could not be reasoned
with." Alexander, on Postolos leading the arena effort:
"George did a hell of a job. He built the coalition that
turned this around" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 11/13).
DISPELLING DISPARITY: MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, while
speaking at the State of Israel Bonds corporate dinner at
the Boca Raton Resort yesterday, discussed the Marlins'
effort to build a new ballpark: "For an area like South
Florida to lose a team because you don't have a new stadium
would be very, very tragic." More Selig, on "changes coming
to baseball to ease" the economic disparity between large-
and small-market clubs: "We'll take care of the baseball
economics, now it's up to South Florida to do the rest"
(Sarah Talalay, Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 11/14).
NOTES: BUSINESS WEEK's Charles Whalen cites a new
research study of all 37 cities that had "at least one big-
league" football, baseball, or basketball franchise "at any
point between" '69-96. The study, conducted by Univ. of MD
economists Dennis Coates and Brad Humphreys, shows that
subsidies for sports stadiums "may actually be an economic
drag -- reducing per capita income." In cities with
baseball franchises, constructing a new ballpark "is found
to reduce income by $10 per person per year and building a
basketball arena cuts income by $73 per person" (BUSINESS
WEEK, 11/20 issue)....The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Joseph
Pereira reports that MA-based CMGI reported yesterday that
"it will give up on" its iCast entertainment site, sell its
1stUp.com Web-access operation and "take charges of as much
as" $90M in its fiscal first half ending January 31, 2001.
CMGI stated that its continuing restructuring would
"dramatically accelerate its path to profitability" and
substantially reduce its "burn rate," or net cash outflow,
over the next nine months (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/14).
CMGI signed a reported $114M naming rights and marketing
agreement for the Patriots' new stadium in August.
GIANTS TURF: Giants coach Jim Fassel, on the new grass
field at the Meadowlands: "This is the first year for our
grass. ... They've had a little bit of growing pains with
it, because the replacement grass isn't as mature. It isn't
a year or two old like the good grass that's in there. I
think it's good, I think it's a good turf, and I think most
every player that I have ever talked to in this league would
rather play on grass" ("Up Close," ESPN, 11/13).