SCHOTT, HOFMANN MAY NOT BE AIMING FOR STRAIGHT A'S

     The sale of the A's from the Haas family to the Ken Hofmann-
Steve Schott group "may be perilously close to falling apart,"
according to Pedro Gomez in this morning's SACRAMENTO BEE.  Gomez
reports that MLB officials have not received the necessary legal
paperwork from the Hofmann-Schott group to process the
transaction, and baseball sources say "there is no way" the sale
of the team can be approved by May, as both sides had predicted.
Gomez notes that Hofmann, a S.F.-based developer, may be
"unwilling to take a chance with baseball's uncertain economic
future," and has "apparently backed off" because the end of the
strike did not result in an agreement that would include revenue
sharing between large and small market teams.  Acting MLB
Commissioner Bud Selig:  "Given all the uncertainties in
baseball, maybe they wanted to wait."  A's CEO Walter Haas:  "I
don't have a crystal ball to speculate when the closing date
might be.  But we'll have an answer soon" (Pedro Gomez,
SACRAMENTO BEE, 4/11).