MARINERS REACH DEAL TO BROADCAST GAME LIVE ON ESPNET

     The Mariners games against the Yankees on September 5-6 will
provide the first live broadcast of a MLB game over the World
Wide Web.  Subscribers of ESPNET SportsZone will be able to
follow the action and hear live play-by-play reports by Mariners
announces.  The Mariners reached the deal with KIRO Newsradio
710, ESPNET partner Starwave and Progressive Network (Mariners).
Baseball's presence on the Web is examined by Tom Watson in the
current BASEBALL WEEKLY.  Kevin Mason, financial analyst for the
Mariners, the first team on the web last year, said "in internet
terms, we are doing very well."  Mason estimates between 750 and
800 people visit the site each day and the "number of hits is
growing steadily."  The team ran an on-line survey on a new
ballpark and received 750 complete responses in 10 days.  The
Blue Jays have had 60,000 hits on their home page since it went
up in late April (BASEBALL WEEKLY, 9/5 issue).