OOPS DU JOUR?! VECSEY SAYS STERN COULD REPLACE SAMARANCH

          The N.Y. POST's Peter Vecsey led his Sunday NBA column
     by reporting that sources say that NBA Commissioner David
     Stern "has received feelers" to find out whether he would
     "be interested" in succeeding IOC President Juan Antonio
     Samaranch (Peter Vecsey, N.Y. POST, 3/28).
          OLYMPIC NOTES: In Toronto, Randy Starkman reported that
     former Raptors President John Bitove Jr. was "approved" on
     Friday as the CEO of Toronto's bid for the 2008 Summer Games
     (TORONTO STAR, 3/27)....In Sunday's N.Y. TIMES, Joseph
     Treaster profiled John Hancock President David D'Alessandro,
     who "is leading the corporate charge to clean up one of the
     worst stains on the modern Olympics, the Salt Lake City
     bribery scandal" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/28)....In Sydney, Michael
     Cockerill wrote that it is not right for Olympic sponsors
     "to be judging the behaviour of Olympic officials."  The
     "sponsors have every right to voice private concerns about
     the behaviour of certain officials, but they cannot publicly
     lead the charge" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 3/26).