<a href=new.stockwatch.com>C O R R E C T I O N 2003-03-24 10:41 ET - News Release

BOSTON, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 18th year as principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock is proud to announce its elite team of international marathon runners today, including the men's and women's defending champions, Rodgers Rop and Margaret Okayo of Kenya, and the #1 ranked U.S. women's marathoner Marla Runyan of Eugene, Oregon. This year's field of 29 Olympic, world, and nationally ranked runners from 11 nations will compete on April 21, 2003, Patriot's Day.

In the men's field, Rodgers Rop will seek to defend his title against many of the fastest marathoners in the world. An eleven member Kenyan team also includes last year's runner-up Christopher Cheboiboch, world-ranked Vincent Kipsos and Benjamin Kimutai. Italian Olympian Giacomo Leone and two-time Boston runner-up and Ecuadorian Olympian Silvio Guerra will add to the competitiveness of the elite field. These seasoned runners will face tough opposition from additional athletes out of Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Tanzania and Venezuela.

On the women's side, Margaret Okayo of Kenya shattered the Boston Marathon women's record last year, running 2:20:43, and this year she will race for a second laurel wreath. Challenging Okayo are 2000 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Joyce Chepchumba of Kenya and Russian national record holder Svetlana Zakharova. Focusing on the trio will be eight world-ranked marathoners, including the #1 ranked U.S. women's marathoner Marla Runyan and half-marathon world record holder and two-time Boston runner-up Elana Meyer of South Africa. The elite field will face tough competition from two additional American marathoners, 2002 U.S. National Champion Jill Gaitenby and Milena Glusac.

These athletes are part of the John Hancock Running and Fitness Clinic staff. Since the program's inception in 1986, athletes have visited more than 80,000 school children across the country to promote the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Speaking on behalf of the clinic athletes, four-time Boston champion Bill Rodgers said, "We're proud to be part of the John Hancock Running and Fitness Clinic team teaching children about health and fitness. The international competition and the depth of the field point to the encompassing reach of the world's oldest annually held marathon and the enthusiastic support of Boston fans which contribute to the success of this world class event."

John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. and its affiliated companies provide a broad array of insurance and investment products and services to retail and institutional customers. As of December 31, 2002, John Hancock and its subsidiaries had total assets under management of $127.6 billion.

CONTACT: Pam Kruh (617) 572-0558

John Hancock Financial Services, Inc.

CONTACT: Pam Kruh of John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., +1-617-572- 0558

Web site: www.jhancock.com

In the news release, John Hancock Financial Services Announces 2003 Boston Marathon Elite International Field, issued earlier today by John Hancock over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that following document was inadvertently omitted:

107th Boston Marathon John Hancock's 2003 Elite Athlete Field

Men's Open Field Personal Best Vincent Kipsos, Kenya 2:06:52 (Berlin, 2002) Benjamin Kosgei Kimutai, Kenya 2:07:26 (Amsterdam, 2002) Giacomo Leone, Italy 2:07:52 (Otsu, 2001) Rodgers Rop, Kenya 2:08:07 (New York, 2002) Christopher Cheboiboch, Kenya 2:08:17 (New York, 2002) Laban Kipkemboi, Kenya 2:08:39 (New York, 2002) Eric Wainaina, Kenya 2:08:43 (Tokyo, 2002) Pavel Loskutov, Estonia 2:08:53 NR (Paris, 2002) John Nada Saya, Tanzania 2:08:57 (Milan, 2001) Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Kenya 2:08:59 (Milan, 2002) Timothy Cherigat, Kenya 2:09:34 (San Sebastian, 2002) Silvio Guerra, Ecuador 2:09:49 NR (Chicago, 1997) Martin Lel, Kenya 2:10:02 (Venice, 2002) Luis Fonseca, Venezuela 2:11:49 (Boston, 2002) Romulo Da Silver, Brazil 2:12:24 (Berlin, 2001) Bruce Deacon, Canada 2:13:18 (Sacramento, 2002) Wilson Kipkemboi Kigen, Kenya 2:13:49 (Eindoven, 2002) Stephen Kiogora, Kenya Debut

Women's Open Field Personal Best

Margaret Okayo, Kenya 2:20:43 CR (Boston, 2002) Svetlana Zakharova, Russia 2:21:31 NR (Chicago, 2002) Joyce Chepchumba, Kenya 2:23:22 (London, 1999) Elana Meyer, South Africa 2:25:15 NR (Boston, 1994) Esther Kiplagat, Kenya 2:25:32 (Paris, 2002) Lyubov Denisova, Russia 2:26:17 (New York, 2002) Alice Chelangat, Kenya 2:26:36 (Milan, 2001) Marla Runyan, U.S. 2:27:10 (New York, 2002) Albina Ivanova, Russia 2:29:53 (Honolulu, 2002) Milena Glusac, U.S. 2:31:14 (New York, 2002) Jill Gaitenby, U.S. 2:36:10 (Minneapolis, 2002)

Northwest Corner: Seahawks Stadium now a premium soccer venue

DON RUIZ; The News Tribune

Soccer fans are a patient lot.

The very nature of the sport demands that those who love it be able to understand how much is going on even when the casual observer might think nothing is happening.

Unfortunately, that very capacity has been severely tested on the larger stage of Puget Sound.

Seahawks Stadium opened eight months ago, and so far, exactly zero soccer games have been played here because of it.

It would be very easy to think nothing is happening.

Actually, quite a bit is playing out. And most of it looks good.

"For a new stadium on the West Coast in the Pacific Northwest where we've never handled these big games before, we're doing just great," said Fred Mendoza of the Public Stadium Authority. "I think First & Goal is doing a great job of trying to promote the venue as a state-of-the-art venue for soccer."

To date, the stadium has provided only a tantalizing taste.

In July, the Seattle Sounders opened the stadium and showed 25,515 spectators what a terrific soccer venue the place is.

Now, the stadium is about to show the world.

On Saturday, the U.S. men's team will make its Seahawks Stadium debut. Their opponent will be the national team of Venezuela, a short-notice substitute for the Japanese team, which backed out last week because of security concerns sparked by the war in Iraq.

Following this international friendly, the stage will be set for a July 29 visit from the highest level of club teams: Manchester United vs. Glasgow Celtic FC.

Tickets for that match sold out in about two hours.

That - along with First & Goal living up to its commitment to import a natural grass field for each match - is likely to move Seattle among the top North American soccer cities in the eyes of U.S. soccer and international promoters.

"I think we can count on it," Mendoza said. "There are other promoters who are asking about this venue and Seattle. Everyone is just waiting to see if this will work or will it not work. We know. We know it's going to work. I haven't heard this much buzz about a soccer game in 20 years in this town. We know it's going to work. And I think you're going to see in summers to come that there are going to be one or two or three games a summer. Wouldn't that be fun?"

It would be. Especially if those two or three club or national team games supplement the full regular season schedule of the A-League Sounders or eventually the MLS Whatevers.

Starting in May, the Sounders will become full-time tenants at Seahawks Stadium.

The 67,000-seat venue will be Sounders-sized by closing the end zones, upper decks and entire west side. Despite all that echoing empty acreage, the place should bring a huge upgrade from recent seasons at Memorial Stadium.

The seats are far more comfortable. The bathrooms are far less repellent. The playing surface will be the far more soccer-friendly FieldTurf, and will lack the graffiti circus of football striping.

And if you can't get to a game in person, you can listen in on radio station KKNW (1150-AM), with Tacoma's own Thom Beuning handling the play-by-play.

In other words, the Sounders are taking a huge step toward the major leagues.

So much so that you have to wonder if Major League Soccer can be far behind.

No one yet knows.

Sometime this year, MLS expects to announce two expansion cities, which would probably begin play in 2005, although 2004 isn't yet out of the question.

MLS acknowledges it will watch the Sounders' maiden voyage in Seahawks Stadium with added interest. A big spike in attendance couldn't hurt the city's chances. Just as the instant sellout of Manchester United tickets couldn't have hurt.

(In fact, the Sounders are in a unique position to benefit from that sellout. The Sounders are still making Manchester United-Celtic tickets available to those purchasing Sounders ticket packages.)

What does hurt - a bit - is that Seahawks Stadium is at least twice as large as the ideal MLS stadium.

And what also hurts - a lot - is the apparent lack of anyone willing to purchase the rights to operate a Seattle team in a league that bleeds dollar bills.

That, however, is an issue for another week.

This is a week to celebrate.

Starting on Saturday, big-time soccer comes to Seahawks Stadium.

It took its time getting here. But now there is every indication that it will become a regular visitor.

Notes - Ben Sauvage of Seattle won the Fort Steilacoom Running Club's Resolution Run Series 20-miler on March 15 in Steilacoom with a time of 1 hour, 52 minutes, 9 seconds. The top-finishing woman was Alysun Deckert, with a time of 2:03:48. Winning the 20k race was Mark Van Eycke of Tacoma, finishing in 1:08:05. The top-finishing woman was Shelley Smathers, who covered the distance in 1:18:57. Sauvage, Van Eycke and Smathers also won the 15-mile and 15k races the previous month. The top-finishing woman in the 15-mile race was Linda Huyck ... Kyle Nix of the Metro Tacoma Fencing Club competed last month in the Junior Olympics competition in Colorado Springs, Colo. Nix placed 159th out of 220 in the junior men's foil competition. Information: www.usfencing.org (Published 12:30AM, March 24th, 2003)

<a href=www.stamfordadvocate.com>Feeling Centered By Mark Herrmann STAFF CORRESPONDENT March 23, 2003

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - While Roger Cedeño's defensive ability remains one of the biggest question marks in Mets camp, he believes he knows how to make a grab. After all, he caught hell all of last season.

He caught it from Mets fans, who recognized right away that he wasn't nearly living up to the four-year, $18-million contract he signed. He caught it as he walked to his car in the Shea Stadium parking lot. "They called me a --," he said. "I understand the fans were upset, but ... "

Cedeño knows he would have been finished if he had shouted back. He also knows he will be in line for more of the same this year, especially now that he has moved from leftfield - where he had an admittedly awful season - to the more prestigious and demanding role of centerfielder.

He knows all he can do is try. At least on that score, he has caught the Mets' attention in spring training.

"If you watch him out there, he's playing and having a good time," said Mets coach Gary Pettis, a former Gold Glove centerfielder who has worked hard with Cedeño, hitting him fungoes and giving him advice. "He's comfortable with what he's doing out there. That's the sign of being a good outfielder: becoming comfortable."

Added general manager Steve Phillips: "He and Gary have found a few technique areas to work on and that has allowed him to get more comfortable there. I've seen him much more confident defensively than I've seen him in the last several years. He's going to make a mistake here and there. Most everybody does. But I think overall we're going to be pretty happy with the results."

All of that might be wishful thinking, typical spring training optimism or positive spin on an optionless situation. Cliff Floyd and Jeromy Burnitz are strictly corner outfielders and the Mets believe they have to play Cedeño someplace because of their investment in him. One scout for an American League team said of the Cedeño centerfield experiment: "I don't think they're going to be able to play him there."

If nothing else, Cedeño has earned his club's admiration for his outlook and his production. He doubled in yesterday's 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves (one of only three hits against Mike Hampton) and his average is .348. Also, a good throw to the plate resulted in Javy Lopez getting caught in a rundown off second base.

If learning to keep your head up is a good trait for a centerfielder, Cedeño has made a big step in the right direction. He was smiling this past week, even after a root canal procedure, even after a winter during which he was shopped unsuccessfully by the Mets and arrested for driving under the influence.

"Sometimes things happen in a season. Things happen that you can't control," he said, thinking back to last year. "You try to concentrate. But it gets out of your hands."

As much as he knew he played poorly, the personal criticism stung.

"You know what's a good thing? This is why all the players love their families so much: It doesn't matter how bad we do, we can go 0-for-14, and we can come back home and see a wonderful smile. They say, 'Come on, you'll get it tomorrow.' That really gets in your heart."

He said he heard that from his wife and daughter, and in phone calls from his mother in Venezuela. "She would say, 'Hang in there. Come on, son, you know what you can do. Do what you have to do. Work hard.'"

That came from someone who never has seen him play in the big leagues. His mom doesn't like to leave Venezuela. "And she can't watch it on TV. She's too nervous," he said.

Cedeño insists the Mets won't have as much to be nervous about this year. "I can play centerfield. I came up as a centerfielder," he said, sounding a little like the John Fogerty song lyric he said he has never heard ("Look at me, I can be, Centerfield!"). He believes the Mets can win and that the fans will offer praise this year.

That, he will catch.

Today Mets vs. Braves 1 p.m. TV: FSNY Radio: WFAN (660)

Abreu adds power -- Bowa expects big year from outfielder

By EDWARD DE LA FUENTE Staff reporter 03/23/2003

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Because of circumstance, Bobby Abreu did not play winter baseball this offseason for the first time in more than 10 years.

As civil unrest began in his native Venezuela, Abreu stayed near his home two hours outside Caracas. He rarely played catch or swung his bat. To keep from going stir-crazy, he worked out more often.

The result? The Phillies right fielder has the same fluid swing and the same effortless style, only with more power, as witnessed earlier this spring when the left-handed-hitting Abreu hit a laser-like home run - to left field.

"I don't know why I feel this way, but I think Bobby's going to have a monster year," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "If everything falls right, he can have a season where he puts up some nasty numbers in every category."

Even without the visual evidence, Bowa can't be blamed for having such a hunch. Abreu has put up nasty numbers in a lot of statistical categories, just not all at the same time.

He has hit at least .308 in four of the past five seasons. In the one year that he didn't, 2001, he hit a career-high 31 home runs. He became the Phillies' first 30-30 player that year, also stealing 36 bases. His doubles total has gone up every year in that five-year span, with his 50 last season leading the National League. He has scored at least 102 runs each of the past four seasons.

This spring, Abreu has four home runs, including that opposite-field shot last Sunday against Minnesota, and has seven hits in his past 14 at-bats.

Bowa marvels at the time last season he overheard Abreu, in the middle of a slump that had dropped his average to around .290, tell teammates he intended to raise it back to .300. Within days, he was back at .300.

"I'm not going to say Bobby's going to hit 70 [homers], but Bobby's going to do what Bobby wants to do," Bowa said. "He does some things that make you shake your head. He's got a great future ahead of him. I don't think he's peaked."

Abreu arrived at the Phillies camp this spring noticeably bulkier, and he admitted he gained seven or eight pounds. What's more, he said he wouldn't have chosen to take the winter off but he might end up being glad he did.

"I feel more rested," Abreu said. "I'm not tired yet. I feel healthy, I feel good."

As for whether his game might change to include more power, Abreu doesn't yet know.

"I just try to do my job," Abreu said. "I just play the game, play it hard, and the home runs are going to come."

A lot will depend on where Abreu bats in the order. With slugging Jim Thome aboard this year, Abreu might find himself hitting fifth many nights, rather than his customary third spot, which would likely lead to more RBI chances. Or, he could stay in the No. 3 slot, ahead of Pat Burrell and Thome, which would give him more opportunities to steal bases and score runs.

"It doesn't matter to me," Abreu said. "If I hit third, I try to do my job there. Whatever spot I'm in, I'm going to hit."

Thome has already found a benefit to batting behind Abreu - the chance to watch Abreu work pitchers before he gets to the plate himself.

"I think Bobby's really going to help me," Thome said. "We're very similar players. It's hard to compare those types of players, but we're very similar.

"He's a guy who legitimately has a chance to hit 50 doubles every year. His approach at the plate is really solid. He's got a sweet swing."

And at 28, one has to wonder if Abreu's best years are still ahead of him. For example, when Barry Bonds was 27, in 1992, he batted .311 with 34 home runs, surpassing the 30-homer mark for only the second time. The next year, he batted .336 with 46 home runs. Everyone knows what has happened to Bonds since then.

That's not to predict that Abreu will someday hold the single-season home-run record. But if Abreu is anything like Bonds, the Phillies, who signed him to a six-year, $64 million contract extension before last year, will have plenty to look forward to.

"I think I've got more experience in the game," Abreu said. "When you get more mature, that's when you put up more numbers. Maybe your numbers become more consistent."

Consistency hasn't been a problem for Abreu. Whether his numbers get larger - that's what the Phillies are hoping for.

Reach Edward de la Fuente at <a href=mailto:ofthefountain@hotmail.com. Abreu adds power Bowa expects big year from outfielder By EDWARD DE LA FUENTE Staff reporter 03/23/2003

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Because of circumstance, Bobby Abreu did not play winter baseball this offseason for the first time in more than 10 years.

As civil unrest began in his native Venezuela, Abreu stayed near his home two hours outside Caracas. He rarely played catch or swung his bat. To keep from going stir-crazy, he worked out more often.

The result? The Phillies right fielder has the same fluid swing and the same effortless style, only with more power, as witnessed earlier this spring when the left-handed-hitting Abreu hit a laser-like home run - to left field.

"I don't know why I feel this way, but I think Bobby's going to have a monster year," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "If everything falls right, he can have a season where he puts up some nasty numbers in every category."

Even without the visual evidence, Bowa can't be blamed for having such a hunch. Abreu has put up nasty numbers in a lot of statistical categories, just not all at the same time.

He has hit at least .308 in four of the past five seasons. In the one year that he didn't, 2001, he hit a career-high 31 home runs. He became the Phillies' first 30-30 player that year, also stealing 36 bases. His doubles total has gone up every year in that five-year span, with his 50 last season leading the National League. He has scored at least 102 runs each of the past four seasons.

This spring, Abreu has four home runs, including that opposite-field shot last Sunday against Minnesota, and has seven hits in his past 14 at-bats.

Bowa marvels at the time last season he overheard Abreu, in the middle of a slump that had dropped his average to around .290, tell teammates he intended to raise it back to .300. Within days, he was back at .300.

"I'm not going to say Bobby's going to hit 70 [homers], but Bobby's going to do what Bobby wants to do," Bowa said. "He does some things that make you shake your head. He's got a great future ahead of him. I don't think he's peaked."

Abreu arrived at the Phillies camp this spring noticeably bulkier, and he admitted he gained seven or eight pounds. What's more, he said he wouldn't have chosen to take the winter off but he might end up being glad he did.

"I feel more rested," Abreu said. "I'm not tired yet. I feel healthy, I feel good."

As for whether his game might change to include more power, Abreu doesn't yet know.

"I just try to do my job," Abreu said. "I just play the game, play it hard, and the home runs are going to come."

A lot will depend on where Abreu bats in the order. With slugging Jim Thome aboard this year, Abreu might find himself hitting fifth many nights, rather than his customary third spot, which would likely lead to more RBI chances. Or, he could stay in the No. 3 slot, ahead of Pat Burrell and Thome, which would give him more opportunities to steal bases and score runs.

"It doesn't matter to me," Abreu said. "If I hit third, I try to do my job there. Whatever spot I'm in, I'm going to hit."

Thome has already found a benefit to batting behind Abreu - the chance to watch Abreu work pitchers before he gets to the plate himself.

"I think Bobby's really going to help me," Thome said. "We're very similar players. It's hard to compare those types of players, but we're very similar.

"He's a guy who legitimately has a chance to hit 50 doubles every year. His approach at the plate is really solid. He's got a sweet swing."

And at 28, one has to wonder if Abreu's best years are still ahead of him. For example, when Barry Bonds was 27, in 1992, he batted .311 with 34 home runs, surpassing the 30-homer mark for only the second time. The next year, he batted .336 with 46 home runs. Everyone knows what has happened to Bonds since then.

That's not to predict that Abreu will someday hold the single-season home-run record. But if Abreu is anything like Bonds, the Phillies, who signed him to a six-year, $64 million contract extension before last year, will have plenty to look forward to.

"I think I've got more experience in the game," Abreu said. "When you get more mature, that's when you put up more numbers. Maybe your numbers become more consistent."

Consistency hasn't been a problem for Abreu. Whether his numbers get larger - that's what the Phillies are hoping for.

Reach Edward de la Fuente at ofthefountain@hotmail.com

Dominicans conflicted over expansive, expensive project Posted on Sun, Mar. 23, 2003
BY KEVIN BAXTER kbaxter@herald.com

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Most weeknights, Ludys Tejada drives to a smog-choked park in the center of Santo Domingo, sets up a target and spends hours honing her archery skills.

Her concentration is intense. It has to be -- if she misses the target, she's likely to pick off one of the many joggers, cyclists or baseball players with whom she shares the crowded park. When she does let her mind wander, Tejada daydreams about Aug. 11, the day the archery competition will open at the Pan American Games here.

''Just going to the line,'' says Tejada, the host country's best chance for a medal, ``will be a thrill.''

Still, like most Dominicans, she's conflicted. Although the country's selection as site of the world's largest international athletic competition after the Olympics is a source of pride, it's not without controversy.

''It's hard for a small country,'' Tejada says. ``It's going to be very difficult.''

Adds a taxi driver with a dismissive wave of his hand: ``It's ridiculous. This is a poor country. We need the money for more important things.''

But it's too late to turn back now. Despite an ambivalent populace and construction delays that still threaten the cancellation of some events, the Pan American Sports Organization is expected to give the Dominican Republic the final go-ahead for this summer's Games when its meets Thursday and Friday in Havana.

Preparations for the Games represent the largest public works project in Dominican history, says Dr. José Joaquín Puello, a prominent surgeon and president of the Pan Am Games organizing committee.

''Sports should be an important part of any society,'' he says. ``There's no doubt the legacy will be long-term.''

Santo Domingo's bid to host the quadrennial festival, which features 5,000 athletes from more than 40 nations competing in 22 sports, has had to survive a number of challenges simply to make it to this week's meeting. The Dominican capital originally hoped to host the 1999 Games but, after three ballots, it lost to Winnipeg by a vote. In 1998, Santo Domingo bid again, beating Guadalajara, Mexico and Medellín, Colombia in a heated fight for the right to stage this year's event, which runs Aug. 1-17.

After winning the right to stage the Games, financial problems forced the organizing committee to wait nearly three years before starting to refurbish existing venues and build new ones. Then that work ground to a halt for three months this winter when the political crisis in Venezuela delayed delivery of items, including stadium seats, scoreboards and building materials the construction companies were contractually obligated to buy from the South American country.

In early February, President Hipólito Mejía stepped forward approved a $5 million line of credit to help speed construction, promising the work would be done by the May 30 deadline.

Yet as recently as last month there was still concern some of the 35 venues won't be ready on time.

Some projects have a mid-June deadline, but work on the 30,000-seat Olympic Stadium, where opening ceremonies and track events will be held, and the rowing venue is likely to continue right up to Aug. 1.

Construction crews, already working 10-hour days, have been expanded, and the Dominicans intend to tell the Havana meeting the crisis is over.

''The danger that we'd have to cancel an event because some installation wasn't finished has passed,'' says Puello. He admits construction is dangerously behind but blames much of the alarm on cultural differences.

``In Spanish-speaking countries in America things happen that, for Anglos, are simply unusual. The fact that we're trying to finish our sports installations at the last minute, for [Anglos], worries them.''

Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, says the USOC, which will send 650 athletes to Santo Domingo, is concerned but is not considering alternative sites for the Games.

''We're certainly well aware that there are challenges related to venue construction. But we're confident that the Organizing Committee is doing everything it can to complete any remaining construction projects in time,'' he says. ``There's no reason to believe at this point that delays would necessitate any change in the current plan.''

For Puello, leader of the Dominican Olympic Committee for 21 years, president of the Caribbean and Central American Sports Organization and a member of the International Olympic Committee's anti-doping committee, the Pan Am Games represent the culmination of a long career in amateur sports. He's retiring after the closing ceremony, and he sees the Games and what they'll leave behind as his legacy.

'The Pan American Games, obviously, were a trampoline, a `booster,' of a sports development plan in the sense that we're building a good sports infrastructure, a good human infrastructure and, above all, we're giving a good image of the country, both from the sports sense and the nonsports sense, to the rest of the world,'' Puello said in Spanish. ``Unless a small country has an event like the Pan Am Games they will not invest in sports. Politicians pay very little attention to sport. They do not understand what sports is all about.''

But politicians aren't the only ones. Although the Games organizing committee trumpets a newspaper poll showing 74% of Dominicans are in favor of the Games, it's almost impossible to find anyone outside the committee who admits they feel that way. Even many athletes are uncertain.

''So many people are against it,'' says a man prominent in Dominican baseball circles who, fearing retribution, asked that his name not be used. ``I'm just going to sit back and see what happens.''

Most of the opposition is based on the belief that the government's contribution of more than $110 million could have been better spent on social programs in a country where a quarter of the population lives in poverty. As a result, Puello spends much of his time trying to sell the Games -- to the public as well as the politicians.

''If you do not invest in sports, no one can guarantee you that that money will go into education or agriculture or health care,'' says Puello, who puts the number of workers employed in Games-related activities at 9,000, a significant number in a country with an official unemployment rate of 15%. ``The long-term benefits are undeniable. The useful life of the installations is 30 years. In a nation like this one, where there's been little [monetary] investment in sports, that's going to be highly beneficial. Especially for the youth.''

Most of the money the government had devoted to the Pan Am Games construction is going to improve or replace venues originally built for the 1974 event. The basketball arena is getting a new floor, for example, and the main stadium a new synthetic track.

The nearby Olympic Center will feature a cycling velodrome, a fencing center, a martial arts arena, a volleyball stadium and an aquatics center.

In the capital's sprawling East Park, new facilities have been built or are being built for tennis, team handball, soccer, gymnastics, field hockey, table tennis, archery and weightlifting.

This isn't the first time there's been a public outcry over the use of public funds to construct sports venues. In 1974, the government spent millions to construct a basketball arena, track stadium, swimming complex and other installations for the Central American and Caribbean Games. The host country's athletes responded by winning 21 medals, including a gold, by far the Dominican Republic's best performance in international competition up to that time.

''Some people thought it was expensive then,'' says an Organizing Committee official. ``But it was the turning point in sport here.''

In last fall's Central American Games in El Salvador, Dominicans won 135 medals, including 32 golds.

''When you talk about sports in the Dominican Republic,'' the official added, ``you talk about before and after 1974.''

Puerto Rico, which spent $60 million to prepare for the 1979 Pan Am Games, estimated the economic impact to the island at $165 million. Winnipeg, which hosted the 1999 event, said it received a 500% return on its investment. With tourism having recently joined sugar and tobacco as a main driver of the Dominican, the Games could prove an even bigger boon, with organizers estimating 40,000 people will visit the island during the first three weeks of August.

There are other side benefits. An Olympic Village being constructed by Santo Domingo's airport will become a middle-class neighborhood after the Games. And some of the high-tech television and communications equipment being imported this summer will remain in the country, with Dominicans trained to run it.

''If the Games are such a bad investment, then why are so many cities fighting hard to get them?'' says Puello.