BRIEFLY : TAGLIABUE TO L.A.: UH, NICE TRY.

Impressive plans, weak financial outlook.

That's the way NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has sized up the stadium presentation made by a group of Los Angeles politicians and businessmen to the finance and stadium committees at the NFL owners meetings.

``The fact that there was a strong group of representatives here with a very concrete set of design concepts, a very concrete set of cost analyses and at least the series of financing parameters, financing concepts, I think all of that was a real step forward,'' Tagliabue said Thursday at the league meetings in New Orleans.

``There were a number of questions raised, however. I raised the question of how comfortable were the construction experts with the estimates of the total project costs. There were a number of questions raised as to the financing and whether the financing package was feasible.''

The Los Angeles delegation hoped to convince the owners that the $229 million Coliseum renovation project could be ready for a team as early as 1999. It was the first time the group met with the owners.

The city is proposing the Coliseum be gutted and a new stadium built inside the shell, in hopes of luring an NFL team to the city.

``It's hard to see at this point how anything gets done in Los Angeles before 2000,'' Tagliabue said.

Upcoming television negotiations, which at one time were expected to compel the league to press for the return of a franchise to Los Angeles, will evidently go forward without the city being included because of competition between networks for the broadcast rights.

BASEBALL

Paul Molitor, who at 40 hit .341 in his first year with Minnesota and reached his 3,000th career hit, decided to stay with the Twins, agreeing to a $6.25 million, two-year contract.

But Atlanta Braves pitchers John Smoltz and Steve Avery decided to test the market, filing with 20 others for free agency to increase the total to 83.

Smoltz, the probable NL Cy Young Award winner, is expected to stay with the Braves after going 24-8 with a 2.94 ERA last season. But Avery, who had three straight so-so seasons, is not expected back.

Cleveland, as expected, exercised its $4.75 million option on outfielder Kenny Lofton, and St. Louis exercised its $1,625,000 option on closer Dennis Eckersley.

The New York Yankees exercised their $700,000 option on outfielder Darryl Strawberry and their $1.5 million option on third baseman Charlie Hayes.

Three players found out Thursday that their teams were declining to exercise options for 1997.

Texas opted to pay right-hander Mike Henneman a $250,000 buyout rather than exercise a $2.1 million option; San Diego decided to give right-hander Bob Tewksbury $125,000 rather than bring him back at $1.75 million; and Philadelphia gave left-hander David West $200,000 rather than exercise a $1.5 million option.

TENNIS

Michael Chang became the latest seed to fall at the Paris Open, losing 6-1, 6-3 to Arnaud Boetsch and joining Pete Sampras and Boris Becker at the exit.

Defending champion Magdalena Maleeva lost to Jennifer Capriati in a not-so-tough three sets during the second round of the Ameritech Cup in Chicago. Capriati, ranked 50th in the world, eliminated the eighth-seeded Maleeva 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The University of Texas declared football players Mike Adams, Bryant Westbrook, Tre Thomas and Chris Carter ineligible after learning that an agent had paid for their lunch during a weekend meeting.

The players will be held out of practices and Saturday's game against Baylor unless the NCAA rules otherwise, Texas coach John Mackovic said.