OFFBEAT : ALLISON MEMORIES PEDDLED AT AUCTION.

From a pair of custom-made ostrich skin boots to the home in which his kids grew up, much of race driver Bobby Allison's memories have been sold at auction.

Rocky Neason, of Trussville, Ala., paid $210 for the boots. He said the size 10 would fit him, but he planned to display them with other racing collectibles.

James and Kathy Bennett bought one of 14 wide and smooth racing tires signed by the motorsports legend.

The Allisons, whose lives on the racetrack have been filled with tragedy, auctioned off much of their personal property recently to pay for his medical bills after a career-ending crash. The couple is also considering a divorce.

Judy Allison stood solemnly with friends in the carport of her mother-in-law's house, watching neighbors and strangers casually inventory the contents of her family's home and life.

Auctioneers began by selling the furniture that had filled their ranch-style house in Hueytown, Ala. It was there that Bobby Allison built the racing empire that claimed the lives of their two sons and nearly claimed his.

Games on tap: With the Olympics serving as a big impetus, brewpubs are beginning to pop up in Georgia.

Brewpubs, bars that serve beer made on the premises, have been a growing phenomenon elsewhere in the country but have been slow to get out of the keg in Georgia. The legislature didn't allow them until last year, and only two - Phoenix Brewing Company and John Harvards - exist in Atlanta.

However, a half dozen more are hurrying to open in time for Olympic crowds, said Dow Scoggins, president of Friends Brewing Co. of Atlanta and publisher of a newsletter for the local craft-brewing industry.

``Everyone thinks they're going to make tons of money for the Olympics, or they hope to,'' Scoggins said. ``You could open in September, but it would be a whole lot better to be open in July.''

Travelers, beware: At Atlanta's airport, the Olympics' gain is motorists' loss.

To clear the way for a welcome center that is planned for Olympic athletes and officials, Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport has closed its north park-and-ride lot, wiping out 1,850 parking spaces.

Karlsville: Rick Pitino might become part owner of the New Jersey Nets, but the coach of the Seattle SuperSonics has done him one better.

``I'm part owner of a town,'' George Karl said.

Karl revealed after his team's practice Monday afternoon that he is a 50 percent proprietor of an Idaho resort town called Burgdorf. It has a post office, it has hot springs, it has elk, it has no indoor plumbing, it has an elevation of 7,000 feet and, at dusk, it has a drumbeat.

``We have an Indian guy that plays the drums at sundown,'' Karl said, laughing. ``I swear he goes over to play the drums, and last year he's telling me, `You've got to be more friendly because there's a lot of Indian spirits on this ground.' I went, `Man, I may need another beer here, tell me some more.' ''

Burgdorf - which he acquired through a family friend - has become Karl's personal ``Do Not Disturb'' sign. He sought solace there after the Sonics flopped in the first round the past two seasons, and he will escape there as soon as this year's title run is over.

Dept. of Olympic trivia: ``Until she won golds in discus and shot in the 1948 London Games, Francis Micheline Ostermeyer was celebrated throughout France as a concert pianist.'' - Blackie Sherrod, Dallas Morning News.

Hope for Houston: Sen. Phil Gramm is on the bandwagon, hoping to bring a new NFL team to Houston. He has set up a meeting today in the office of Houston mayor Bob Lanier that will include NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Harris County judge Robert Eckels. Lanier has been one of Tagliabue's biggest critics.

``As a Houston fan, my interest is in bringing a new pro football team to Houston,'' Gramm said.