Cheap Shots 03-29-1989

If you're keeping score, utility man KEITH TURLEY is batting cleanup. At the same time the APS mogul is officially luring big-league sports and a domed stadium to downtown Phoenix, he's helping someone build a stadium in a competing city. SUNCOR, the ailing real-estate branch of Turley's PINNACLE WEST conglom, is selling 189 acres in south Tempe to FIREBIRDS owner MARTIN STONE, who wants to put a big-league stadium there. Hey, don't we have conflict of interest here? What about that domed stadium for Phoenix? "Stone's deal doesn't dash those hopes at all," Turley tells us. But he adds, "If there isn't a baseball stadium built in downtown Phoenix, the world doesn't come to an end." Oh? Turley explains that "the key to downtown Phoenix is a multipurpose stadium that would accommodate baseball. But the stadium can exist without baseball." And SunCor, which lost $81 million in '88, needs to move that Tempe land. "It's the economics of the marketplace at work," admits Turley. "I just don't see a problem." . . .

Can't wait to get those big-leaguers in town for an entire summer? Last week, two 12-year-old boys were at PHOENIX MUNI helping the OAKLAND A'S during batting practice when super slugger and road speedster JOSE CANSECO strolled by. One of the kids said to his idol, "You got time for an autograph?" To which Jose replied, "You got 17 bucks?" And kept walking. . . .

Wall Street was atwitter recently when APPLE COMPUTER won the first round in its copyright-infringement suit against defendants MICROSOFT and HEWLETT-PACKARD. Investors were nervous, says the WALL STREET JOURNAL, which described the case as a landmark in settling software rights. But JACK BROWN, founding partner of Phoenix firm BROWN & BAIN and Apple's main outside lawyer in the case, tells us it's just your basic suit. "The defendants always say, `Oh, my goodness, you're going to put everybody out of business.' That's just nonsense," says Brown, who worked on the first IBM antitrust case in '56. . . .

Do Rooskies dream about Litchfield Park? In a national ad campaign, you'll see dour Soviets saying, "By this weekend, I'll be at the WIGWAM." The resort ad was the brainstorm of Atlanta's AUSTIN KELLEY ADVERTISING, which also used the same quote on a traffic-jam photo. Any other ideas? Account exec KAY STARR says, "We were thinking of a photo of Gary Hart, maybe." . . .

Here's what to do about those pesky legislators if you're a DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES bureaucrat. According to internal "management team" minutes, director TED WILLIAMS wants aides to: "Keep the answers short! Don't offer additional information unless it's necessary." And show up early to hearings so you can "observe the audience make-up." . . .

Whew! The local economy's finally turned the corner. The PHOENIX CITY COUNCIL has enough money to fork over 44 grand to the FIESTA BOWL and the PHOENIX COMMUNITY ALLIANCE (those downtown-business boosters) to subsidize next month's FIESTAVAL. The groups reneged on an earlier vow not to ask the city for a handout.