Notebook: Sep. 15, 1997

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WINNERS & LOSERS

THEY ARE DEEPLY TOUCHED

[WINNERS]

TONY BLAIR His canny understanding of the public's grief will boost plans for political modernization

PETE ROSE JR. After nine years in the minors, the legend's namesake singles in his big-league debut

REV. HENRY LYONS A little confession is good p.r.: Baptist head thwarts challenge

[& LOSERS]

QUEEN ELIZABETH II Though she made up ground at week's end, the earlier remoteness will be hard to forget

AL GORE Did somebody say independent counsel? Looks like the Veep will tote baggage into 2000

THE BLEEPIN' RAIDERS Coach is down on profanity. What's next--the eye patch?

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S HATS

That President Clinton sure does like hats: He wore at least seven different ones during his three-week vacation. Not since Eisenhower has a Commander been so fond of haberdashery. Thus far the White House has no gimme-cap room (Who would pay to stay there?), but if the past seven years are any indication, the best inedible gift to give Bill is a baseball cap with something manly printed on it. Above, some of the best hat moments of the Clinton presidency.

A GUIDE FOR THE FRUGAL FOOTBALL FAN

Last year in the N.F.L., the price of an average ticket ranged from the New York Jets' low of $25.33 to Oakland's high of $51.41, according to Team Marketing Report, Inc. But buying a high-priced ticket was no guarantee of seeing the home team win. Some teams offered better value than others in that regard. With a perfect win record at home, for example, Green Bay gave fans at each home game the full value of the relatively inexpensive average ticket price ($30.61). In contrast, no amount of money could have purchased a ticket to a Jets win at home, as there were none. Here are the best and worst home-ticket buys:

BEST BUYS

Team Cost per Win

1. Green Bay $30.61 2. Denver $35.83 3. Buffalo $38.24 4. Carolina $39.26 5. Pittsburgh $40.87

IN THE MIDDLE

10. Chicago $50.91 11. Dallas $51.00 15. Washington $57.10 17. San Francisco $60.00

WORST BUYS

26. Oakland $102.82 27. Houston* $125.32 28. Atlanta $125.96 29. New Orleans $139.36 30. New York Jets [infinity symbol]

*now Tennessee

HEALTH REPORT

THE GOOD NEWS

MEN, BONE UP For the first time, a study shows that older men, like women, can stave off bone loss--and even increase bone mass--with calcium and vitamin D supplements. Just 500 mg of calcium and 700 IUs of vitamin D a day seem to do the trick.

NOW HEAR THIS A new, portable device called Audx enables doctors and nurses to quickly assess a newborn's hearing. Audx works by transmitting sound waves into a baby's ear and measuring whether the ear produces any vibrations in response.

LICK YOUR WOUNDS! Here's why: saliva contains nitrite, which on skin seems to convert to nitric oxide--a potent antimicrobial agent.

Sources: New England Journal of Medicine; Bio-logics Systems; Lancet

THE BAD NEWS