November 7, 1998

Barnes & Noble, nation's largest bookseller, announces $600 million purchase of the leading wholesaler, Ingram Book Group; deal is denounced by American Booksellers Assn, which will demand a Federal antitrust investigation, and by Authors Guild; acquisition will give company access to 11 distribution centers, which will help it cut costs and reduce delivery time for its growing base of on-line customers (M)

Article discuss New York Jets coach Bill Parcells' philosophy on winning football game and how Jets are trying to implement those beliefs; photo (M)

NBA players and owners are sharply criticized on basketball courts and public playgrounds of New York City; many fans contend that basketball is disintegrating into game of greed; photos (M)

William C Rhoden Sports of The Times column discusses preparations at Churchill Downs for Breeders' Cup races; compares Breeders' Cup day with Kentucky Derby; photo (M)

Some interest rates in Japan are in negative territory; investors are buying short-term Japanese Government bills that have negative yields, they are paying more money than they can expect to earn when bills mature in six months; slide below zero shows how some investors have become so downbeat about Japanese economy that they are willing to invest only in Government bonds, safest bets in the country; it also means that there are so many yen around that some banks, mostly foreign banks, are willing to pay someone to take them off their hands for a time (M)