PENGUINS owner Howard Baldwin yesterday unveiled his two newest Pittsburgh professional sports franchises -- the indoor soccer Stingers and roller hockey Phantoms.

     The Stingers will play in the 15-team Continental Indoor Soccer League, the Phantoms in the 20-team Roller Hockey International. Both seasons begin in June, with the CISL playoffs concluding in August, RHI's post-season in October.

     Both teams will play home games in the Civic Arena.

     The Stingers represent Pittsburgh's third try at indoor soccer. The club's predecessor, the Spirit, of the defunct Major Indoor Soccer League, folder twice, first in 1980 and again in 1986.

     "If these teams break even the first year or two, we'll be very happy," Baldwin said. "But we expect to do better. We have a good, solid organization behind these teams, an organization that becomes a year-round business now. And it's an organization that already has a great base of [ticket buyers] to sell these new teams to."

     Baldwin says Penguins season-ticket holders will be given first crack at prime seating for the new teams.

     "Obviously, roller hockey will be a very compatible thing for Penguins fans, something we feel they'll be interested in," Baldwin added. "And we intend to promote both our new teams through the Penguins."

     The most expensive ticket for adults for both new teams will cost $11, the least expensive $9. Tickets for children 12 and under will range in price from $6 to $8. Penguins tickets, by comparison, range from $30 to $47.

     Jeff Barrett, formerly associated with baseball's Detroit Tigers and hockey's Detroit Red Wings, will serve as general manager for both teams.

     The Phantoms head coach is Rick Kehoe, the Penguins' No. 2 all-time leading scorer and assistant coach with the team. His assistant will be former Penguins left winger Warren Young. Young will also serve as the team's director of player personnel.

     No coach has been named for the soccer team.

     Roller Hockey International will begin its second season this summer. RHI plays its games, which consist of four 15-minute quarters, on a full-sized hockey rink, with players using in-line blades to skate on a cement or plastic surface. Each team uses five players at a time--six are used in ice hockey--and there are no blue lines. A team is only offside if it passes the puck across the center line. Roller hockey as played by RHI is full contact. Fighting is prohibited.

     RHI operated with 10 teams last season, averaging 3,768 fans per game. RHI teams are stocked primarily with minor-league ice hockey players. The league has a television contract with ESPN.

     The CISL will also begin its second season this summer. Indoor soccer is played on a full-size hockey rink covered with artificial turf, with goals set into each end. Games consist of four 15-minute quarters.

     The CISL operated with seven franchises last season, with most teams located in the southwestern United States. Five of the seven teams averaged more than 5,300 in attendance. The league's TV contract is with Prime Network.