Mark Cuban, fresh from lopping the head off his defeated and demoralized Dallas Mavericks, took a jaunt north to Wrigley Field to check out the place again while waiting for the Tribune Co. to open the books and make a bid possible. In typical Cub fan fashion, he left in the fifth inning when the Cubs took a huge lead. Had to get to the Cubby Bear for drink specials, eh?
While Cuban’s expected bid will be the least likely to succeed (as long as Bud Selig is alive… hmm), it’s also the most entertaining from his mouthiness to his depth of understanding when it comes to sports business. Besides, how could a Pittsburgh native screw up a baseball franch…
Oh, no.
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Leave it to a CHICAGO TRIBUNE intern to “punk” the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES who was running an anti-Sam Zell video contest, reports newspaper insider publication EDITOR AND PUBLISHER. Katie Hamilton landed the $1,000 first-place prize and promptly gave it to Tribune charities. We’re guessing the always-tight Trib failed to give Katie a bonus for her efforts. A full-time job would probably suffice.
Ms. Hamilton’s video was created around Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” classic. Watch it here. Sam Zell has been enemy #1 in Chicago ever since he mentioned the possible sale of naming rights to Wrigley Field. It’s like America selling one of its national parks to China.
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The CHICAGO TRIBUNE reports that Wrigley Co. Chairman Bill Wrigley Jr. today addressed the possibility of purchasing the naming rights for Wrigley Field from current team owner Sam Zell.
Wrigley’s response, based on the inflamed reaction of fans to Zell’s proclamation that he would sell the park’s naming rights, will disappointing to locals, to say the least. Read more…
Sam Zell, caretaker owner of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field as part of his December purchase of the Tribune Company, wants everyone to know that “his role is to throw bombs and shake people up. He’s a man of his word.” For Cubs fans, that word has been “monetize”. (At least, that’s the clean version. Zell prefers naughtier words.)
He’s rolled as many grenades under the new furniture as possible, including layoffs on the Tribune side and throwing ideas out randomly to wring every last nickel out of the Cubs franchise before selling it off. However, his notion to sell naming rights to Wrigley Field isn’t remotely the worst of it; now he’s trying to destroy Chicago architecture. No, really. All of it.
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Showing a firm grip on public relations savvy, the current owner of the Cubs, Tribune Co. CEO Sam Zell, said this week on CNBC that he plans on trying to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field.
Zell told the hosts of “Squawk Box” that it’s time to hold the Wrigley Co.’s feet to the fire if it wants to retain the name on the ballpark.
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