Tribune To Sell Cubs

It looks like I'm going to have to change the web address to my blog. Real estate tycoon Sam Zell (pictured to the left) bought the Tribune Company for $13 billion and has announced his plans to sell the Cubs after the 2007 season. I never thought I would actually see the day. So, the question now is, who would buy the team? Chicagosports.com's Rick Morrisey has come up with the following suitors:

Mark Cuban: A bit too much of a jock sniffer for my taste, but the bottom line is whether or not he would be a good owner. He too often wants to be the show, but he runs an excellent Mavericks franchise. If he hires the right people, this could work.

Michael Jordan: OK, we agree the guy doesn't seem to know a whole lot about running a basketball operation. But unlike his deals with the Wizards, and now the Bobcats, he could actually live AND work in Chicago. He wasn't a very good baseball player, but maybe with the right management team he could succeed. As for a new manager, can Zen be translated to baseball?

Pat Ryan: The insurance titan is a part owner of the Bears and is heading Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. Would he be that much different than Tribune Co., you know, business suit-wise?

Jerry Colangelo: The king of putting together other people's money and then running an operation, Colangelo has had lots of success in Phoenix. He's a Chicago Heights guy, and he'd be motivated.

Mike Ditka: Don't be so quick to laugh at this one. If enough rich Republicans thought he could be a U.S. senator, why couldn't Da Coach put together a group to run the Cubs? Mmm… him and Lou Piniella working together. This could be good.

The Sun-Times: I'm not sure how the paper will be able to carry on, now that it's reason for living--criticizing the Tribune--will soon be gone. Maybe it could put together a group of Canadian investors and buy the team.

If I had my pick from this list I would choose Colangelo as the new owner of the Cubs. He's a proven winner and notorious for opening his check book to lure free agents. Plus, he's obviously less animated than Mark Cuban. Mike Ditka is an interesting candidate. He's passionate and wants to win at all costs. I would have no problem with him owning the Cubs, so long as he vowed to never sing the seventh-inning stretch ever again.

Headlines...

• The Cubs lost their first game of the year 5-1 to the Reds...and that's a good thing. Don't laugh. The previous two opening games (both wins), the Cubs scored an average of 13 runs and then went on to lose the next three series.


• The White Sox also lost their first game 12-5 to the Cleveland Indians. 73-year-old Jose Contreras gave up 7 runs in his first start.


• The Redskins have offered their first round pick (6th overall) for Lance Briggs and the Bears' 31st pick. If Washington drops their demand for Chicago's draft choice I would pull the trigger on this deal in a heartbeat.


• The Bulls lost an overtime thriller to the Cleveland Cavaliers and blew a chance to move into the second spot in the Eastern Conference. Two days later, after Cleveland lost to the lowly Celtics, the Bulls once again found themselves only a half game back. They play their most important game of the year Wednesday night in Detroit.