It cracks me up that Schlubs fans have thier shorts in a knot over the potential naming rights to Wrigley Field. The Cubs have been the occupants of the one baseball stadium that has already been named for a corporate sponser -- the Wrigley family originally owned the Cubs, and renamed the park when they acquired it from the Federal League franchise in Chicago -- it was originally named "Weegham Park" after the owner of the Chicago Whales of the FL. But the Wrigleys also owned the Wrigley Chewing Gum Co., and did not hesitate to allow advertising in and around the park and in print ads to make the connection between Cubs baseball and chewing gum. To now complain that the name "Wrigley" is merely historic and not a corporate tie-in is pretty funny. Indeed, here in the Chicago press, some have clamored for the Wrigley Co to come back and pony up the bucks to buy the naming rights and keep it the same. Except I think that Wrigley is now owned by a larger food processing giant that probably doesn't give a woolly red rat's behind about the Cubs.
Zell is actually a minority owner of the Chicago White Sox. He has a special exemption to keep his shares of the Sox because he has made it clear to MLB that his purchase of the Chicago Tribune included his upfront intent to sell both the Cubs and Wrigley Field. Secretly, I hope Zell has the same kind of warm, lovable feelings most of us Sox fans have towards the Cubs, and that he makes it as difficult and as unbearable a process as possible for the Cubs and their sheep-like fans. Other than the White Sox winning another World Series title, nothing makes me happier than the collective suffering of the kingdom of all things "Cubbie."