Since purchasing the Chicago Tribune in 2007, owner Sam Zell has been looking to sell the Chicago Cubs. A sale was expected in 2008, then before the start of the 2009 season. Now it's July, the season is halfway over, and the sale is far from complete. In recent weeks it looked as if the Ricketts group, who had been selected to purchase the team, would not be able to buy it after all and the process would have to start over again from scratch.
On Monday Tribune Company completed a written agreement with the Ricketts family, committing to a sale. There are still details to work out, but it appears that the sale will finally be completed soon.
Ricketts, of Wilmette, represents a return to family ownership for the team, which was purchased by the Tribune Company in 1982. Over the years, Tribune was often accused of caring more about profit than the team on the field, and many believed there was a conflict of interest with a newspaper supposed to be offering unbiased coverage of sports owning one of Chicago's major sports franchises.
Do you think this is a good move for Chicago and the team? Is it good to remove the potential conflicts of interest and take this private? Or will a family find itself unable to cope with the steadily rising salaries and expenses that go with modern major league baseball teams? Do you think this will bring other changes to the organization?
Q1
Do you think this is a good move for Chicago and the team?
No it's terrible, the players have a union. The Federal Government should step in since its a bankruptcy and take control of the team with the players union. This way FEDs can decide the batting line up, who pitches and what color uniforms they should wear so that no one is offended.
Chewing tobacco will have to be banned immediately.
Q2
Is it good to remove the potential conflicts of interest and take this private?
No the conflict of interests should remain, like GE and their TV company the Tribune should have to sign a contract requiring a certain number of positive stories each weak about proposed expansions of the Federal Government into every part of our economy and society.
Q3
Or will a family find itself unable to cope with the steadily rising salaries and expenses that go with modern major league baseball teams?
Once the Feds take ownership of the team, they can either print money to pay the players more or raise taxes on people who don't watch the Cubs. Another possibility would be to tax the salaries of the highly paid players on the other teams effectively giving their stars lowers salaries which will depress them so they won't produce as many hits, runs or no hitters.
Besides, they must be cheating or were given an unfair advantage growing up in slums in the Dominican Republic which the disadvantaged other players didn't get. It would also be fair to take their higher batting averages and spread them around to help the statistics for the less productive players. Any player that complains about their batting average being decreased and spread around to the less productive players is selfish. Sharing the wealth so to speak.
Q4
Do you think this will bring other changes to the organization?
As long as the new manager is attentive to Secretary of the Treasury, the White House and Barney Frank they can keep their job.