Cubs get a new owner

[buckweaver]

And it ain't Mark Cuban.

BC-BBN--Cubs Sale, 3rd Ld,0170
Reports: Ricketts picked as winning Cubs bidder
Eds: APNewsNow.
CHICAGO (AP) -- The billionaire Ricketts family has been selected by Tribune Co. as the winning bidder for the hard-luck Chicago Cubs, according to several reports.
The bid is worth about $900 million, according to the Web site of the Chicago Tribune, which also is owned by Tribune Co.
The selection of Tom Ricketts, a member of the founding family of TD Ameritrade Holding Corp., and chief executive of InCapital LLC, was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times' Web site.
Both reports cited an unidentified source.
AP-WS-01-22-09 2033EST

 

[The Good Doctor]

Meh.

 

[buckweaver]

Kind of my reaction, too. Tribune, for all its troubles, had a much better run than most previous Cubs owners -- six playoff appearances in 27 years. Better hope the Ricketts can improve on that.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Did the sale include the ballpark?

 

[The Good Doctor]

Had Zell not dragged his feet, the sale could have netted an extra $200-400 million. Dumbass.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Anybody else laughing their ass off over the fact the Sun-Times scooped the Trib on this?

 

[The Good Doctor]

Anybody else laughing their ass off over the fact the Sun-Times scooped the Trib on this?

Yes.

 

[buckweaver]

Did the sale include the ballpark?

Yes.

The bid is worth about $900 million, according to the Web site of the Chicago Tribune, which also is owned by Tribune Co. The sale would include Wrigley Field and a 25 percent interest in a regional sports network, the Chicago Tribune reported.

 

[slappy4428]

Death to them if they change it to TD Waterhouse Ricketts park at Wrigley Field...

 

[schiezainc]

Eh, who cares? The Cubs suck.

 

[ondeadline]

This is neat:

Tom Ricketts grew up watching the Cubs on WGN, once lived in an apartment above a bar across the street from Wrigley Field, and met his wife in the bleachers at a Cubs game. His father, J. Joe Ricketts, founded Ameritrade and became a leading online stockbroker, but Tom never worked for that company.

 

[Hammer Pants]

If he's a huge Cubs fan, he shouldn't mind spending money. I just hope he's not a meddler.

 

[21]

Tom Ricketts looks a whole lot like Michael McCaskey.

Just sayin.

 

[Cousin Jeffrey]

Cuban offered what, $1.2 billion a few months ago (and another group topped a billion too, I think). But hey, it's not like the Trib needs money.

 

[pallister]

Michael McCaskey

Some words are too objectionable even for the Internet.

 

[playthrough]

Did the sale include the ballpark?

What would the sale price be without the ballpark?

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Yes this is a bad joke, but ....

100 years without a World Series title, and now the Cubs get the Ricketts. Yes, there is a curse. [/ducking]

 

[pallister]

Sounds like this guy has the perfect pedigree to continue the team's century-old tradition.

 

[slappy4428]

Yes this is a bad joke, but ....

100 years without a World Series title, and now the Cubs get the Ricketts. Yes, there is a curse. [/ducking]

Better that than the clap

 

[novelist_wannabe]

One could surmise that the franchise is starving for a title