The 35th Street Review » Wrigley Field sale

Of Death Spirals and Supersubs

Andrew Reilly — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:14:48 +0000

We have hit the point of the season where the only logic left to cling to reeks of absolutely no logic whatsoever. If nothing goes right, we’ll have this thing locked up in no time. [The Beachwood Reporter]

Your Government Hates You, Baseball

Andrew Reilly — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 02:25:56 +0000

We try not to get too political around here but if you live in the state of Illinois, you really should read this:

According to the records, contact between Tribune Co. and the governor’s office accelerated after an earlier state effort to buy Wrigley Field fell through in June. That failed deal involved the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the city-state agency that owns and operates the White Sox ballpark, U.S. Cellular Field.

Blagojevich’s secret talks with Tribune Co. [Chicago Tribune b/w/o Chicagoist]

Cuban Speaks on Failed Cubs Bid

Andrew Reilly — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:25:02 +0000

A very interesting, behind-the-scenes piece from Mark Cuban on his attempt to buy the Cubs:

“My sense of the entire situation was that whoever the new owner of the Cubs would be, it was in the Sox best interest for things to stay business as usual. Published TV ratings and other published measures showed that the Cubs were more popular than the Sox, yet before I even started looking at the Cubs, I knew from my discussions with people in the NBA that the Cubs and Sox were treated as equals in their business dealings. That was great for the Sox, not so good for the Cubs. Im guessing the people in the Sox organization knew, that if I bought the team, particularly at the price point that was being suggested in the papers, there was no way I would just accept parity in future business dealings. I was going to have to try to negotiate the very best deals possible for the Cubs, even if it was at the expense of the White Sox.”

[Blog Maverick]

A Tale of Three Empires

Andrew Reilly — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:27:40 +0000

How one sports team carried out what the two mightiest media companies in the nation could not. [More]

The Two Most Powerful Men In Chicago Sports

Andrew Reilly — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:47:23 +0000

Once again, it's never really about the game. [More]

Liquidation Sale

Andrew Reilly — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 02:38:41 +0000

A pair of related news items make the Chicago Tribune even more meta than we ever imagined. [More]

435 N. Michigan

Andrew Reilly — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:10:09 +0000

Strange times get stranger at the Chicago Tribune:

Owner sam Zell is being sued by his employees. . .
. . . their most valuable asset is under fire for receiving scheduling favors from Major League Baseball. . .
. . . the biggest news in local sports media isn’t local sports news but news about local sports media. . .
. . . and now, reports the same paper who recently recused themselves from covering such matters, employees of said asset are not-so-subtly lobbying for a new ballpark just as Sam Zell is trying to sell someone the old park. No one insists the Tribsters bury their heads in the sand about the future of the Cubs and the real estate they play on, but how editorially indifferent can they really be (or even claim to be) when Cubs beat reporter Paul Sullivan actually writes “Is Zambrano crazy, or should the Cubs abandon Wrigley Field and build a modern facility like Miller Park?”

Recusion, Conflict, All That Business

Andrew Reilly — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:18:44 +0000

The Tribune refuses to report or comment on the prospect of a public sale of Wrigley Field. Does that sound noble? Don't believe the hype. [More]

First and Last Month’s, Plus Deposit

Andrew Reilly — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:07:59 +0000

Want a great deal on rent in Chicago? Try building a stadium. [More]

Superfan

Andrew Reilly — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:01:24 +0000

You think you hate the Cubs? You have no idea how to hate the Cubs. [More]