In Chicago, Gregory Pratt reports Tinley Park (Ill.) Mayor Ed Zabrocki sent a formal letter to Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts last week "with a simple message: If it doesn't work out in Chicago, move to the south suburbs.” The proposal “invites Ricketts to consider moving the Cubs to the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center, just off Interstate 80.” Attached to the letter is “an aerial map of the property's 280 acres.” Rosemont and DuPage County officials previously “have made comments about trying to lure the Cubs as well, should the team leave its Wrigleyville home” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/3).
NEW GEAR: Wichita State's athletic department on Tuesday announced that Koch Arena “will have a new center-court scoreboard and digital displays over the exits to the concourse.” WSU said that the installation, which “includes a new sound system, will be complete by the start of the school year in August" and costs $1.8M (WICHITA EAGLE, 7/3).
SUPERMARKET SWEEP: In Sacramento, Kasler & Bizjak reported a “petition drive to force a public vote on a new downtown Sacramento Kings arena has run into a legal wall from Safeway Inc., which has banned solicitors from gathering signatures in front of its stores.” Safeway last week “filed a lawsuit to keep solicitors from gathering signatures in front of the 19th Street store in midtown and other Safeway outlets” (SACBEE.com, 7/2).
