Tribune Co., Ricketts Family Send Proposed Cubs Deal To MLB

Ricketts Family Has Sent Proposed Deal To MLB

TIME TO MOVE FORWARD: Cubs Chair Crane Kenney said that he "hopes the long-awaited sale" will be "finalized soon so that he and other club employees can focus solely on the business of baseball." Tribune Co.'s sale to the Ricketts has been "more than five months in the making," and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has said that he "foresees little trouble in getting the deal approved by owners once both parties sign off on terms." Kenney yesterday said, "At some point it's a distraction. You just wanted it to finish so that those who had job-security concerns can stop worrying. Everybody gets back to doing their job a little more straightforward." The Cubs have "floundered around the .500 mark" all season, but Kenney said, "We've got a great ballclub. I hope no one expects a new owner to come in and do anything dramatic in the short sense" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/7). Cubs GM Jim Hendry said, "Obviously, when you don't have an owner for this long, there's certain things that come into play, which happened the last four or five months that made it a little tougher than the last couple years. In the big scheme of things, we don't have a lot to complain about. It's a pretty good place to come to work every day." In Illinois, Bruce Miles notes while the subject of the prospective sale is a "hot one because the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline is fast approaching," Cubs execs are "operating as if" Tribune Co. still owns the team (Illinois DAILY HERALD, 7/7). Hendry yesterday said that he "did not intend to change his approach because the sale has not been finalized." Hendry: "All I heard today was that it wasn't all the way done, it's getting closer and we'll go from there" (MLB.com, 7/6).

A GOOD FIT: CSN Chicago's Steve Stone said of the Ricketts family, "I believe that they are owning this team to keep it for a long time, probably long after you and I are gone." He added Tom Ricketts "has the best interest of the Chicago Cubs in mind. He loves Chicago. He loves Chicago Cub baseball. You couldn't have a better owner." CSN Chicago's Todd Hollandsworth: "They seem to be the perfect owner coming together. They are a team that obviously wants to keep everything united and focused on the Cubs and making this a better organization. Not only with performance and on the field, but the product itself, make it greater and grander" ("Chicago Tribune Live," CSN Chicago, 7/6).

Wrigley Stadium Renovation May Be Ricketts Family's First Project

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