It looks like the Tribune Company has found a sucker buyer for the Chicago Cubs to the tune of $900 million.  The Ricketts family, led by Lil' Tommy Rickets, who proclaims himself a huge Cub fan, has been selected as the winner of the auction held to sell the team and Wrigley Field. 

As someone who has no dog in this hunt, I find it fascinating on many levels.

Many Cub fans aren't old enough to remember the P.K. Wrigley days.  You know, like the period between 1972-1974 when P.K. sold off all of his stars (Santo, Kessenger, Beckert, Williams, Hundley, Jenkins, Hands, Holtzman, etc.) to save payroll.  Or the fact the man refused to put lights in his ballpark, the single biggest reason his team choked in 1969.  So, when I read all the critical remarks about the Tribune Company, I laugh, because I know that they did a lot of good things, especially early on to move the franchise forward and make it competitive.  And never once did they slam the previous ownership like a certain Chairman and Vice-Chairman of a certain south side team did when they took over.

There is some sobering reality to this.  First, what will Lil' Tommy do about TV and radio deals?  The Cubs have been on WGN TV and radio my entire lifetime.  Other stations in Chicago, including ESPN 1000, would love to get their hands on the Cubs.  Since the Trib won't own the Cubs anymore, that is possible.  And, it is very possible that the Cubs could end their deal with WGN-TV which would pull the plug on their super station status and deprive Cub nation of at least 60 games a year.  If that happens, the biggest beneficiary will be the White Sox, who could increase their national footprint.

Certainly some of these other broadcast entities could outbid the bankrupt Tribune Company, offering the Cubs far more revenue but far less coverage.  It is a conundrum, but one Ricketts will have to face eventually.

How about the ball shrine on the north side?  When John Henry's group bought the Red Sox for $700 million, they made many repairs to Fenway Park but kept it.  Will Lil' Tommy find that Wrigley is cutting into his profit or will he be able to bring it up to code?  It's just not the cracks in the cement.  The locker rooms are small, the dugouts are short , the seating capacity is limited and the whole place smells like a urinal. Is it more cost effective to repair it,  rebuild it on the same sight (which would require at least a years stay at US Commiskey Park) or  move the whole deal out to the suburbs?  Anything is possible.  But one thing is for certain: Something needs to be done and soon.

If Lil' Tommy chooses that the best solution is to replace it, does it kill the buzz and send the Cubs back to the 70's when there used to be 15,000 souls attending an afternoon game?  Again, another tough call which pits tradition against profit.

Finally, having a self-proclaimed fan as your fearless leader isn't necessarily a good thing.  Sure, it might be better that a corporate wonk in a tie that knows little about the game.  But as we've seen with some of these owners, sometimes these teams become a personal fantasy team.  Some of these owners get it like Mark Antanasio of the Milwaukee Brewers.  Others don't, like the Steinbrenner brothers and Tom Hicks.  And some are more more focused on the bottom line like Frank McCourt of the Dodgers (who is a protégé of the Chairman) and Drayton McLane of the Astros. 

And none of the above has even addressed the team on the field, the future of GM Jim Hendry, manager Lou Piniella and how Lil' Tommy plans to deal with guys like Scott Boras.

It's just like Forest Gump's box of chocolates, Cub fans, you never know what you're going to get.