Here's the money (no pun intended) paragraph (my bold): "It is the highest TV package for a team that doesn't own its own channel. And yes, that's $150 million a year before even playing a game, plenty enough to re-sign ace Cliff Lee, bring in free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford, or whoever else they wish." Given the current state of the economy, the magnitude of this deal surprises me, but maybe the length (20 yrs) makes it an attractive gamble for Fox Sports Southwest. Regardless, this just reinforces in my mind the need for Ricketts to have the Cubs network in place as soon as current local tv contracts expire - or even sooner if there's a way to get out of those deals.