At last, Phil Rosenthal writes in today's Tribune, the books are being released to potential Cubs buyers:The long-awaited, much-anticipated Cubs books, the ones with the team's confidential financial data that are a prelude to a sale, should land on the desks of potential buyers of the National League ballclub on or around Monday, sources said.
Those interested in the team who have Major League Baseball's blessing will get the deluxe volume with the confidential info on the baseball operations, the franchise's 25 percent share of the Comcast SportsNet Chicago cable channel and aging Wrigley Field.
Real estate types only interested in Wrigley will just get an abridged version with the ballpark numbers, not to be confused with a ballpark estimate.
What I can't figure out is why the headline on that column is "Cuban lays out strategy for Cubs bid". Mark Cuban is NOT the only buyer; there may be as many as nine individuals or groups bidding. So why doesn't Don Levin get a mention? Or John Canning? Or the Ricketts group?
We already know the answer. Because he's the one on sports talk radio talking up his bid, making it about him, while the others work quietly behind the scenes, doing their due diligence (this is not to imply that Cuban won't do that; I know he will) while keeping a low profile.
Tribune Co.: Pick Don Levin. Please. You won't be sorry. (And his AHL team is one win away from another championship.)
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Finally, a Dodger-Cub pitching matchup that isn't a rematch of last week. Brad Penny has struggled this year -- his last start was his best since April. And that was only against the punchless Rockies, and the Dodgers lost anyway, 3-0. Aramis Ramirez (.391/.417/.435, 9-for-23) and Derrek Lee (.455/.500/.727, 3 doubles) hit him well, but the only current Cub to have homered off Penny is... Jim Edmonds.
Fortunately for Jason Marquis, the two Dodgers who hit him best -- Rafael Furcal and Andruw Jones -- are both on the DL. Jeff Kent is 8-for-19 lifetime vs. Marquis. In general, he has pitched well vs. LA -- 2-1, 2.35 in seven career starts; the last one was last September 6 in a game where he allowed only four hits and two runs in seven good innings, only to see Ryan Dempster blow the game in the 9th.
But that was then and this is now, right?
Today's game is on ESPN. At least everyone can watch it; if Miller & Morgan get too nauseating, just turn the sound down. For Sunday's other games check the MLB.com Mediacenter.
MLB.com Gameday (2007 version)
MLB.com Gameday (2008 version)
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Today's overflow comment threads will post at 8:15 pm and 9:15 pm CT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.