papabear58

No but in a worst case scenario, they move the ballclub to another stadium, then they have no income for Wrigley and it is an unused property the through decay and non use becomes a danger or something that is far too expensive to continue to keep and it eventually gets torn down. I think it's far more likely that the Cubs move to a new stadium and Wrigley field is used for concerts, and other such things, or gets taken over by an AAA team for use. Lots of different options, and most of them are bad if the stadium is not sold with the team.

It could, but it could also have the exact opposite effect.

But there are other owners who might see it as a good thing to have him as well because he brings competitiveness and a winning Cubs team would be good for all of baseball. Revenues go up for every team when a flagship franchise does well.

I thought one of the requirements for going on the DL, was that the player was injured? Does Prior have some sort of injury or is the problem his stamina? Also, if Prior were so healthy when he came to camp, why in the world are the Cubs handling him as if he were about to fall apart? Not necessaraly, but you can make anything into an injury with enough thought or a doctor who says there "might" be something wrong.

But using Wrigley as a venue for stage shows and concerts would still add value without having the Cubs play there.

I don't see this at all. The purpose of the extended meetings is to get Cable the right to broadcast games immediately. In fact, a rep from InDemand claims they will be up and running within an hour of a signed deal. The question is will they sign the deal? I'm not convinced that MLB is negotiating in good faith rather then offering a take it or leave it deal. It's just an opion, no fact.

LoL, great, just what I always wanted! but seriously, the company has invested too much money (and gone through too much grief with the neighborhood) to do anything with the stadium now. Its there to stay for awhile I think Ok, I can buy that, but that still doesn't mean that a new owner will play there under conditions of revenue sharing, or rental for space. If a new owner wanted a new, state of the art, stadium with almost twice the seating and all the luxury ammenities that make the cost higher, the non inclusion of Wrigley in the deal could make that more possible.

I really don't think we'll see any movement at all this season. I think it will be next season at best.

LoL, great, just what I always wanted!

The only issue with that is that it complicates the deal at best. And, should that happen, I could easily see the purchaser saying that they want a new stadium as they are not interested in renting the stadium from someone else. Other articles have said that the Wrigley Field land area would fetch a LOT more money if it were torn down and turned into businesses, or if the stadium stands and the team moves, it could be used for venues permenantly.

Wow, where to start.... 1) MLB is not evil for wanting money. 2) They are most likely going to destroy the interest (possibly the league) in the game that they have managed to defribulate back into existance by the HR derby that now looks like a hoax because of steroids. 3) I believe this is part of a larger market strategy as another poster said earlier to get the MLB channel on lower tiers and available on other markets. 4) Selig is a money person, but his love of money might be causing irrepriable harm to the game again. 5) I agree with the poster who said that it's the blackout that bothers me. If the game doesn't sell out, you can't watch it on T.V. What if you're working at the time... the Cubs do play a large ammount of day games. 6) In the end, the market will determine the fate of MLB. I just hope it's not as the game fades back into almost obscurity as the fans again refuse to go because they have become turned off by the business side of the game instead of seeing the fun game side of it. I still talk to people every day who say, "I grew up watching baseball and loved it, but after that strike..." or "...this whole steroid thing..." or any other of the negitive things that are going on about baseball and now they are all saying, "Here they go again." I think fans are just way too tired of hearing about the corporate business side of baseball. It's one of the only sports that you do on a regular season by seson basis, and I think that's a league PR issue and one that Selig has failed miserably at working with.

i.e Soldier Field

One of the things that I don't see people talking about on here is the possible ramifications to Wrigley Field. I wonder what a new owner is going to do with a staduim that had a block of concrete fall, and that is undergoing a number of different projects from parking to seat expansion. One of the things that I'm worried about is that a new owner is going to say that the Cubs need a new staduim (or a rebuild on the old one) in order to drive new revenue, and it just might come packaged in "We want all fans attending to be safe". I think Wrigley needs some loving care, but I don't want to see it rebuilt or a new stadium personally.

And in the mean time he's doing interviews saying that he knows that Baseball has "Too much product on the market"

Oh, I think there's a great deal of question whether Prior would outproduce Miller. As for being crapped on by his employer, I suppose you could apply that argument to any player who gets sent down. So why should Prior be given special treatment? He's not getting it done right now, so he's down for the moment. Why is this bad? If Miller sucks and Prior does well at Iowa, the Miller is out and Prior is back in. Sounds like a solid, merit-based approach to me. Everyone always criticizes the Cubs for being too soft with veteran players. But once they get tougher and demand a level of performance, suddenly everyone's all over them for that, too. I guess they can't win either way. The same reason a rookie with promise should play over a crappy veteran. The chances of Prior improving are better than Miller. All this said I prefer Guzman over both. This is speculation at best. No one knows when, or even if Prior will ever put it together again as it was in the past. If he can't get his fastball back up to at least the low to mid 90s, then he's going to have to really lock in his control to be a more finesse pitcher. Mix into that the fact that when he's on he hits his spots, and when he's off he can't hit the broad side of a barn and it doesn't look like the recovery will be that easy. It's not impossible, but I'd say Miller, at this point, has shown more recovery and a much higher likelyhood of continuing that recovery. Guzman needs a year in long relief IMHO. I'm no MLB pitching coach, but it would be nice to actully let someone adjust to the league while you can still protect them.

This comming from a guy with a picture of Bill Clinton.... Priceless :)

Tim knows black magic. ::Ducks and Runs:: I will not be turned into a toad... I will not be turned into a toad.... or rather I will not be turned into a Cardinal... I will not be turned into a Cardinal...

Anyone who buys the Cubs will be A) A Cubs fan B) Someone who wants the Cubs because they are profitable No prospective owner will care whether Soriano's OBP slips. If anything, he is a benefit because he is one of the most marketable, popular players in the league and will most likely remain so for the next few years. Soriano's popularity will disappear very quickly if he can't hack it in CF and puts up an OPS slightly above .800, as he did in TX for the 2 years before 2006. Then he'll be a barely above average corner OF who's owed another $126 mil. That's not something a buyer would consider attractive. Let's get real. A bad year from Soriano isn't going to deter people from buying the Cubs. Of course not, but it would put a big dent in the sale price of the club. Current projections of the Cubs' price don't include a player who looks like a $126M bust. I maybe just a little behind here, but shouldn't we wait to see how he works out before we call him a bust? I mean, he did have an ok spring, and Piniella has coached players similar to him (ala Ken Griffey power hitter and steals guy). Give him a chance, because if he's doing 40/40/40 again, it would be a huge boost to the sale. It's a two edged sword here.

And according to Oneri Fleita, that point will come when Prior can throw in the neighborhood of 5 innings/100 pitches. Makes perfect sense to me. No point in burning out the Iowa bullpen while Prior regains his armstrength and endurance. Agreed with the bullpen, but if he threw 4 innings/75-80 pitches that shouldn't be too much for a bullpen to cover, and he was getting to that point when he left spring training. One start isn't too big of an issue, but I hope it doesn't turn into more. 4 innings? I'd want my starters being able to at least six for my pen. Thats still five innings to make up, and while you usually carry a long reliever, it still puts unnecessary stress on a bullpen. Prior doesn't need to face AAA competition, he's proved he can get ML batters out, he just needs to keep pitching. And I'd like for every pitcher to win 20 games and my closer to lead the league in saves with none blown. I'd also like for every batter to hit over .300 with a minimum of 20 homeruns. Oh and while I'm at it, I don't think that 160 k's per pitcher is too much to ask ethier. The fact is that Prior needs to pitch and re-develop mechanics and release. He needs to learn to pitch not just to throw the ball. As for getting hitters out, he proved that he can get some outs in spring training, but that's different then serving up mid to high 80 mph fastballs and a breaking ball that may or may not hit the strike zone on any given day in the major leagues. Prior does need to face AAA hitters in order to get everything right without getting shelled in the process. I don't care if you're soft or not, getting consistantly shelled by hitters would be hard on anyone. If he tries to iron out these mistakes in the majors look out, then you just might have a battered psyche on your hands. Let him work down there and get ready where he can still be an effective pitcher and not just a guy who stands there and serves up hits.

Cuban, Colangelo, Bill Murray..... Assuming vance does win the powerball, i think you'd have to throw his name in there too... Maybe I need to go and learn to play the lottery. im pretty sure it doesnt take a genius to figure it out ;) Thanks, no day is quite complete without an ego bruise or two :wink:

Cuban, Colangelo, Bill Murray..... Assuming vance does win the powerball, i think you'd have to throw his name in there too... Maybe I need to go and learn to play the lottery.

Hey CBB!! Wow, I'm seeing everyone here! How do you guys keep this place so well hidden? :P LoL

Lou wouldn't make an excuse for his 90 year old mother who couldn't brush her teeth the way he wanted it. No way he coddles anyone... hmmm... Mark Prior anyone?

And as one newspaper put it, what happens when the fans become upset at the ownership, do they run themselves out of town? No one would be ok with it since 300 people can't all be involved in descisions reguarding the club. It's a nice dream, but I don't see it as practical at all.

And according to Oneri Fleita, that point will come when Prior can throw in the neighborhood of 5 innings/100 pitches. Makes perfect sense to me. No point in burning out the Iowa bullpen while Prior regains his armstrength and endurance. Agreed with the bullpen, but if he threw 4 innings/75-80 pitches that shouldn't be too much for a bullpen to cover, and he was getting to that point when he left spring training. One start isn't too big of an issue, but I hope it doesn't turn into more.