Wrigley Field, the Cubs, and naming rights -- the deabate continues

From this afternoon's Crain's Chicago Business Journal (3/12):

Wrigley does not rule out swing at Wrigley Field naming rights


By David Sterrett
March 12, 2008

"(Crain’s) — In his first public remarks on the naming rights of Wrigley Field, the chairman of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. left the door open Wednesday to paying for the privilege of keeping the company’s name on the baseball park it has graced for 80 years.

Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell has publicly challenged Wrigley to step to the plate and pay for the naming rights it has long received for free.

Speaking at the company’s annual meeting, Chairman William Wrigley Jr. said his family, which owned the Cubs until 1981, is a fan of the baseball team and the heritage of the ballpark. But, he added, the Chicago-gum company has never been associated with the team." ...

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Zell should use own money, not taxes, to rebuild Wrigley: Hinz
column by Greg Hinz
March 12, 2008

"As the richest person in Illinois, Tribune Co. boss Sam Zell surely knows the value of a buck.

He didn’t build a net worth of $6 billion — that figure from the March 5 issue of Forbes — by throwing away money or meekly watching while someone plucks his pocket.

So, on behalf of the hardworking (and much less rich) taxpayers of Chicago, here’s a message that Mr. Zell surely can appreciate: Use your own money to rebuild Wrigley Field, and quit trying to grab ours."

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