A field by any other name

April 3rd, 2008 at 12:28am Tony Garcia

Not to pick at some nits, but I’m going to throw a flag at co-blogger Gareth Slager’s post on Cubs owner Sam Zell.

(Yes, I realize I’m using a football reference in a baseball blog. The Cubs’ 0-2 start already has me fast-forwarding to Bears’ mini-camp.)

Many Cubs fans have gnashed teeth over the thought of Wrigley Field being renamed in Zell’s attempt to maximize his sale of the Chicago National League Ball Club. Personally, I think whatever business buys the name is a sucker. The name “Wrigley Field” has value; the renaming would not. But billionaires have made tons of cash without listening to me before, and they will continue to do so.

But Gareth’s poke at the Wrigley Corp. to “dust off the checkbook” and buy the naming rights baffles me. Yes, the park is named after a corporation. It’s also named for William Wrigley Jr., who owned the Cubs from 1925 until his death in early 1932. Teams did that (Chicago’s Comiskey Park, Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field, Washington’s Griffith Stadium, Detroit’s Navin Field and Briggs Stadium) and do that (Atlanta’s Ted Turner Field).

The Tribune got the team and park from the Wrigley family for only $20.5 million in 1981. It’s trying to sell it in the neighborhood of $1 billion.

I think it’s the Trib which should be sending the reimbursement checks to the gum folks for the honor of keeping the name.

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