Chicago Cubs: The team is kinda, sorta but not really for sale

A five percent stake in ownership of the Chicago Cubs is at stake. Who will dip their toe in the pool after Tribune Media Company sells its last ties to the team?

With the Nexstar acquisition of Tribune Media Company, there is the possibility that you or I could buy the remaining five percent share in the Chicago Cubs the Tribune Company holds. Talk about a holiday wish list, right?

Unfortunately, word is that Tribune/Nexstar already has a possible sale imminent and the safe bet is it might be to the Ricketts family, who already own the other 95 percent of the team thanks to their 2009 purchase. Fortunately for all of us, the Ricketts have done the city of Chicago, Cubs fans and everyone who works for them a great service since buying the club.

Flashback to nine years ago: the Ricketts bought the Cubs on the heels of a 97-win season in 2008.  However, the team was mired in the midst of a barely .500 season in 2009 and a mediocre run of seasons which would see them lose at least 87 games in each season from 2010 to 2014 (including a whopping 101 in 2012).

In the midst of this bad baseball on the North Side, Tom Ricketts was fitting his master plan with a keystone in 2011: Theo Epstein. And, while Epstein has certainly had his swings and misses recently, immense credit is certainly due to him for the expedient turnaround all Cubs’ fans have indulged in the past four seasons, culminating (so far) in the 2016 World Series title.