LOS ANGELES -- Billionaire businessman Eli Broad and supermarket magnate Ron Burkle have teamed up to submit a bid for Tribune Co., the Associated Press has learned.

Details of the offer by the companies controlled by the two businessmen were not disclosed. A person familiar with the offer who was not authorized to publicly discuss it confirmed Wednesday the bid was submitted.

Tribune Co. is the owner of the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Cubs.

Broad declined to comment on the report. A call to Burkle's office was not immediately returned.

The bid comes one day after the Tribune Co. replaced Dean Baquet as editor of the Los Angeles Times because Baquet refused to make mandated cost cuts at the paper.

Broad and Burkle have long said they would be interested in returning the Times to local ownership. A third billionaire, entertainment mogul David Geffen, is known to be interested in buying the Times. A call to Geffen's office Wednesday was not immediately returned.

Tribune Co. put itself on the auction block in late September, under pressure from institutional shareholders including the Chandler family of Los Angeles -- former owners of the Times -- who have been unhappy about the company's languishing share price.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

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“Mmmm. Move over, eggs. Bacon just got a new best friend - fudge.”

Sammy Sosa was the reason the fans came to the ballpark, not McFAIL. He was in the right spot at the right time.

J.Krause was executive of the year when he had MJ. After the Jordan era he was drafting Curry/Chandler and quickly became executive clown of the year.

McFAIL and the rest of Cubdome have been riding the Sammy train for years. Now that it is about to derail, they are jumping off before it crashes and burns.

Right now in the offices of Bain Capital in Boston they are pouring over statistics about the Cubs thinking about bidding for them. Someone says, "Let's call MacPhail, he knows the organzation, he might be a good person to have in this deal."

You think someone else from across the room is going to say "McFail is an idoit, he did nothing, it was all Sosa?" You must drive a tow-truck for a living.

Bottom line is someone has to run the team for a new owner. Even if Score is right and Pat Ryan buys the Cubs (I still think he's too old and too extended with the 2016 Olympic Bid and his angling to get the Bears), Pat is not running the day to day operation of the Cubs. Once freed from Tribco, TV deals need to be struck, Same with Radio. Projection of Revenue, Upkeep costs for Wrigely. Dealing with locals about security and night games not to mention approving trades, payroll, other personnel, and securing sponsorhip deals.

Who is going to do all this? Better question, who better than MacPhail? If not MacPhail, it will be a John McDonough type, someone with little experience in the post. Besides you think McDonough is an up-tick of MacPhail?

I guess Cibs fans believe "The Devil you don't know rather than the devil you do you."

Make it stop! Dear God in heaven, make it stop!!

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Yeah, lets call the GM who was run out of Chicago and put together back to back winning seasons twice in his tenure.



I don't drive a tow-truck, but find it insulting that you would put down a hard-working blue collar worker.




I don't deal in possible theories of ownership. I don't care who MIGHT buy the Cubs. I care more about what they are doing this offseason.
They are not going to sell the Cubs. If that was true, then they would have hired Giradi and not gave an extension to Hendry. Don't tell me they didn't know when they made those deals. If they where even thinking about selling the team, those deals would not have been made.

You Should care who owns the cubs as a potential sale affects everything on the field.

It because of this sale this weekend is turning into a train wreak for the cubs. No Matsuzaka, A-Ram is going elsewhere and Hendry cannot spend money as a deal is pending.

And for all that thought I was nuts for suggesting MacPhail, chew on this. You think Levin can compete with John Henry, Steinbrenner, et. al?

He gets the team and they become the Phillies.

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Wolves owner wants chance to buy Cubs
Mike Downey
The Chicago Tribune
November 12, 2006

/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-061111downey,1,6012309.column?coll=cs-home-headlines

If the Cubs are for sale, Don Levin wants to buy them.

Amid rampant speculation that Tribune Co. will sell all or some of its holdings, Levin, a wealthy businessman and lifelong Chicagoan, is eager to make a bid on the baseball team he has been rooting for his entire life.

"I would never do this for the money," said Levin, who owns Chicago's popular minor-league hockey franchise, the Wolves. "I'd do it to be the guy who after 98 years could help make a winner of the Cubs."

Levin, 59, said Friday that he planned to call Cubs President John McDonough as a first step in expressing his interest and in ascertaining what Tribune's plans are for the team and for the company.

"Will they sell it in pieces?" he asked. "Because if they break it up and sell the Cubs separately, I hope they will talk to me. I'll pay a fair price.

"I'm not a television guy. I'm not a newspaper guy. That part of Tribune Co. is not what I'm looking for. But if they want a sports guy and someone who cares deeply about what happens to the Cubs, that's me."

An offer for Tribune Co. in its entirety—its newspapers (including this one), radio and TV stations and its other properties including Wrigley Field and the Cubs—reportedly has been made by Los Angeles billionaire businessmen Eli Broad and Ron Burkle.

Music and film producer David Geffen also has been frequently mentioned as a possible bidder for the Los Angeles Times, another Tribune asset.

What is not commonly known is if Tribune would be willing to part with the Cubs by themselves. This nevertheless has resulted in unfounded, often ludicrous speculation with regard to potential buyers for the team.

For example, the only evident reason for individuals such as Donald Trump and NBA Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban being mentioned among parties interested in the Cubs is because they said yes when a journalist asked them if they would like to own the Cubs.

Levin fully intends to pursue his interest in the team.

"If they want to sell it, I want to buy it," he said Friday over lunch at Harry Caray's Restaurant. "If I can keep the team as it is, I will. If I can keep it on [WGN], I will. The only thing I want to change about the Cubs is their record."

Estimates have placed the value of the Cubs from $500 million to as high as $650 million. Levin is unfazed.

"I could do it on my own," he said. "If they would be willing to sell it to me, I could close it in 90 days."

Levin, who lives in Highland Park, is a self-made man who amassed a fortune in a wide variety of businesses. He owns a Glenview-based holding company called DRL Enterprises that trades worldwide in brands of loose tobacco and rolling papers including Drum and Top, with factories in Europe and Canada.

Sales volume in that industry skyrocketed over the last 20 years, according to Levin, as the price of cigarettes by the pack rose dramatically.

DRL is more than that. The firm leases medical equipment as well as machinery and even helicopters utilized in offshore oil drilling.

Levin also has produced low-budget Hollywood films featuring actors such as Emilio Estevez and Sharon Stone.

And since 1994 he has owned the Wolves, who offer a more affordable pro sports alternative for families. The team is named for Levin's mother, whose maiden name was Wolf.

"My first sports love is hockey," Levin said. "I've done well with the Wolves. My goal was to re-create the family experience for people who felt they weren't getting that at Blackhawks games any more.

"As a kid, what I did was go to Cubs games. My dad would be there at Wrigley every day. He was born in 1914, the same year Harry Caray was and the same year the ballpark was. He passed away in 1994 without ever seeing them win a World Series, which is something I want to see in my lifetime."

Levin is concerned what other buyers of Tribune Co. might do with the Cubs, on or off the field.

"What would they want with the team?" he asked. "Just to make money? Would the Trib need to do what the Pittsburgh Penguins and other teams did and say we won't sell you the team unless you guarantee that it stays in Chicago, or that it stays at Wrigley Field?

"It should be somebody from Chicago who owns the Cubs."

Levin said he would endeavor to find out as soon as possible if Tribune is prepared to entertain a serious bid for the team, or only one that encompasses the sum of the company's many parts.

"At the end of the day, I suspect that it will come down to a cold-blooded business decision," he said. "But it would be a shame if this team was sold to somebody who didn't really care about the Cubs."

thread too banky.

I see LaSalle is back with more cut and paste. Go away liitle one. The only info you provide is cutting and pasting newspaper articles, most of which are meaningless speculation. This is past being silly, you are just wasting time.

this thread will have more "come back from retirement's" than Sugar Ray Leonard himself.

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"Stay out of courtrooms-but if you must go in be Well Armed and Don't compromise. You are innocent, remember that. They are guilty" -- Dr. Gonzo

This is the kudzu of threads. Unless it is stopped immediately, this entire web site will be consumed!

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1941-1943-1947-1949-1950-1951-1952-1953
1956-1958-1961-1962-1977-1978-1996-1998
1999-2000-2009
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XXI - XXV - XLII - XLVI

Let's review the weekend again

No Matsuzaka
No Sheff
No A-Ram
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6161414

So before we bitch and whine that Hendry is an idiot, and ask about the bogus claims that the payroll would be $115 million next season, think about this thread.

The Cubs are cutting payroll to build cashflow for a sale. Tribco financial problems have paralzyed them. A potential sale is the single most important factor driving every decision on the field. And, who the new owner is the single most important factor for the long-term direction of this organization.

Right now the Cubs are looking at another near 100 season. What stops the bleeding is a sale. And, the lower the price the better. Anyone that overpays restricts their ability to fix the team on field problems.

Matsuzaka was a silent bid. They where one of a handfull of teams bidding on him. Alot of money was put on the table to sign matsuzaka. Why bid if you are cutting payroll?

Sheffield - I don't think Cub fans are losing any sleep over not signing him. Last thing we need is more money going to the all-star injury list team.

A.Sorono has been the Cubs target, not Sheffield.

A-Ram - Again the Cubs put out 70MIL over 5yrs. He wanted 6yrs. See ya A-Ram, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

If the Cubs fail to sign Zito,J.Schmit or A.Sorono and fail to make any moves to improve the Cubs pitching and offense, then maybe I will start to believe this theory.

Until then; woo, go away woo, woo GO Bearrrs, woo!

about 50 mill I think, thank god they didnt waste their money on that. Sheffield and his steroid depleted body is washed up, no regrets there. If they can get Soriano and Zito signed in the next two weeks then they are in much better shape.

Oh never mind the cubs are getting sold to gordon gecko who only looks at the EBIT budget, they won't sign any one.

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"Stay out of courtrooms-but if you must go in be Well Armed and Don't compromise. You are innocent, remember that. They are guilty" -- Dr. Gonzo

Both the Matsuzaka and A-RAM bids were made to leak in the press to keep tickets sales high. Hendry knew neither was going to fly. They were meaningless acts. The Cubs are not going into 2007 with a zero payroll. More like $85 to $90 million and now they have some money to spend since they do not have to spend it on A-Ram.

Soriano is going to the Philles. If the Cubs sign Zito, then his salary becomes the starting point to re-sign Zambrano. Do they want to tie up that much money in two pitchers? I seem to recall they once tried this idea of letting it all ride on two pitchers? And one of those pitchers was suppose to have perfect mechanics and would be able to pitch 15 years without injury. How did that work out?

You watch, they will end up with guys like Dave Roberts, Vicente Padilla and Aubrey Huff.

Dave Levin, the cities lonely eyes turn to you.

Uh, tickets aren't on sale.

Both the Matsuzaka and A-RAM bids were made to leak in the press to keep tickets sales high. Hendry knew neither was going to fly. They were meaningless acts. The Cubs are not going into 2007 with a zero payroll. More like $85 to $90 million and now they have some money to spend since they do not have to spend it on A-Ram.[/quote]

Ok, clearly you don't know what they hell you're talking about so can you please go away?

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

I am really glad I was gone this week and didn't have to read this....

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Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. ~ Benjamin Franklin

I was seriously contemplating shooting myself after seeing this douchebag is still going at it. Then I realized, its a great night the Bears are up 31-20 and the booze is flowing.

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I was going to read all the posts in here from over the weekend but noticed it was a Cubs thread. Enjoy the battle for .500 fans.

I did think about this thread over the weekend. I believe the Cubs have spent $250 million since this thread started.

MacPhail's gonna be pissed at Hendry when he takes over.

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Sadly enough, I thought about it as well.

Soriano and Pinella are both big long term deals. Any pitcher worth anything is going to be a 8-10 (low end) 3-5 year deal as well.

In light of recent news that Cuban bid $200M more than the next competing bid, I felt it was important in true Nas-fashion to bump this prediction from about 2 years ago...

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this is some funny stuff...

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

So, you are saying that Oprah + Mark Cuban = MATCH?

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

LaSalle Street's inside info was a little off the mark.

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I still think Oprah will come through at the last minute.

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Look for a riveting series from Oprah.

Ch 1. Dangers of blisters. Guest: Carrie Wood.

Ch 2. Eyebrow sculpting. Guest: Soto.

Ch 3. Combating stutter. Gues: Lou.

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"It's not exactly a rocket surgery." D.J.