The biggest story in baseball right now has to be the status of the sale of the Cubs.  What is that status?  Up in the air.  New Tribune company owner, Sam Zell, has said he is willing to sell a smaller percentage of the team, since the $1billion + price tag would require more loans than lenders would be willing to to cough up with the current debt crisis.  Additionally, the one guy who probably could swing the deal, Mark Cuban, most likely would not receive the MLB approval necessary according to this Chris DeLuca article.  Additionally, the team is worth much less than it was on opening day, since the financial crisis will allow for far fewer sponsorship dollars to flow into the Cubs organization.  What does this all mean for Cubs fans?  Hard to say for sure, but I think its doubtful that the Cubs will be continuing to raise the payroll significantly…its probably maxed out even with the money raised from a few home playoff games last season.  Ticket prices of course will go up, but any big moves on the Cubs part will come through trades not through big ticket signings.  The ban on Cuban, if true, is a huge mistake by MLB.  Sure, he is loud and doesn’t fall into line with other owners, something that has really helped MLB flourish over the past few years, but their is no owner that is this passionate about his team, and that is something that baseball fans deserve to see. Too bad MLB is that short-sighted.