Stone and Cubs Hall of Fame outfielder Billy Williams are aligned with the Weisbach group, one of at least four known to be interested in buying the team. Weisbach, the founder of Ha-Lo Industries and a close friend of Stone's, is working with wealthy cable magnate Jim Anixter and others trying to raise money for the bid. Rich Melman, from the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, is a possible partner.
Stone, a former major league pitcher, longtime Cubs television analyst and current baseball analyst for WSCR-AM 670, would become the general manager if the Weisbach group were to land the team, the Tribune has learned.
Efforts to reach Stone for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. Williams said he had no comment when reached by phone.
Tribune Co. has owned the Cubs since 1981, when they were purchased f! rom the Wrigley family for $20.5 million. The team now is thought to be worth $700 million to $1 billion.
Representatives from Tribune Co. announced six months ago the club would be sold, in conjunction with an $8.2 billion buyout of Tribune Co. headed by real estate billionaire Sam Zell. The sorting out process, which includes the possibility of Wrigley Field being kept or sold in a separate transaction, has delayed the sale process. Some believe the team will not be sold until 2008.
The fate of club President John McDonough, general manager Jim Hendry and other team officials would be determined by the new owners. Hendry has served as the Cubs' general manager since July 5, 2002. He signed a contract extension through the 2008 season on April 8, 2006, and is said to have a clause in the deal that guarantees an additional year's salary if the team is sold. He has been with the Cubs organization for 13 seasons. This year's division title was the Cubs' third po! stseason appearance in that span.
Williams, who was a s! ix-time National League All-Star and the 1972 NL batting champion, is a senior adviser for the Cubs. He also has served as the team's batting instructor and first base coach.
Stone was a popular Cubs analyst on WGN-TV when he teamed with Harry Caray from 1983-97. After Caray died in 1998, Stone partnered with Chip Caray until 2000, when he stepped aside for health reasons. He returned to the booth in 2003 and 2004, before leaving amid a controversy involving Cubs players complaining about his critical comments. Stone since has handled baseball broadcasts on ESPN and currently the playoffs on TBS.
Stone over the years has made no secret of his interest in running a ballclub and has made no broadcast commitments for next season.
Though he is regarded as a long-shot candidate, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reiterated his interest in buying the Cubs in an appearance on Mike North's WSCR-AM 670 radio show earlier this week.
"I can't really speculate on wha! t might happen, but I will give it my best shot and they know it," Cuban said. "If they put everything that you would think they would put in ... the normal stuff that I want for a team, then yeah, I want it."
John Canning, chairman of the private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC and a longtime friend and business associate of Commissioner Bud Selig, heads another group of investors that some consider the front-runner.
Local attractions
Carlos Zambrano is well rested but not content after watching the Arizona Diamondbacks sweep the Cubs in their National League Division Series.
Appearing at Libreria Giron in Pilsen on Wednesday for a book signing of his new biography, "The Big Z: The Carlos Zambrano Story," the 18-game winner supported the decision of Cubs manager Lou Piniella to take him out of Game 1 of the series after only 85 pitches.
"It was disappointing. I went home that night and I didn't feel good," said Zambrano, who was! expected to start on three days' rest in a Game 4 that was no! t necess ary. "I felt that something was missing in my life. In a way, that will make me work harder for next year so we can have a good playoffs next year."
Piniella has faced a lot of second-guessing for his decision to remove Zambrano in favor of reliever Carlos Marmol.
"You have to win the first game and then think about the second or third. But if I am the manager, any time I can bring Marmol in the game ... he was one of our best relievers, him and Bobby Howry," said Zambrano, who is returning Thursday to his native Venezuela.
"[Piniella] was trying to do something that he thought was good. It would have been good if we had won that day, but we didn't win. Now it is a bad decision. But he is the manager; he is the one who has the decision to make. If he makes a good decision, everybody claps their hands and thinks he is a genius. If he makes a mistake, he is a bad manager. But I think it was the right move."
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fmitchell@trib! une.com
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