Ricketts Meets with Bill Murray, Jim Belushi, and John Cusack on Cubs Sale

Could Bill Murray, along withJim Belushi, and John Cusack,become minority owners in the Chicago Cubs?As reported yesterday, Thomas Ricketts, the exclusive bidder for the sale of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, and a 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago, is lining up three banks to cover approx. $450 million of the $900 million needed to complete the deal. But, according to today’s Chicago Tribune, in an attempt to pull together more capital into the deal, Ricketts has met with several celebrities ties to the Chicago area including Bill Murray, Jim Belushi, and John Cusack. According to the report, Ricketts has met with them, “and other wealthy Cubs fans willing to pony up as much as $25 million.” The reason that the deal has been difficult to broker has to do with the debt laden structure Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell has in place, and the tight constraints the credit markets have had on loans during the economic downturn. On top of the $450 million in loans from the three ...