Why would Cubs leave Arizona?
Everything I've heard about the Ricketts family is that these are smart people who we can expect to be excellent caretakers of a franchise that has seen little of that in the last half century.
So until I see something different, I'm going to assume the Cubs are holding hostage the state of Arizona, along with its cities and counties, to get the best deal on a phenomenal new spring training facility.
Of course, Mesa and Maricopa County built them a tremendous facility just 12 years ago, but it's the nature of things that with better facilities springing up all over, the Cubs - who are the biggest draw in Arizona - want something to rival a complex now occupied by the likes of the White Sox and Dodgers.
And the assumption is they'll get just that when they've got a package in hand from Florida that they can shop in Arizona.
Other than that, there's no reason to be speaking with anyone in Florida, which has seen several teams leave in the last decade because of terrible spring weather and horribly long drives between ballparks.
It would be a bad baseball decision to leave the Valley and one can't imagine them doing it just to make a few dollars that won't greatly impact their bottom line or their ability to operate financially.
It would cost the Cubs from a baseball standpoint and they must know that, so there's no reason to believe the Ricketts really intend to leave Arizona.
If they do pack up and go as their first major decision, it would be a shocking blow to those who are hoping that the Cubs finally have an owner who cares about winning.
Since it doesn't make any sense, I've got to see them load up the trucks for Florida and go before I believe it.
Magic Juan
Far be it from me to question White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who gets them right most of the time and has made a killing mining the rough for low-cost diamonds.
But the contract for Mark Teahen ($14 million for three years) brings to mind Juan Uribe, who played for a million bucks last year.
Uribe hit 16 HRs with 55 RBI, batted .289 and had an OPS of .824 in 398 at-bats, while Teahen went 12-50-.271 with an OPS of .734 in 524 at-bats.
That still sounds like a Williams kind of guy.
UnBearable
It took a huge performance from Jamar Williams for Lovie Smith to finally - finally - consider moving Lance Briggs inside, which is where he should have been the last three years.
If Smith is back, is there any reason to think he'll finally have Briggs inside with Brian Urlacher and Williams outside?
Tackling the issue
There is absolutely no reason for Orlando Pace to play again for the Bears unless an injury to someone else forces him back on the field.
If Chris Williams is the left tackle of the future, he needs to be the left tackle of now.
Ivan Boldirev-ing
Watching Dustin Byfuglien's game-winning rush Wednesday night is a reminder of his game when he was a defenseman.
Given the puck in his own end, a few steps and a head of steam, Byfuglien's a force.
It's something he did a lot as a defenseman, which he was until the previous Blackhawks regime moved him up because of a logjam on defense two years ago.
Byfuglien was far from perfect as a defenseman, but he had value as a puck-carrier with a heavy shot, something teams pay a lot to find.
Who knows how he might have developed by now. Maybe he'd be a defenseman who can't play defense but can move north and south for a lot less than $7.1 million a year.
Maybe he would have continued to star as he did in the AHL, or maybe he would have been terrible.
Problem is, we'll never know.
Irish luck
If you toss out the Lou Holtz era, which tiptoed a line of all sorts of ugly stuff, Notre Dame football hasn't dominated since 1978, when the Irish finished a 15-year stretch that included three national titles and 11 top 10 finishes, with eight in the top five.
So are expectations in South Bend truly realistic?
Heisman Trophy
Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was the best player in college football this year, but much like Larry Fitzgerald in 2003, Suh is doomed to finish second or third because most voters only saw him play once or twice.
The next best player, and a close second to Suh, was Stanford horse Toby Gerhart. It'd be nice to see one of them get it, but the winner is likely to be Alabama running back Mark Ingram.
The line
Ingram is even money to take home the hardware Saturday, followed by Gerhart (3-1), Colt McCoy (5-1), Suh (6-1) and Tim Tebow (35-1).
Tipping point
S.F. Chronicle's Scott Ostler: "Ron Artest says the reason he talked about gulping booze at his locker was that he wanted to help kids who have similar problems. Beware, kids! If you drink cognac at halftime, you might wind up as a zillionaire all-star.''
And finally ...
Washington Times' Dan Daly: "Tiger Woods has reportedly redone the prenuptial agreement with wife Elin Nordegren to encourage her to stay in the marriage. He must have really sweetened the deal. Elin is now third on the career money list.''
brozner@dailyherald.com