World is Cubs' oyster … if not the new owner

Uh-oh, now we might really have to secure America's borders.

Stop terrorists? Good idea. Stop sports capitalists? Even better.

Forget Comiskey Park whenever it is that Wrigley Field undergoes renovations. The Cubs might move games to the Tokyo Dome or Wembley Stadium instead.

The notion struck me when I heard -- admittedly, secondhand, which makes it thirdhand here -- that one candidate to buy the Cubs said he wouldn't be surprised if Sam "Hard" Zell sold the club to foreign interests.

And that doesn't translate into a Cuban named Mark.

The scenario is unlikely, but hearing it made me want to slap myself on the forehead and mutter, "How did I miss this?"

The signals have been there.

Consider for starters that the Cubs expanded their global reach this winter by acquiring Kosuke Fukudome, who on Opening Day will be their first Japanese player.

Then there was the infamously famous interview CNBC conducted with Zell a couple of weeks ago in which the Trib chairman referred to Wrigley Field as "a world-wide icon and world-wide known."

That's two mentions in one sentence that this park happens to be an international treasure.

Next, a copy of spoof newspaper The Heckler arrived, with its heralded "Unbelievable Chicago sports coverage."

Listed for August, under the headline "Stadium's naming rights leased on monthly basis," was "Japanese Consortium of International Investment and Capitalization Group Incorporated Field."

Unbelievable coverage, yes it is. Unbelievable concept? Not really. Not when Zell and the Trib are grubbing for dollars.

Finally came the ear-shattering whisper that couldn't be ignored: The Cubs might consider a buyer in India or Dubai or Peru.

Who knows, maybe even farther away if there really is a man on the moon or life on Mars?

Anyway, it makes sense to expand the bidding from local to national to international to intergalactic. You don't become a Zellionaire -- amassing a reported net worth of $6 billion -- by running a corner tavern.

Zell must think outside the box, outside the neighborhood and perhaps in the case of the Cubs outside the United States.

As Zell front man Crane Kenney told reporters last week in Arizona, the Trib isn't going to leave resources on the table. That must mean no buck will be left unturned anywhere on the planet.

The Cubs already auction certain seats at Wrigley. Presumably fans from China to Chinatown are eligible to bid. How much of a leap is it for the entire club to be open to bids from Clark Street to Columbia?

That doesn't mean an American group wouldn't bid highest, or Zell wouldn't reveal a conscience by selling domestically regardless, or Major League Baseball wouldn't force him to stay reasonably local.

Anything is possible other than the Cubs winning a World Series.

Remember, the U.S. dollar ain't what it used to be, making even Americans yen for euros. Foreigners have owned property like Pebble Beach, so why couldn't the Cubs be next?

Don't be shocked if the Cubs' next owner is multinational and pesos are accepted at Wrigley by Russian-speaking vendors selling hummus spread on sushi.

Not that there's anything wrong with a foreigner owning the Cubs. Heck, a couple of years ago an American bought controlling interest in English soccer icon Manchester United.

It's just uncomfortable to think greed knows no boundaries.