New Cubs Owner Asking for Money From Local Celebrities

Tom Ricketts and his family put in the winning bid to purchase the Chicago Cubs back in January, but the details of their offer have yet to be finalized four months later, and Ricketts is looking to find some other investors to help back his $900 million offer for the team. He doesn't need the help with the $850 million he's raised with a loan and selling some shares in the family business, TD Ameritrade, but if you can get it, why not?

The latest group of people he's checked in on to see if they'd like to invest in the team includes just about every local celebrity Cubs fan in Chicago. He's giving people like Bill Murray (pictured right), John Cusack and Jim Belushi a chance to earn some special privliges with the team for the low, low price of $25 million.

As talks with Tribune Co. grind on, Ricketts, an investment banker who lives in Wilmette, has held separate discussions with a handful of celebrities to raise money from them and other wealthy Cubs fans willing to pony up as much as $25 million. In addition to Murray, he's met with Jim Belushi and John Cusack, said two sources familiar with Ricketts' proposal. The meetings took place several weeks ago, and sources were not sure if the talks had advanced. Representatives for Murray and Cusack did not respond to requests for comment. Belushi's publicist declined to comment.

The article doesn't say what exactly the perks of investing $25 million would be, but I'm guessing it's not a chance to sing the seventh-inning stretch.

Personally the biggest question I have about all of this is how in the hell Jim Belushi could come up with a spare $25 million to invest in the Cubs. He can't have that much money, can he? Can he!?

If he does I'm going to be very angry at my parents for never giving me a more talented older brother whose death I could one day capitalize on.