FanHouse RichardDaley

With the Cardinals heading to the Super Bowl -- a team who originally played in Chicago, including a stint in the old Comiskey Park -- Chicago Mayor Richard Daley decided to use it as an opportunity to push for a second NFL franchise.

The Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960, and then again to Phoenix in 1988. Their name was changed to the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. Since 1960, Chicago has maintained it's one franchise, the Bears. Since the city supports two baseball teams well, Daley contends it could handle a second football team.

The International Olympic Committee will announce the short list of candidates to host the 2016 Summer Olympics Wednesday morning, and it appears that Chicago is the city best prepared to move on.

The Bid Index at GamesBids.com says that Chicago is the early favorite, with a very slight lead over Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. Doha, Qatar is a borderline candidate, while Prague and Baku appear likely to be eliminated Wednesday.

Chicago's strength as a host city include its excellent athletic facilities, the support of high-profile Chicagoans including Barack Obama and Mayor Richard Daley, and the fact that sponsors like having the Games in the United States.

The biggest obstacle standing in the way of Chicago hosting the Games is that the U.S. government does not financially support host cities the way countries like Qatar and Brazil are more than happy to do. But for now, Chicago appears to be the favorite.

One of the charms about Wrigley Field -- well perhaps I should say all the charm about Wrigley Field -- is that it's a never-changing beast. It looks pretty similar to how it did in say, 1922. And it's become such a fixture of the city, of its architecture and identity, that it was bestowed with landmark status a few years back.

But with new Tribune owner Sam Zell around, the air around Wrigley is different. Gasp! The name might change! Gasp! Some people are trying to drop landmark status on the building to grab sales-tax revenue to change Wrigley and make it different and more modern!

Well, for now, fear not: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley isn't about the let that happen easily.

Diverting any sales-tax revenue to a Wrigley fix, as supporters have proposed, would deprive the city of money it needs, making that proposition "very challenging and difficult to do," Daley said.

And, the mayor asserted, there are more important things for government to deal with than a Cubs overture to increase the number of night games at the ballpark.

"It is not one of my priorities, really," he said. "This is a side issue about money."

There's a few different scenarios that can play out here depending upon whether or not the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority purchases the park, but the bottom line is this: if they're not planning on leveling the Wrigley to the ground, Cubs fans should probably relax. These are fixes and changes to make the park safer and more convenient: not to rip the ivy off the wall and color the seats red.

Deep breaths, people.

No matter which side of Chicago you live on, or who you root for, you're kind of dealing with the same problems. Both the Cubs and White Sox seem to be underachieving, and they're facing the prospect of losing some key players to free agency come this offseason.

Well, amongst most fans the answer for both teams seems to be the guy playing third base in the Bronx. The Cubs want A-Rod to come and save their franchise. The White Sox want A-Rod to come and revive theirs.

So who's going to get him?

Only Ozzie Guillen knows.

"A-Rod is going to play for the city of Chicago," Guillen deadpanned. "He's going to talk to Mayor [Richard] Daley. When we're in town, he's going to play for the Sox. When we leave town, he'll play for the Cubs. When we play against each other, and we're home, he'll play for us; when we play at Wrigley, he'll represent the Cubs.

"Say it's so. Mr. Daley will pay the Cubs, just to make everybody happy in Chicago. Now he's a savior for both teams."

I do find it kind of odd that we sit here on May 16th and everybody is talking about what Alex Rodriguez is going to do in November. If Rodriguez did opt out of his deal with the Yankees and come to Chicago, the most likely destination would be the South Side.

Ken Williams and Jerry Reinsdorf have never really been coy about their admiration for him, so I'd expect the White Sox to make a strong push for him if he's available.

Though the Cubs could use him, it's probably not going to happen. With the team up for sale it's not likely the new owners will want to buy a baseball team, take on it's current salaries, and then commit another $125 million or so for Rodriguez.

Previously at the Fanhouse:
Ozzie Guillen Really Likes Derek Jeter
Ozzie Guillen: Voice of Reason About Clubhouse Alcohol
Ozzie Guillen Would Like To Keep His Beer, Thanks
Ozzie Guillen To Bust Out Parenting Skills