Zell Acquires Tribune Tower Blueprints

After piloting his motorcycle deep into the core of the Tribune Tower, Sam Zell sent back this first image of the Tower blueprints, snapped with his camera phone.


Rogers Plants Feet Firmly in the Wrong

Only a week after a flirtation with humble sensibility earned him a rare Cubune Watch golf clap, Phil Rogers is back in the fold at the Tower dissembling, sensationalizing, and misrepresenting fan sentiment.

A week ago, Phil was all, "Oops! Maybe Sox got it right." Now he's back on the front lines of the Tribune's campaign against everything Ken Williams does. Like we said before, Phil Rogers is like the weather in Chicago: If you don't like what he writes, just wait five minutes and he'll write the opposite.

Rogers and the other amateur GMs in the Tower think the White Sox should reward Mark Buerhle's service in 2005 with a long-term Zito-like contract even though 2006 seemed to suggest that Mark lost his stuff and 2007 hasn't yet demonstrated that he's got his groove back. Phil Rogers, like other Tribune sportswriters, also likes to think that White Sox fans agree with him. That's how Rogers interpreted applause for Mark Buerhle at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday. (Wow, Sox fans are applauding Buerhle, goes the thinking in Phil's coconut. They must agree with everything I write). We love Mark Buerhle, it's true. It's also true that we want Kenny to be sensible with payroll. This ain't the North Side.

The model for this moment is Paul Konerko. The Tribune groused about the impending end of Paulie's contract throughout 2005, while Paulie quietly led the White Sox to a World Series championship and then signed a new deal with the White Sox. So Phil... hush up.