1. The Cubs could not be part of a bankruptcy (unless, of course, they were bankrupt – which they are nowhere near) because that would put them in a world of hurt with Major League Baseball. I’m not up on all the requirements and ins and outs of the relationship of owners and teams on the one hand to MLB, the Commissioner and the other teams on the other, but suffice it to say it is complicated. A likely impact of including the Cubs in a bankruptcy would be the owner suffering total loss of control over the team (in a legal sense, not just in the sense of “The players won’t listen anymore”) and probably a forced sale.

2. As CHS notes in another post over at Lake Main, the episode of Blago trying to have his people undo what they had just done (caught on tape) is about as damning an example of mens rea popping up as can be imagined.

3. I’m inclined to believe that editorial and Zell shared something, possibly along the lines of “keep your distance b/c something’s coming”. I would not be surprised if the pathway for such communications ran through the paper’s inside counsel’s office. Between having to vet articles of defamation and deal with the owner’s issues vis-a-vis operating the paper on the other, it’s entirely possible someone made the connection and called a meeting.

Whether editorial shared with Zell “the US Attorney asked us not to run a story” would depend on the extent of Zell’s personal day-to-day involvement with actual editorial. From what I’ve read, that relationship seems acrimonious, and editorial would likely have held that close.

That said, there is likely a wall between the Cubbies on the one hand and the paper on the other, such that Zell’s dealings with respect to the Cubs would not have run through the same paths as his dealings with the paper.

The “F” word sure seems to be a favorite of Rahm, Blago, his wife, Cheney. Wonder what the Supreme Court says about the use of the “F” word by our elected officials?