Mariotti: Zell is starting to scare me

And who could blame him!

At one point, Kenney told an audience of concerned fans that the William Wrigley Jr. Co., of chewing gum fame, should ante up fees for the free publicity it has received. Never mind that Wrigley Field was so named by Bill Wrigley when he owned the Cubs many decades ago. Kenney sees dollar bills when the rest of us see ivy and bricks.

``In my perfect world, the Wrigley Co. would step up and start paying for what they’ve been getting free all these years,’’ Kenney told the fans.

We talk endlessly about steroids in sports. But greed, too, can poison what we love about the games of our lives. The owners of the Red Sox wouldn’t dare sell naming rights. Same goes for the Packers, Yankees and Knicks. When Cuban last was in town, I asked if he would ponder leaving Wrigleyville for better business opportunities as Cubs owner.

He looked at me like I had five eyeballs. The reason he wants to buy the Cubs, you see, is the reason so many people love the Cubs: He loves sitting at beautiful Wrigley Field with a beer, a hot dog and a smile on his face. Sam Zell never will understand.