Now the new Cubs’ ownership has just admitted that, yeah, the semi-free ride of games on WGN is slowing down for financial reasons.

“Certainly the superstation — the fact that we were in 70 million homes outside of Chicago — was in large part responsible for the national love affair between this great franchise and its fans,” president Crane Kenney told fans at the Cubs Convention. “So we’re very respectful of that. But the fact is, we as a club make twice as much with the games being played on cable as opposed to over-the-air television.”

Having previously called for a team to just fess up, I can’t very well call Crane Kenney an idiot for fessing up. That said, he is an idiot on general principle², this episode notwithstanding.

As for me, I’m kinda proud that that crap organization has gotten none of my money since July of 2008, and that will continue.

1 - Due, in large part, to meatheads like this guy.
2 - If you saw his speech at the unveiling of the Ernie Banks statue, you’ll agree.

Anyway, here’s a few things for this unlucky day:

• The future of American soccer is, apparently, 35-year-old midfielders. AC St. Louis¹ signed hometown favorite Steve Ralston as player-coach yesterday. I love Steve Ralston and I’m happy for him, but if they’re paying him somewhere in the neighborhood of the $150,000 he made in MLS last year, and he is still rehabbing a knee injury, it’s a great deal for him and not such a great deal for ACSTL. He’d have to be the highest-paid second division player (probably) ever, and I don’t know how many tickets he’s actually going to sell. Meanwhile, FC Tampa Bay² signed Takuya Yamada, who their press release (and this regurgitated nonsense from The Examiner) describes as “iconic.” The icon has been with four J-League teams in the last five years and the most recent of his highly-touted “four caps for the Japanese national team” came five years ago. Plus, he was so in demand, he flew to Tampa at his own expense to try out. This should go well.
• Remember Jay Needham? Drafted by DC United in 2007, he spurned the offer of a lowball MLS contract to go play for Puerto Rico in the USL (where he was rookie of the year). Then he went to Norway. Now he’s back in the States, having just signed with the Austin Aztex. I’m sure someone will continue to hold him up as another example of MLS letting its best and brightest get away.
• Actual daily announcement from the high school where my kids go: “There will be a sex traffic seminar of February 5th at 2:40 and 6:30. Shirts will be available to buy.” Hope they’re not out of XXL.
• Remember, new Twitter feed: @kendovision.
• Ever wondered how to survive a fall from 35,000 feet? Here you go. Just in case the airline industry gets any worse. (Thanks to Dustin for that link.)
• Even though it’s pretty far-fetched to begin with³, this story, despite being refuted and refuted, hasn’t been retracted. Such is what passes for journalism in 2010.

1 - Stupid, Europosing Name #1
2 - Stupid, Lawsuit-Inspired Name #1
3 - Not that Pitt would join the Big Ten, but that they’d have reached a decision this quickly.

• The Uniwatch blog has graciously run a column I wrote about the late, barely-lamented Senior Professional Baseball Association, which completed its one and only full season twenty years ago this weekend. Many thanks to Paul Lukas for that.
• Women’s Professional Soccer lost its Los Angeles franchise after just one season. This once again proves that winning doesn’t always mean financial success, and apparently robust attendance figures (LA led the league by averaging 6,298 per game) don’t always tell the whole story.
• I’m told the Chicago Fire will be training here in Phoenix for two weeks in February, at the same time that the San Jose Earthquakes will also be here. Real Salt Lake is supposed to be in Casa Grande (south of here, the only thing between here and Tucson) the 13th through the 27th and play two unnamed opponents on the 20th and 26th. Supposedly Chivas USA will be around during that time frame, so there may be an RSL/Chivas game around these parts. I know this: if it’s in Casa Grande, I ain’t going.
• Oh, goody, TIME Magazine knows how to fix football. Let me guess, change the overtime rule?
• New twitter feed: @kendovision. It’s for those of you who aren’t interested in what I had for lunch. Kind of the “edited for television” version.
• Apparently as of today I’m going to be the sole breadwinner in my household. It’s the economy, stupid. And, as I have to write (almost) an entire magazine today, I’d better get cracking.

Now I suppose those who’ve been overreacting will parse this as doomsday and blah blah blah blah. But a dozen extra days takes off some of the external pressure. The two sides have been apparently talking quite a bit. And this shows both sides’ willingness to do things other than go right to the nuclear option.

Can you believe this will be their fifth season as the Red Bulls after ten as the MetroStars?

They haven’t played a game yet, but the new Tampa Bay Rowdies FC Tampa Bay are already on their second logo. The one above left was revealed September 25, 2008. Yesterday, when they revealed they’d be playing at a baseball stadium for a year or two, they quietly replaced that one (which had lasted 16 months and was never put on a t-shirt or a jersey, though does apparently appear on the nifty new NASL scarves you can see in this photo as well as on the front page of the NASL’s website) with the one you see at right, above.

Why the change? They didn’t say. They’re still calling themselves the Rowdies (though FC Tampa Bay Rowdies is, again, beyond stupid), but perhaps it had something to do with the (apparently ongoing) litigation with a Texas company¹ about who owns the trademark to the name “Tampa Bay Rowdies.”

As for the badge itself, the green and gold colors and stripes remain, as does the star (for some reason - it’s supposed to symbolize the original Rowdies’ 1975 Soccer Bowl championship), but the “1975″ notation is gone (good move). The old-school soccer ball (more obvious in the older badge than the new one) remains, but now “FC Tampa Bay” is emphasized. The badge appears slightly thinner and the top edges are straight rather than beveled in the new rendering.

The bottom line? Meh. This one, designed by a fan in Miami, was miles ahead of either of the two above².

EDIT: Inside Minnesota Soccer has an interview with Rowdies (yes, they’re still the Rowdies, you just can’t buy anything with that name on it if you’re a fan) CEO Andrew Nestor, in which he addresses the badge/lawsuit issue.

1 - The company in question once used section219.com as its website, but now the URL is classicsportslogos.com and you don’t appear to be able to order online anymore. I have a Rowdies t-shirt I bought from them, it’s nice.
2 - And this one is still the best wordmark.