Maury Brown and Kurt Hunzeker at The Biz of Baseball write on Sam Zell's exploration of selling the naming rights to Wrigley Field:

Sam Zell has said that he should be able to selling the naming rights to Wrigley for as much as $400 million over $20 years, a deal that would match Citigroup’s deal with the Mets’ new stadium as the largest payout for a naming rights in US pro franchise history.

As a secondary naming-rights deal, it would be unparalleled.

And therein lies the problem.  A $400 million secondary naming-rights deal?

. . . .

[N]o one – anywhere – will call the Cubs’ new home by any other name other than Wrigley.

Hyatt Field?  Gatorade Field?  State Farm Field?  Blue Cross Blue Shield Field?

None of them work.

. . . .

Instead of destroying any and all positive PR with one of baseball’s most passionate fan bases, Zell should look due east and see what the Red Sox’s owners are doing with Fenway Park.

Read the rest. (Hat tip: Baseball Primer.)