In the category of tangentially related to local politics, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich sounded support yesterday for keeping the Cubs at Wrigley Field forever.

Fans of the Cardinals arch rivals have been up in arms since real estate mogul Sam Zell - new owner of the Tribune Co. and, by extension, the Cubs and Wrigley - said he would like to sell the team and the ballpark, a prospect that could result in the Friendly Confines going the way of nearly every other Major League stadium by adopting a revenue-producing corporate moniker.

Zell, according to the Associated Press, has expressed interest in selling Wrigley to a public agency that also owns the White Sox ballpark across town.

In a press conference yesterday, Blagojevich, who had just returned from watching Cubs spring training in Arizona, said he wants to make sure the Cubs stay at Wrigley - so long as it’s not on the taxpayer’s tab.

“I believe the Cubs ought to play baseball at Wrigley Field, and the Cubs ought to play baseball at Wrigley Field forever and that if there’s anything that I can do in the role of governor to try to guarantee and assure that the Cubs stay at Wrigley Field — as long as we don’t use taxpayer dollars to make that happen — then that’s good for the people of Illinois,”Blagojevich told the AP Thursday.

The governor seemed to be a tad less committed to keeping the name of the park, saying “It should be Wrigley Field and let’s see how discussions go.”

If the Cubs were forced to move out of Wrigley, might we suggest calling their next home Century Field, in honor of their pending hundred-year championship drought. And to make it even easier for the scores of Chicago fans who travel south for Cubs-Cards games, might we further suggest that the stadium be located in downtown St. Louis - I know just the place for it.

Wrigley Field, about a year ago