Cubs to Stay in Mesa!

Well, that was fast. Monday, Mesa voted unanimously to approve plans necessary to keep the Cubs in Mesa, and then two days later, the Cubs have announced that they are staying (Tribune version here). Take that, Naples!

There is a great media round up at a cool new site called Cubs Win in AZ, which appears to have launched in the last few days. They have also launched a twitter account as well (@CubsWinInAZ) which joins @KeeptheCubs and @CubsinMesa as part of the growing tweetforce supporting the Cubs in Mesa.

This is great news for Mesa - especially since this is an economic opportunity that we could not, in any way, afford to lose. The devil, as they say, is now in the details - the City of Mesa and the Arizona State legislature must now step up with funding sources to help foot the bill for the $84 million dollar facility. While the price tag may seem a little steep, its important to remember that this amount would be covered more than a dozen times over in the next 25 years.

In these times of economic uncertainty, it's not only important to explore new opportunities, but to also hold on to what we have. The Cubs are a known quantity and a driving force behind all of Arizona's spring training. We're glad that Mesa and the State are willing to do what is necessary to keep the Cubbies in Arizona.