Thompson hasn't given up on Cubs

CHICAGO Thompson acknowledged getting a letter from Zell Tuesday rejecting his plan. Thompson is the head of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which wanted to buy and renovate the ballpark for $400 million.

Zell didn't like the idea because it would have relied on the sale of seat licenses to raise the money.

The Tribune Company plans to push ahead with a plan to sell the ballpark and the Chicago Cubs -- a combination that could fetch as much as $1 billion.