CHICAGO - Handling team cinematography as a new Chicago Cubs employee in 1986, Jay Blunk sat in the front of the airplane on team flights with fellow rookies Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer. Combining for 577 career victories, Maddux and Moyer have done quite well in the past 20-plus years. And Blunk hasn't fared too badly, either.

A graduate of Normal Community High School and Illinois State University, Blunk was recently promoted from director of marketing to vice president of marketing and broadcasting.

"I'll be the liaison with the other broadcast properties," said Blunk, 44. "Working with Comcast and WGN, that will fall under my wing. There are a lot of technical aspects. You almost have to be an attorney."

According to Blunk, the Cubs will have the same broadcasters in 2008 with Len Kasper and Bob Brenly on television and Pat Hughes and Ron Santo on radio.

"We have a rich history of broadcasting with the Cubs. Len and Bob have really gotten traction with our fan base. I love the pacing of the broadcast and the information," said Blunk. "We are so fortunate we have been blessed with Hall of Fame caliber broadcasters. I think Len and Pat will be in the Hall of Fame someday. They're that good.

"Our broadcast has a real warm, Midwestern flavor. It's honest and entertaining. They don't dwell on the negative."

Blunk acknowledges the enthusiastic but not particularly attentive Santo "might not be technically perfect, but there's a real passion there."

The practice of having a guest singer for the seventh inning stretch at Wrigley Field will continue in 2008, said Blunk.

"It's an amazing thing. Harry (Caray) has been gone 10 years. Ten years later and the seventh inning stretch is still a topic of conversation at the park," Blunk said. "Sometimes you love it and sometimes you don't, but the value to us is it's still entertaining.

"It's still something unique to Wrigley and the Cubs. Everyone is trying to get something with that much credibility and interest. We're always thinking, 'Is there anything else we can do better than what we're doing?' But all you have to do is walk out into the stands and you realize how much fans enjoy it."

The Ultimate 7th Inning Stretch Competition, where fans competed to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field, will return.

"We didn't know what we had. We had 2,700 audition at the park," Blunk said. "We had a finalist (Lindsey Studnicki) from Normal. That competition will be back."

Blunk said the Cubs will hold their first retro game in the coming season. Players will wear replica 1948 uniforms as part of the 60th anniversary of WGN-TV.

"We've never done one at Wrigley," he said. "It seems like a perfect fit. Every day is turn back the clock day at Wrigley."

Blunk is pleased a statue has been authorized of Cubs legend Ernie Banks. The statue will be revealed on Opening Day outside Wrigley.

"It's really remarkable. It's done by the same artist that did Harry's statue," said Blunk. "It's long overdue."

Blunk is preparing for the 2008 season without the familiar presence of John McDonough, the long time Cubs marketing man who was club president until resigning in November to take a similar job with the Chicago Blackhawks.

"We were shoulder to shoulder in the marketing department for a couple decades," Blunk said. "I consider him one of the best friends I've ever had in the business. He's like an older brother of mine.

"John laid such a great foundation. His warmth and his genuine ability to connect with people is a very unique skill."

The pending sale of the Cubs has brought a tinge of uncertainty to Blunk's life. Real estate investor Sam Zell has purchased the Tribune Co. (and the Cubs), but the deal has not been formally completed. Once Zell's purchase is finalized, he's expected to sell the Cubs to another ownership group.

"We're not involved in any steps along the way. It seems to be a very deliberate process," said Blunk. "It's interesting, but there is really not a lot of apprehension, at least right now. Everybody is focused on the job at hand."

Blunk was promoted to a managerial position in 1992, became a director in 1995 and is currently a vice president.

"The one thing missing from the whole scenario is a World Series ring," he said. "I hope that (a 2003 National League Championship Series loss) is not as close as I ever get."