Theo Epstein House: Did Cubs Exec Buy New House Out From Under Blackhawks Player? (PHOTOS)

What do you get when you mix a Chicago Cubs exec with a Chicago Blackhawks player? A bidding war over a Lakeview house, if speculation is to be believed. And let's just say that bidding wars in today's real estate market are about as rare as the Cubbies heading for the World Series.

Theo Epstein, the current Cubs savior, paid $3.25 million for a newly constructed 7,800-square-foot house near Wrigley Field, according to the Chicago Tribune. But what makes the sale especially intriguing is that the same house -- on and off the market for about a year at just under $3 million -- was in escrow to be sold to Blackhawk forward Patrick Sharp. Escrows, we know, can fall apart, and while nobody connected to the sale is talking to us about it, it certainly would seem like a Hawk just got outscored in the final period. Epstein sealed the deal five days after Sharp's escrow fell apart, records show. (The other possibility is that the Chicago-based developer, PLD Homes, threw in some last-minute upgrades.)

Epstein, who signed a five-year contract with the Cubs in October worth about $20 million, clearly has money to burn, so what's an extra $250,000 to get what you want? Here's hoping he applies the same sentiment to the Cubs' roster. The man of the hour most recently was general manager of the Boston Red Sox, who twice won World Series championships under his tenure. We are believers.

The three-story house has five bedrooms, four fireplaces, a hand-carved limestone facade and a master suite with a foyer and two dressing rooms. Worth the price, readers? Remember, he could walk to work.

See photos of the home below, courtesy of Realtor.com.