May 1, 2008
Mark Cuban at Wrigley Field
On the same day he fired the guy who just might be the next Bulls head coach, Mark Cuban made an appearance at Wrigley Field.
Unlike his past visits to the ballpark where he joined the drunks in the bleachers, this time Cuban sat in the Tribune Co.'s front row seats near the dugout -- which suggests this was more of a business trip. He has publicly expressed interest in buying the Cubs, and the Cubs were supposed to have made the financial books for the Cubs available to suitors recently.
Was Cuban in town to do his due diligence on the team? Does this mean he's actually in the running, despite of factions who seem to fear his possible entry into the ranks of MLB owners? We could see Sam Zell selling to Cuban precisely because of his maverick style -- provided to dollars are close to other offers. And Cubs fans might actually have a reason to like Zell for once.
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
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Hmmm. Gawker Stalker anyone?
please, please, please!
CUBan...
Bring 'em!
cuban did a great job with the mavericks and can do wonders with the cubs, which already has tons of local support... plus, he's one of the cuter billionaires out there!
I think it's a cool idea, but consensus seems to be that the other owners really, really don't want him owning the Cubs. Maybe he can buy the Pirates or the Royals or some franchise no one gives a crap about.
Doesn't matter if Zell wants to sell to him. MLB owners have to approve it, and they'll never let Cuban in. This "sale" is a sham.
See? Told you. And from no less a source than the commissioner himself!
With his dignity and eloquent grace Mark Cuban is the perfect person to lead the cubs into their next century of misery, ignominy and failure.
All while reaping a tidy profit. I endorse this.
Albany...we get it, you hate the Cubs, it's all very amusing and refreshing.
Yeah, Reinsdorf is a sparkling example of humanity.
Reinsdorf is part of the good ole boy network for the MLB though. Cuban is viewed as an outsider, which he is and a maverick (no pun intended). they're afraid he's going to cause too much trouble, get into fights with the umps etc...
Mike, you just won me a diet coke. I bet the woman in the next office that you'd be the first reply.
I don't hate anyone or anything. I just like giving the blueboys a little needling is all. Come on, you can take it right?
You're betting people at work about postings on blogs? Did she know what you were talking about or did you have to explain the whole thing first and how about you're crusading to "needle" Cubs fans? Did she just give you the Diet Coke out of pity/mercy or was there an actual handshake and then the results of the bet were later revealed?
Though the Tribune company isn't exactly the best ownership of the Cubs, Tribco has spent loads of money (in more recent years) even when they had no reason to. Mark Cuban is NOT a great owner. Yes, he helped bring the Mavs back to being a good team in the NBA but all he really did is spend money, but the Cubs already do that. The Yankees have led all of baseball in payroll for a very long time now and how is that working for them? Yes they always compete, and very often make the postseason, but money can't buy championships. The last thing that I want to see is that spaz Cuban running out on the field every time he thinks an umpire made a bad call. That doesn't mean he cares, it means he's a douchebag.
I think the Trib has opened the purse strings recently b/c they know they're selling the team. it's already going to bring the trib a huge profit when it sells, why not make the team even better looking to prospective buyers? The new spending was a show of good faith to a tortured fan base that got a taste for winning in 2003 that they've never had before. Despite what some naysayers will spout, cubs fans do care about winning and 2003 was a turning point in that. so the Trib spends, keeps the fans happy and the whole organization is even better looking for prospective buyers.
Mike, Mike, Mike. It was a joke. Do they have them at Wrigley?
Crusading? Dude, I've posted like 4 times on the topic. Not exactly a burning crusade across the ages.
I think you Cubs fans need a good winning season to clear out all this vitriol.
I'd wish you luck, but it's funnier to watch you crash and burn. :)
The "old boy network" wants to keep that in the hands of Hank Stenbrenner, Jeffery Loria, et al.
I have nothing to add, other than I was at the 19-5 beatdown last night and stayed all 8 1/2 innings. Go Cubs go!! =D
Mark Cuban is NOT a great owner. Yes, he helped bring the Mavs back to being a good team in the NBA but all he really did is spend money, but the Cubs already do that. The Yankees have led all of baseball in payroll for a very long time now and how is that working for them?
Cuban has done tons to improve the Mavs... true, his teams haven't won it all and seem to be heading in a downward trajectory after making the finals two years ago.
But you also have to look at his fan-focused moves as owner. He's done things like find creative ways to offer lots of affordable seats to fans. In an interview a few months ago, he even proposed a hypothetical idea of for Wrigley -- like selling naming rights to the upper deck in order to offer super cheap seats in the upper deck. Whereas other owners would sell the naming rights simply to boost their own bottom line...
I would love to see cuban own the cubs. He wants to win and would bring in talent. The tribune treated the cubs as a way to fill air time on WGN.