Cuban Leading Pack of Cubs Bidders

[reinko]

Maybe I'm just slow, which is a definite possibility.  But what exactly does Cuban bring to the table?  He traded a great young player in Devin Harris for a geriatric Jason Kidd, he let Steve Nash get away for nothing.  Invested hundreds of millions of his own money in a team and has zero championships.

Is it that Cubs fan just want Cuban to be out in the bleachers a few times year wearing an A-Ram jersey pretending to be like Joe Sixpack?  After every bad call, will you wait in anticipation for the WGN camera to pan to Cuban with either his mouth agape looking stunned, or screaming his head off?

I just don't get it.

Both PTM and TT, the two biggest Cubs on this board say they want infrastrucutre improvements to Wrigely and a bigger payroll from the new owner.  Are you convinced that the other potential buyers won't do this?

[TallTitan34]

Both PTM and TT, the two biggest Cubs on this board say they want infrastrucutre improvements to Wrigely and a bigger payroll from the new owner.  Are you convinced that the other potential buyers won't do this?

The biggest threat I think is Bud Selig's guy and former partial Brewer owner John Canning.  As a Selig guy it is well known he won't increase the payroll and in all likelyhood would cut it.

He didn't get out of the first round of bidding but he isn't out of it because he is Bud's man.

EDIT:

Canning is the very model of the kind of owner Selig has sought to install when teams change hands, particularly baseball's flagship franchises. The commissioner wants no renegades who will break ranks on labor matters or break the bank on player salaries. (The damage might already have been done in the case of the latter, with the Cubs' $100 million payroll.)

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3030144

[🏀]

Honestly, I don't prefer Cuban over anyone but Canning. Canning's group is the only group that I would believe would be detrimental to the continued success of the Chicago Cubs.

Cuban is a character, but he isn't going to be bigger than the franchise. Not too mention I am salivating at the possibility of Cuban and Ozzie going back and forth.

[reinko]

Thanks guys for clarification.  I am now going to support Canning to be the new owner of the Cubs.    

In other news, Cubs looked good yesterday, never easy to blow out any team twice in a double header.

At least we can agree on one thing, the destruction of the St. Louis Cardinals.

[TallTitan34]

In other news, Cubs looked good yesterday, never easy to blow out any team twice in a double header.

I don't know... the Braves looked really bad.

At least we can agree on one thing, the destruction of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Agreed!

[Tugg Speedman]

Think of it like this.  Say Big Papi is a free agent someday.  Knowing full well that Mark Cuban is the owner of the Cubs and the way he treats his players, he is going to take a real good look at the Cubs?

Completely disagree.  Papi will do one of two things, 1) stay with Boston for a home town discount (as many players now do).  2) go to the highest bidder regardless of faciltiies.

Right now the Cubs have arguably the worst facilities (club house, training rooms) in baseball.  They don't even have an owner or a real plan for revonation.  They have nets to prevent fans from being killed by falling concrete.  Given all this, how do they attract any free agents?  Why didn't Soriano pass up on $136 million to play for someone with better facilities?

Please name me one BASEBALL player that ever chose a team based on facilities.  (this is different than picking a team becuase it close to where he lives like Maddox that does not want to leave southern CA)

[🏀]

Please name me one BASEBALL player that ever chose a team based on facilities.  (this is different than picking a team becuase it close to where he lives like Maddox that does not want to leave southern CA)

Andre Dawson.

That wasn't hard.

[TallTitan34]

Andre Dawson.

That wasn't hard.

The turf is very bad for the legs.  Probably took years off his career in Montreal.

[🏀]

The turf is very bad for the legs.  Probably took years off his career in Montreal.

Day games as well.

[🏀]

Mark Buehrle also stated he didn't want to hit the FA market because the White Sox have great amenities.

[Tugg Speedman]

The biggest threat I think is Bud Selig's guy and former partial Brewer owner John Canning.  As a Selig guy it is well known he won't increase the payroll and in all likelyhood would cut it.

He didn't get out of the first round of bidding but he isn't out of it because he is Bud's man.

EDIT:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3030144

Canning is out.  His fanancial popsition is suffering with Nuveen and the BCE LBO.  It's been over a month and he's shown no interest in stepping up and getting back into the game.

Bottom line, he HAD $1.3 billion last year and the credit crisis has crushed him.  He doesn't have the money now.  To get back in, he has to join with other investors and then he's not "the man."  That's why he's not back.

Let me remind you of what I posted early on, almost everyhing written about the sale of the Cubs has ultimately proved to be wrong.  I know Zell and members of his team, it is their opinion that Ricketts will get the team (their opinion doesn't count for much as the team is going to highest bidder and they think that will be Ricketts).  Rickett's group is far more organized than Cuban and his plans on what to do with the team are far more developed.  

I also know Ricketts very well and he is a much better businessman than Cuban, he has even made mroe moeny that Cuban off the internet ($2 billion for Ricketts to $1 billion for Cuban).  Ricketts is low key, refuses to be interviewed and has won at everything he's done.  Cuban is a bafoon and has zero championships.  All his ventures (like HD Net) are losing tons of money.

When Ricketts wins the team, remember, nothing about this process has gone according the way the media has said it would, this would be mroe fot he same.

[TallTitan34]

 Cuban is a bafoon and has zero championships.  All his ventures (like HD Net) are losing tons of money.

The other groups bidding have zero championships as well.

And can you really say anything about Cuban losing money?  He is a self-made billionare.

[Tugg Speedman]

The other groups bidding have zero championships as well.

And can you really say anything about Cuban losing money?  He is a self-made billionare.

The other bidding groups don't own a sports team.  The other bidding groups are also self-made billionaires.  The other bidding groups have made more money than Cuban.  The other bidding groups have made money since 2000, unlike Cuban than goes from one money losing venture to another.

I'm not taking anything away from Cuban, he's done far better than me.  However, the other bidding groups are more impressive businesspeople than Cuban.  Looking at that group, Cuban is probably last place.

[TallTitan34]

The other bidding groups don't own a sports team.

Yet you seem to think that they have a far greater knowledge of baseball than Cuban.

[Tugg Speedman]

Yet you seem to think that they have a far greater knowledge of baseball than Cuban.

Thanks for saying this (I was hoping you would).  This mentality is exactly why Cuban will be a disaster as the Cubs owner.

Cuban biggest decision will be to hire a GM, and the rest of the top personnel to run the team.  He then has to get out of the way and let them do their job.  In other words, he needs to show some business acumen in letting "his people" turn the Cubs into a winner, not him.  To do this effectively, he doesn't need to know beans about baseball, just how to run a billion dollar business.  Ted Turner does know jack about baseball, but he knew that John Schuerholz could run a team and put him in the position to run the Braves and STAYED OUT OF THE WAY!

This is why effective businesspeople can move from CEO of one firm to CEO of another firm in a different industry.  Running a huge organization is a skill set that applies across all indistries.  I don't see that in Cuban.

Basketball is the easiest sport to run as an owner.  You don't have 38th round draft picks winning world series or 85th round draft pick going to the hall of fame.  Simplym outspending the competition doesn't win champiohips See NYC Yankees last 8 years and counting).

In baseball he cannot do that.  These are jobs with speciific skill sets that he doesn't have.  These are jobs that take an organization to do, not one manic billionaire getting drunk in the bleachers.

Cuban has not shown that he can effectively run a multi-billion dollar organization.  He has had some sucess with the Mavs but I beleive his management style will not transfer to a baseball team.  A more traditional business CEO skill set will transfer better than Cuban.  This is why I think he's a disaster waiting to happen.

He's George Steinbrenner circa 1977 to 1996.  Look up how the Yankees did (zero championships) and look at how George made himself bigger than the team.  The Yankees were a train wreck, a place that everyone sent their overpriced talent for good young prospects.  That is what the Cubs will be under Cuban.

Only when Steinbreenner stopped firing managers every hour (including Pinealla) and let Cashman run the team (starting in 1997) did they start winning in the last 1990s.

[RJax55]

The other bidding groups don't own a sports team.  The other bidding groups are also self-made billionaires.  The other bidding groups have made more money than Cuban.  The other bidding groups have made money since 2000, unlike Cuban than goes from one money losing venture to another.

I'm not taking anything away from Cuban, he's done far better than me.  However, the other bidding groups are more impressive businesspeople than Cuban.  Looking at that group, Cuban is probably last place.

I want Cuban to own the Cubs because I know that he will invest his money into the team. The others guys may have more cash, but that doesn't mean that their going to spend it.

Cuban already has a solid track record of showing a financial commitment. Plus, IMO he has done a great job in Dallas. He took a morbid franchise and made them one the top teams in the Western Conference. Impressive feat, considering how bad the Mavs were before Cuban. He may not have a championship yet in Dallas, but its not due to a lack of support or commitment.

AnotherMU84 are you a Cubs fan??

[TallTitan34]

Cuban biggest decision will be to hire a GM, and the rest of the top personnel to run the team.  He then has to get out of the way and let them do their job.  In other words, he needs to show some business acumen in letting "his people" turn the Cubs into a winner, not him.  To do this effectively, he doesn't need to know beans about baseball, just how to run a billion dollar business.  Ted Turner does know jack about baseball, but he knew that John Schuerholz could run a team and put him in the position to run the Braves and STAYED OUT OF THE WAY!

I completely agree.  I don't know if it is in print anywhere (I'm sure it is in a newspaper) but in an audio clip they played of Mark Cuban on the radio, he admitted that he doesn't know everything if anything about running a baseball team and would hire the right people to do just that.

I tend to believe him because despite being a fan, first and foremost Cuban is a businessman.  As a businessman he realizes the money he can make on the Cubs therefore he will hire the right people to get the most out of it. 

Along with being a businessman Cuban is also a fan. I believe this will cause him to put money into the team (payroll, clubhouse goodies, etc.) as well.  I think it's a nice mix of fan and businessman but first and foremost Cuban is a businessman.

[Tugg Speedman]

AnotherMU84 are you a Cubs fan??

Yes, but not a Cuban fan.  I think he's an idiot and want him far away from my team.

[RJax55]

Yes, but not a Cuban fan.  I think he's an idiot and want him far away from my team.

Fair enough.

Whoever purchases the Cubs will have to make tough decisions earlier on in terms of both team payroll and possible Wrigley Field renovations.   

[🏀]

84,

Since you know a lot more than I do. I support whoever your support for the next Cubs owner.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

Report: 'Zero chance' that MLB will accept Cuban's Cubs bid

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3687712

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/1266088,CST-SPT-deluca07.article

[🏀]

Report: 'Zero chance' that MLB will accept Cuban's Cubs bid

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3687712

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/deluca/1266088,CST-SPT-deluca07.article

Not entirely surprising. JAKE PEAVY

[Henry Sugar]

Canning is out.  His fanancial popsition is suffering with Nuveen and the BCE LBO.  It's been over a month and he's shown no interest in stepping up and getting back into the game.

Bottom line, he HAD $1.3 billion last year and the credit crisis has crushed him.  He doesn't have the money now.  To get back in, he has to join with other investors and then he's not "the man."  That's why he's not back.

Let me remind you of what I posted early on, almost everyhing written about the sale of the Cubs has ultimately proved to be wrong.  I know Zell and members of his team, it is their opinion that Ricketts will get the team (their opinion doesn't count for much as the team is going to highest bidder and they think that will be Ricketts).  Rickett's group is far more organized than Cuban and his plans on what to do with the team are far more developed.  

I also know Ricketts very well and he is a much better businessman than Cuban, he has even made mroe moeny that Cuban off the internet ($2 billion for Ricketts to $1 billion for Cuban).  Ricketts is low key, refuses to be interviewed and has won at everything he's done.  Cuban is a bafoon and has zero championships.  All his ventures (like HD Net) are losing tons of money.

When Ricketts wins the team, remember, nothing about this process has gone according the way the media has said it would, this would be mroe fot he same.

I just wanted to bump this particular quote in light of the following information.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-cubs-jan23,0,5329135.story

[SaintPaulWarrior]

 
You don't have 38th round draft picks winning world series or 85th round draft pick going to the hall of fame. 

Except for Mark Buehrle who was a 38th round draft pick.

[Tugg Speedman]

Except for Mark Buehrle who was a 38th round draft pick.

I was referring to Mark.  He was a 38th round draft pick and instrumental in the 2005 White Sox Championship.