Bring on the Cubes

Back in 2008, Cuban had a bid to buy the Chicago Cubs which was shot down by Selig. The alleged reason? Cuban is too volatile of an owner and would interfere too much in day to day operations.  He isn’t the kind of person that Selig wants owning one of his baseball franchises, and up until recently, I would be hard pressed to disagree with him.  But in the last two weeks, all of that has changed.

Has Mark Cuban Grown Up?

If you watched the NBA finals (a record number of people tuned in), you probably noticed something a little odd.  While most regular season and playoff games feature Cuban going bonkers in the stands, speaking openly to the press about the officiating, or just generally stealing the spotlight; the 2011 NBA Finals had a surprising lack of “The Cubes.”  He was virtually non-existent during his team’s championship run and in my opinion, the Mavericks benefitted from it.

Cuban will always be outspoken, brash, and opinionated, but it would seem that he has finally learned the appropriate times at which to do it.  He knows that when he steals the spotlight, it puts added pressure on his team, much like a salesman making outlandish promises that the service team must deliver.  If the NBA Finals were any predictor, it would seem that Mark Cuban has matured – at least a little.

Baseball (and the Dodgers) Need a Winning Attitude

Say what you want about Mark Cuban, he cares about winning, cares about his players, and has too much pride to put a struggling team out on the field.  Now that the Dodgers’ TV deal with Fox has been rejected by Major League Baseball, it appears that Selig is doing everything in his power to get rid of the McCourts and restore a winning attitude to the city of LA.  Doesn’t it make sense to get an owner who cares about winning?  He may not be a Steinbrenner (and if he is that’s ok), but he knows how to win.  The Mavericks rarely had a down year with him as owner and always put a competitive team on the court. Cuban might not know everything about baseball, but he knows how to manage talent, which is more than the McCourts could EVER claim.

Time to Start Chasing

After Cuban’s two failed attempts at bidding for an MLB franchise, he has publicly stated that he won’t chase after ball clubs anymore. According to Cuban, if baseball wants him as an owner, they are going to have to kiss his butt.  To that, I say “put on your Chapstick.” Cuban is just the owner that baseball needs.  Cuban is the kind of guy who is constantly looking for a challenge and baseball is just the opportunity he needs.  He wouldn’t be buying a team with no hope, talent or payroll, but would be purchasing one of the premier franchises in the history of the sport.  That may be why Selig is reluctant to allow him to buy the team, but I challenge you to find a more suitable owner.  This guy has money to boot, a history of running a successful sports franchise, and has the go-getter attitude that you need to succeed in a big market like LA. It’s clear that Selig is going to make the McCourts sell the team, and maybe he could give Cuban a sweet deal on it. Just Sayin’.