Cuban Speaks.....sort of

[jersey cubs fan]

Wait. Can you imagine how hard it would be for Colangelo to overspend on salaries for the Cubs franchise than the Dbaxx and put it in ruins? It would be a payroll like $300 Million or something.

 

Colangelo was trying to build a franchise in Arizona. I prefer to say he invested this money on his players than overspending. The Phoenix Suns franchise was pretty well run during his tenure. He bought them for $44M and sold them for $401M. Sounds like a nice investement to me.

 

Im not advocating him as an owner. If the worst thing he could do is spend too much money, he can go right ahead and be bad in that department.

 

If he goes for that all or nothing shot, and somehow comes up short, then forces the team to cut back the way Arizona has had to do, it will cause a lot more pain.

[Soul]

More so than the current Cubs regime has deffered contracts?

 

The Cubs don't have any deferred contracts. They have locked in contracts for the next several years, but that's not the same as deferred.

 

Arizona is STILL paying for guys who played on the 2001 World Series champion team and are not and have not been on the team for several years now. Randy Johnson is still receiving deferred payments from his previous stint with the D'Backs and he's back with the team again this year.

 

Arizona is still in a financial mess from Colangelo.

 

Yes, but he had a much smaller fanbase, far less revenue, and was starting from scratch. He did mortgage the future to get a World Series win, but I think it's most important that he actually got the championship. It wasn't just spending money -- it was spending it on the right players to win.

 

I'd rather have Cuban because I'd love to see that kind of shakeup, but I wouldn't be upset with Colangelo. In my mind it would sure beat a big corporate owner, even though he'd need financial partners to pull it off.

[Soul]

Wait. Can you imagine how hard it would be for Colangelo to overspend on salaries for the Cubs franchise than the Dbaxx and put it in ruins? It would be a payroll like $300 Million or something.

 

Colangelo was trying to build a franchise in Arizona. I prefer to say he invested this money on his players than overspending. The Phoenix Suns franchise was pretty well run during his tenure. He bought them for $44M and sold them for $401M. Sounds like a nice investement to me.

 

Im not advocating him as an owner. If the worst thing he could do is spend too much money, he can go right ahead and be bad in that department.

 

If he goes for that all or nothing shot, and somehow comes up short, then forces the team to cut back the way Arizona has had to do, it will cause a lot more pain.

 

Given the revenues the Cubs generate compared to the Diamondbacks, I find this unlikely though obviously nothing is impossible.

 

He did run the Suns much better.

[Chocolate Milk]

pobody's nerfect.

[BigbadB]

More so than the current Cubs regime has deffered contracts?

 

The Cubs don't have any deferred contracts. They have locked in contracts for the next several years, but that's not the same as deferred.

 

Arizona is STILL paying for guys who played on the 2001 World Series champion team and are not and have not been on the team for several years now. Randy Johnson is still receiving deferred payments from his previous stint with the D'Backs and he's back with the team again this year.

 

Arizona is still in a financial mess from Colangelo.

 

Yes, but he had a much smaller fanbase, far less revenue, and was starting from scratch. He did mortgage the future to get a World Series win, but I think it's most important that he actually got the championship. It wasn't just spending money -- it was spending it on the right players to win.

 

I'd rather have Cuban because I'd love to see that kind of shakeup, but I wouldn't be upset with Colangelo. In my mind it would sure beat a big corporate owner, even though he'd need financial partners to pull it off.

 

Mine was just in response to your question about deferred contracts. The biggest obstacle Colangelo faced was no tv deal in the first 5 years of the Diamondbacks existence, IIRC.

 

I'm not really making a pro or con statement about Colangelo. Just pointing out the quandry that the Diamondbacks state of affairs became under his watch.

[Magnetic Curses]

add to that the aristocracy in baseball and you have a pretty well-defensed anti-renegade league.

 

ownership has turned over quite a bit from the old guard. you've got a lot of owners who probably hope to sell to the highest bidder sometime within the next 10-15 years. I don't see them being anywhere near as exclusionary as they may have been 20 years ago.

 

the owners can afford to exclude high bidders. these are the cubs, there is bound to be a bidding war. regardless of how high cuban's bid is, there's bound to be plenty of other similar, if not superior, bids.

 

Possibly. But if one bidder is $20-50m more than 2nd (quite possible), there's likely to be some lawsuits coming out of any rejection.

 

i don't think the lawsuits would come to anything. i believe that when the trib purchased the cubs, there were existing higher bids. the owners reserve the right to reject offers if they feel it's in the best interest of the ballclub.

 

baseball teams are not independent entities.

[3Dog]

Can someone well-versed in the Chicago sports scene speak to Don Levin's positives and negatives? All I know is that he owns the Chicago Wolves minor league hockey team.

[Outshined_One]

Would Reinsdorf really vote against whoever Zell sells the Cubs to? While Reinsdorf is the majority owner of the White Sox, he would have to deal with Zell harboring any resentment for interfering with this deal.

 

Plus, I'm unsure about whether Reinsdorf has any kind of a relationship (positive, negative, bff, whatever) with Cuban. Would he really want to have to deal with an angry Cuban at owners' meetings in the NBA?

[shnsajax]

If Cuban posts the highest bid by far and doesn't get the team I would expect a serious backlash from the baseball community and talks of collusion against owners.

[Magnetic Curses]

Would Reinsdorf really vote against whoever Zell sells the Cubs to? While Reinsdorf is the majority owner of the White Sox, he would have to deal with Zell harboring any resentment for interfering with this deal.

 

Plus, I'm unsure about whether Reinsdorf has any kind of a relationship (positive, negative, bff, whatever) with Cuban. Would he really want to have to deal with an angry Cuban at owners' meetings in the NBA?

 

it's my understanding that zell isn't selling the cubs, but that the trib needs to sell the cubs before zell takes ownership.

 

i've also heard that the trib to zell deal isn't necessarily done and that those 2 other guys from LA may have a chance to outbid zell.

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

"I don't even know what is for sale when they do try to sell, so there's nothing really to comment on. There's nothing to speculate on until they put it up for sale," Cuban said.

 

 

so your sayin' theres a chaance....YES!!!!!!!!!

[Fro]

Cuban could have really turned around the Cubs quick if Hendry hadn't spent all that money in the offseason. I don't think he'd spend much more on the team itself than the Trib is this year. I guess he did turn the Mavs around almost instantly (and the NBA has a salary cap), so he'll find some way to dump some bad contracts. The Mavs' winning percentage is insane since he took over.

[Soul]

Can someone well-versed in the Chicago sports scene speak to Don Levin's positives and negatives? All I know is that he owns the Chicago Wolves minor league hockey team.

 

I'm not that well versed, but it seems to me that Levin has no experience with a big time franchise. He's done a nice job with the Wolves, making it a family-friendly experience for the fans at a good price. But isn't this what all minor league clubs offer?

 

The Wolves, by the way, are associated with the Atlanta Thrashers, not any Chicago franchise. It can be debated whether Levin has been responsible for the Wolves' success, or if it has really been due to solid player personnel moves coming from the Thrashers (who are, by the way, now reaping the rewards of those moves). In other words, if the Wolves were associated with the Blackhawks would we even be talking about Levin? I doubt it.

 

I think Levin would be totally and completely out of his league. But hey, I could be wrong. Remember: we get to do this thing, in all likelihood, one more time before we die. Given that, do we want to give our beloved Cubbies over to a total wildcard like Levin? I'd prefer an experienced, successful big time owner.

[RonnieWooWooSanto]

Can someone well-versed in the Chicago sports scene speak to Don Levin's positives and negatives? All I know is that he owns the Chicago Wolves minor league hockey team.

 

I'm not that well versed, but it seems to me that Levin has no experience with a big time franchise. He's done a nice job with the Wolves, making it a family-friendly experience for the fans at a good price. But isn't this what all minor league clubs offer?

 

The Wolves, by the way, are associated with the Atlanta Thrashers, not any Chicago franchise. It can be debated whether Levin has been responsible for the Wolves' success, or if it has really been due to solid player personnel moves coming from the Thrashers (who are, by the way, now reaping the rewards of those moves). In other words, if the Wolves were associated with the Blackhawks would we even be talking about Levin? I doubt it.

 

I think Levin would be totally and completely out of his league. But hey, I could be wrong. Remember: we get to do this thing, in all likelihood, one more time before we die. Given that, do we want to give our beloved Cubbies over to a total wildcard like Levin? I'd prefer an experienced, successful big time owner.

 

Here are couple of articles in regards to Levin and Levin's interest in the Cubs. Although, they are far from in depth. But, nonetheless they might provide some information for a few of the NSBB members. If these have been posted already, sorry. I didn't read the entire thread.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0704050862apr06,0,4649331.story?track=rss

 

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp?id=299118

[NCCubFan]

i don't think the lawsuits would come to anything.

I think the Trib itself as the seller might have a lawsuit. They certainly have the right to get the most they can out of selling the Cubs. If the highest bidder is rejected as owner, the Cubs should be able to hold MLB liable for the difference between the highest bid and the accepted bid. I don't know if anybody has tried to sue MLB on those grounds before, but I think such a case would have merit.

[98navigator]

Ken Rosenthal says Mark Cuban would be good for MLB but doesn't think he has a realistic chance of owning the Cubs. He outlines some of the reasons in his latest article.

 

Because Jerry Reinsdorf, the White Sox's influential owner, tells us so.

 

Reinsdorf, who also owns the Chicago Bulls, hinted to the Chicago Tribune that he would work against Cuban, his fellow NBA owner.

 

"It is a matter of public record that when Cuban was approved to buy the Dallas Mavericks, the vote was 29-1," Reinsdorf said.

 

The arguments against Cuban, as far as I can tell, are that he would be too abrasive, as evidenced by his baiting of NBA referees and occasional insolence toward commissioner David Stern, and too willing to drive up salaries.

[Brian]

and too willing to drive up salaries.

 

 

It would be interesting to see what he would do without a salary cap.

[RonnieWooWooSanto]

and too willing to drive up salaries.

 

 

It would be interesting to see what he would do without a salary cap.

 

Hasn't baseball/baseball owners done a pretty good job of driving up salaries? So, essentially Cuban would just be keeping with the status quo if given the chance.

[Backtobanks]

Can someone well-versed in the Chicago sports scene speak to Don Levin's positives and negatives? All I know is that he owns the Chicago Wolves minor league hockey team.

 

I'm not that well versed, but it seems to me that Levin has no experience with a big time franchise. He's done a nice job with the Wolves, making it a family-friendly experience for the fans at a good price. But isn't this what all minor league clubs offer?

The Wolves, by the way, are associated with the Atlanta Thrashers, not any Chicago franchise. It can be debated whether Levin has been responsible for the Wolves' success, or if it has really been due to solid player personnel moves coming from the Thrashers (who are, by the way, now reaping the rewards of those moves). In other words, if the Wolves were associated with the Blackhawks would we even be talking about Levin? I doubt it.

 

I think Levin would be totally and completely out of his league. But hey, I could be wrong. Remember: we get to do this thing, in all likelihood, one more time before we die. Given that, do we want to give our beloved Cubbies over to a total wildcard like Levin? I'd prefer an experienced, successful big time owner.

 

No way a guy who can make a team into a "family-friendly experience at a good price" should run a major league team. You need to be a greedy SOB who doesn't care about fans let alone families. As for the minor league comment, some people would argue that the Cubs have been playing like minor leaguers for quite a few years.

[KenCub]

Can someone well-versed in the Chicago sports scene speak to Don Levin's positives and negatives? All I know is that he owns the Chicago Wolves minor league hockey team.

 

I'm not that well versed, but it seems to me that Levin has no experience with a big time franchise. He's done a nice job with the Wolves, making it a family-friendly experience for the fans at a good price. But isn't this what all minor league clubs offer?

 

The Wolves, by the way, are associated with the Atlanta Thrashers, not any Chicago franchise. It can be debated whether Levin has been responsible for the Wolves' success, or if it has really been due to solid player personnel moves coming from the Thrashers (who are, by the way, now reaping the rewards of those moves). In other words, if the Wolves were associated with the Blackhawks would we even be talking about Levin? I doubt it.

 

I think Levin would be totally and completely out of his league. But hey, I could be wrong. Remember: we get to do this thing, in all likelihood, one more time before we die. Given that, do we want to give our beloved Cubbies over to a total wildcard like Levin? I'd prefer an experienced, successful big time owner.

 

The Wolves' association with the Thrashers is a fairly recent thing - before Atlanta stepped in the Wolves were an independent franchise, dealing solely with free agent (unaffiliated) players and other players that various NHL teams needed to find a temporary team for. I'm pretty sure all of their titles came as an independent. Certainly all of their IHL titles did. Their front office has done a very good job of working with unaffiliated talent and now with largely Atlanta prospects.

 

I'm not sure how Levin would do with a major-league franchise, but he and his group have done a marvelous job with the Wolves in every way you can name. They have developed a winning franchise at reasonable prices with the fans in mind. That's to be commended.

[RedIvyCub]

I'd rather see Colangelo put together a group. He has Illinois ties, and has had previous success in his sports endeavors (much like Cuban as well.)

 

I see Colangelo's record as a mixed bag. For example, he had success in AZ, but basically had to be bailed out of the situation because of financial mismanagement.

 

 

I wasn't entirely aware of that. I remember hearing that the Dbacks were operating in the red when Colangelo sold them, but what was the major cause of this? Just curious to know all the fact about the situation.

 

Deferred contracts and borrowing from MLB to purchase a World Series on the backs of 29 other teams. That club will be paying out deferred money for years to come. It was why MLB started enforcing the debt service rule once again.

 

And Colangelo didn't sell them...he was pushed out.

[RedIvyCub]

Mark Cuban's name was thrown out to Selig as an individual who has the resources and possibly the interest to become a Major League owner. But Selig refused to speculate on potential new owners or assess having an engaging character such as Cuban involved with the game.

 

"I haven't met him yet, so I'm not going to comment on his personality," said Selig of Cuban. "I've got enough of my own personalities to comment on.

 

"I'm always concerned about ownership. A Commissioner in any sport should be concerned about who owns a club. We're going to go through a very standard process which will be fair to all the people bidding."

 

If Jeff Loria can own a major league baseball team, anyone should be able to own a major league baseball team.

 

They realized that was a mistake. Why do you think the just sort of shoved him to the side in Florida?

[Soul]

Ken Rosenthal says Mark Cuban would be good for MLB but doesn't think he has a realistic chance of owning the Cubs. He outlines some of the reasons in his latest article.

 

Because Jerry Reinsdorf, the White Sox's influential owner, tells us so.

 

Reinsdorf, who also owns the Chicago Bulls, hinted to the Chicago Tribune that he would work against Cuban, his fellow NBA owner.

 

"It is a matter of public record that when Cuban was approved to buy the Dallas Mavericks, the vote was 29-1," Reinsdorf said.

 

The arguments against Cuban, as far as I can tell, are that he would be too abrasive, as evidenced by his baiting of NBA referees and occasional insolence toward commissioner David Stern, and too willing to drive up salaries.

 

Bah. It's also a matter of public record, Mr. Reinsdorf, that in the final analysis, you were wrong for opposing Cuban. His positives have greatly outweighed his negatives. He's turned a nothing franchise into a financial windfall for the league and for Dallas. He's revitalized interest in the NBA for an entire segment of the country that formerly would have rather turned on women's volleyball than watch an NBA game.

 

YOU WERE WRONG THEN, AND YOU'RE WRONG NOW. Period, end of story.

[RedIvyCub]

If Cuban posts the highest bid by far and doesn't get the team I would expect a serious backlash from the baseball community and talks of collusion against owners.

 

I guess you don't understand the business of baseball then. Just because all of you think Cuban is the solution and want him to buy to Cubs, it doesn't mean that MLB and the owners agree. He has no chance.

[Magnetic Curses]

If Cuban posts the highest bid by far and doesn't get the team I would expect a serious backlash from the baseball community and talks of collusion against owners.

 

I guess you don't understand the business of baseball then. Just because all of you think Cuban is the solution and want him to buy to Cubs, it doesn't mean that MLB and the owners agree. He has no chance.

 

don't characterize us all as cuban lovers. that's cheap.