Irresponsible Billionaires

Posted July 14th, 2007 at 08:21 AM by Mark Shelden
in

I've always wished that an irresponsible billionaire would buy the Chicago Cubs from the eminently responsible corporation that currently owns them.  Maybe I'll get my wish.

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On July 14th, 2007 at 10:29 AM, xian said:

Is it sarcasm, is it serious? What is it?!

John Farney's picture
On July 14th, 2007 at 11:33 AM, John Farney said:

As a White Sox fan, I kinda hope that the Allyn family would get back into baseball with the Cubs.

RexBradfield's picture
On July 14th, 2007 at 12:20 PM, RexBradfield said:

It is serious, xian. A formal offer to Major League Baseball

To that end, I am, and shall always remain;
Rex Bradfield

On July 14th, 2007 at 12:24 PM, Mark Shelden said:

I'm serious Xian. 

On July 14th, 2007 at 01:11 PM, xian said:

I mean, I know about the offer, but what Cubs fan wouldn't dream of him buying the team from the Trib?

Gomez's picture
On July 14th, 2007 at 07:00 PM, Gomez said:

Cuban is a loudmouth and a boor.  He will take winning/losing personally, and the accountants be damned.

 

He'll be perfect!

 

 

 

John Farney's picture
On July 14th, 2007 at 09:20 PM, John Farney said:

Will Rachel Phelps be in on the bidding?

On July 14th, 2007 at 09:55 PM, j-dub said:

At first, I thought every Cub fan on the planet would be all for this.  However, I've encountered quite a few, who I'd say are baseball purists; who want nothing to do with Cuban.  Mostly because they think he'll be the next Steinbrenner and they don't want any part of that.  I think he'd be good for the Cubs, but at the same time, when was the last time he won a title in the NBA?  Also, he's really known for giving his players these lavish locker rooms, great amenitites/facilities, etc.  He won't be able to do much about that with the current state of Wrigley.  I'm not sure how much a guy like Cuban would direct affect a baseball team like the Cubs; it's a totally different climate than the NBA.

Also, I don't think the Owners are going to the let the guy in their "club"; sorry Cub fans.  Your real problem is you have a lousy GM, and you wasted too many years in the Wood/Prior era.  Not to mention that your GM/Ownership didn't get a deal done with Zambrano ahead of time, so now his deal is in flux in lieu of the whole ownership fiasco with the team.  You better hope a guy like Cuban buys the team, because if not, Zambrano could be on the first train out of town if he doesn't get his money.

On July 14th, 2007 at 09:56 PM, Anonymous (not verified) said:

At first, I thought every Cub fan on the planet would be all for this.  However, I've encountered quite a few, who I'd say are baseball purists; who want nothing to do with Cuban.  Mostly because they think he'll be the next Steinbrenner and they don't want any part of that.  I think he'd be good for the Cubs, but at the same time, when was the last time he won a title in the NBA?  Also, he's really known for giving his players these lavish locker rooms, great amenitites/facilities, etc.  He won't be able to do much about that with the current state of Wrigley.  I'm not sure how much a guy like Cuban would direct affect a baseball team like the Cubs; it's a totally different climate than the NBA.

Also, I don't think the Owners are going to the let the guy in their "club"; sorry Cub fans.  Your real problem is you have a lousy GM, and you wasted too many years in the Wood/Prior era.  Not to mention that your GM/Ownership didn't get a deal done with Zambrano ahead of time, so now his deal is in flux in lieu of the whole ownership fiasco with the team.  You better hope a guy like Cuban buys the team, because if not, Zambrano could be on the first train out of town if he doesn't get his money.

On July 14th, 2007 at 10:06 PM, Mark Shelden said:

"Mostly because they think he'll be the next Steinbrenner and they don't want any part of that. "

Six world series titles.  I'd like at least one sixth a part of that.

On July 15th, 2007 at 01:00 AM, j-dub said:

Steinbrenner does have the hardware, but if this boils down to "billionaire dollars"; they all have huge money.  Isn't the bigger question how you spend it?  At least Steinbrenner is passionate about baseball, but can we say the same for Cuban and baseball?  I think Colangelo would be a good option too.  I think either way, the Cubs will benefit from the sale; as long as they sign Zambrano and fire Jim Hendry.

On July 15th, 2007 at 05:49 AM, xian said:

I'm pretty sure Cuban is passionate about anything which he can turn into a pissing contest. Which if you are a fan of his team is good since he can buy a whole lot of PETs (Pissing Enhancement Technologies).

Feel free to censor this if you want--I'm not sure where the bar is on IP in terms of profanity. "Piss" tends to be pretty mainstream these days...

On July 15th, 2007 at 01:22 PM, Mark Shelden said:

The only ones without money in the sense you are talking about are the few that are corporate owned.  And that's a recipe for stinginess.  The combination of an excellent media market with a billionaire owner should make the cubs' checkbook as flush as anyones.

On July 15th, 2007 at 02:20 PM, Laura Sandefur said:

I stayed out of this thread because I was afraid it was gonna be a huge anti-Cub thing.  Mark, I know where YOU stand (BTW, thanks for giving Kev a hard time about his St Louis hats when you see him. I encourage everyone to share in that behavior.) However, now I find myself kinda happy to jump in here.
 
I am not unhappy at the idea of this sale.  I think a lot of enthusiasm for the game of baseball has been lost in recent years.  If it takes another Bill Veeck type to ignite some joy in Chicago I'm all for it, and I'm willing to take hits for not being a baseball "purist."
 
Sorry gang, but baseball has thrived on the characters.
 
Babe Ruth was not not exactly a shy retiring guy, nor were the Dean brothers, any of the Gas House Gang, Jimmy Piersall or even the heroic guys like Lou Gehrig.  Baseball is about the characters and the drama of seeing them play a sport. Baseball is about guys like Harry Kerry and even caricatures like Chico Esquela (Baze-ball been berry berry good to me!).

If you all remember Veeck you might remember some of his silly stuff like putting the midget up to bat--which got a huge amount of attention for the team.  While that particular escapade might not fly in today's market (with our delicate PC sensibilities) that spirit and the absolute sense of silliness is exactly what seems to be lacking today in just about ALL the pro sports.

The Cubs have got a long and rich baseball history, and Wrigley is an absolute cathedral for baseball. It is about time we get some fun back in that place so it stays worthy of the “bleacher Bums” and all the other devoted fans.
 
I'm probably sounding exactly like a mom who just finished a softball season with 9 and 10 year olds, but they use the phrase "play a sport" for a reason--it is supposed to be play. It is supposed to be about having fun.  It ain't about steroids or who makes the most money.
 
Just my two cents from out in left field.
 
 
Laura

On July 15th, 2007 at 02:40 PM, xian said:

I actually can't stand Wrigley. It was probably being forced to live two blocks from the ballpark and dealing constantly with the tiny minority of completely insufferable "baseball=I must be drunk 24 hours a day" fans. I think the ivy in front of the solid brick wall is pretty scary too :P

But now that we've moved to the South Side, I can root for the Cubs as a distant second in my heart, and be happy to see so many in the city happy.

I loved your list of characters. Of course, I'd add Paige, Henderson, O'Neil, Bouton, Jerry Coleman, and the list goes on...

In this era, we have Guillen who is a bright, bright man, who says remarkably ignorant stuff occasionally, but certainly makes the game more interesting.

Kevin Sandefur's picture
On July 15th, 2007 at 08:57 PM, Kevin Sandefur said:

"I loved your list of characters. Of course, I'd add Paige, Henderson, O'Neil, Bouton, Jerry Coleman, and the list goes on..."

And Yogi, and Casey Stengel, and Doc Ellis, and so on and so on.  I miss Charley Finley and Gene Autry and Augie Busch.  Heck, I even miss Marge Schott...

On July 15th, 2007 at 09:29 PM, Laura Sandefur said:

Marge.  SHE was a character!  Thanks, Xian and Kevin,  for adding to the list!.  I think there are any number of baseball fans who remember the characters a lot more fondly than they remember their stats.  I know I sure do.

Xian, I also wanted to offer up a tidbit for you as a Sox fan.  Since Kev and I are split on the whole Cubs / Cards issue, we have compromised by taking our daughter to see Sox games.  Her first baseball cap was a Sox hat.  You'll be please to know (as a south sider) that we ar planning to be up for a Sox game later this summer as a family.  It has become an annual thing for us...

There is NO such thing as a bad day watching baseball!

 

Laura

IlliniPundit's picture
On July 16th, 2007 at 08:31 AM, IlliniPundit said:

As a San Francicso Giants fan, let me tell you - the last few years have been very difficult years to be a fan, or to watch baseball at all. 

The Giants have just about driven me away from the game...

cheesy poofs's picture
On July 17th, 2007 at 04:30 PM, cheesy poofs said:

As a Giants fan, what are your feelings about Barry and his forthcoming record breaking dinger?

IlliniPundit's picture
On July 17th, 2007 at 08:05 PM, IlliniPundit said:

I'm ambivalent. I haven't watched a game all year, to be honest.