The rumors were true, Mark Cuban is looking to buy the Cubs.
Controversial Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Thursday that he has submitted his application to purchase the Cubs. He said he believed he sent it in last week, though he wasn't sure. Dates don't matter anyway. What matters is that he's officially serious about buying the valuable, championship-starved franchise on the North Side.
I really don't think has much, if any, impact on the Mavs ( Cuban has already said he can definitely buy the Cubs without selling the Mavericks), but it's certainly relevant.Most articles out there on this story today seem to focus on whether or not Bud Selig, MLB commissioner, would approve a bid from Cuban.
But I'll say what I hear from people who are close to Selig: Baseball doesn't like Cuban. It doesn't like the fact he has had to pay about $1.5 million in fines for criticizing the NBA and its referees, among other sins. It can't imagine what he would do around umpires, a notoriously grumpy group. Baseball doesn't like the perception that Cuban wants to be the star of the show. It doesn't like the thought of Cuban as ringmaster of the Wrigley circus.
I think all of that is somplete crap. If Bud Selig refused to let someone who has proved to be overall good for the NBA, and entirely good for the Mavs buy a MLB team that was in desperate need of a good owner just because he's outspoken, then he's even dumber than I thought. I'd prefer that Cuban not by the Cubs, but there is no denying that he could bring new life to a franchise that baseball needs. Selig has to know that.