Mark Cuban speaks about his failed Cubs bid

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=9366:date=Jan 6 2009, 11:22 AM:name=bz)-->QUOTE (bz @ Jan 6 2009, 11:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->When he says "deals" what exactly is he talking about? I think there is more than just trades and free agent signings.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Probably TV/radio/newspaper coverage.

[BT]

next person that tells me I'm not supposed to hate the White Sox is getting a swift kick in the nuts.

[rok]

I wouldn't call them hand-picked by Selig. Suits, yes. Hand-picked by MLB? Not really. They made their bids on their own merits, and now MLB is picking its favorite. It's not like Selig invited these people to bid based on their friendship, which I haven't read anything at all about.

I still say the Ricketts would be very good owners, and the least likely to be part of the good ole boys network. And at least they're actual fans of the team.

[bz]

<!--quoteo(post=9367:date=Jan 6 2009, 11:24 AM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Jan 6 2009, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=9366:date=Jan 6 2009, 11:22 AM:name=bz)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bz @ Jan 6 2009, 11:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->When he says "deals" what exactly is he talking about? I think there is more than just trades and free agent signings.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Probably TV/radio/newspaper coverage.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

That's what I was assuming. The Cubs have WGN broadcasts so they are already ahead of them as far as TV coverage.

[phan]

<!--quoteo(post=9370:date=Jan 6 2009, 11:33 AM:name=bz)-->QUOTE (bz @ Jan 6 2009, 11:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=9367:date=Jan 6 2009, 11:24 AM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Jan 6 2009, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=9366:date=Jan 6 2009, 11:22 AM:name=bz)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bz @ Jan 6 2009, 11:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->When he says "deals" what exactly is he talking about? I think there is more than just trades and free agent signings.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Probably TV/radio/newspaper coverage.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

That's what I was assuming. The Cubs have WGN broadcasts so they are already ahead of them as far as TV coverage.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

the sox are on WGN as much as the cubs

[veryzer]

the whole thing makes me sick. i would go on about how much i hate the white sox but then i'd have to hear baron or pcb defend them and i just don't have enough bile in my body for that.

[cherp]

Ignoring the Sox part, mostly because I didn't quite get it....there were some interesting pieces to the entry.

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->With the credit market on the fritz, the other option was to add investors and just pay cash. However, if we were going to pay cash, I was not going to bid anywhere near 1 Billion dollars for the assets. Once the credit crisis hit, the value of cash went through the roof. It was not just a matter of how much the Cubs were worth, it was also a matter of how much more money I could earn with that cash. Cash was and is king. Distressed investment opportunities were rolling in the door that could make me multiples of what any sports team could. I could not see any scenario where the Cubs were worth anywhere near the numbers that had been discussed in the media.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

If they couldn't prime his ego into paying the billion dollars, I wonder if they will eventually get that, or if they will end up settling for far less because they couldn't consumate a deal earlier. From a pure Zell perspective, the timing of this deal may cost him hundreds of millions. I'm wondering what he will end up making or losing on taking over the Trib. This should have been a big piece for him.

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->If the economy had a significant impact on future revenues, it would also impact how much I could invest in players. The absolute last position i wanted to be in was paying so much for the team, that if revenues fell off, I couldnt play to win.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

This one scares me most. The Cubs have what I believe is amogst the strongest price elasticity. If the economy turns down, I see it having a minimal impact on them because their fan base is so large, so deep, and so strong, that people will still buy, go, eat, cheer, watch and read. Other franchises (the Sox included) aren't blessed with that. A downturn in the economy is going to directly impact their revenues much more. The Cubs have hundreds of thoulsands of people who'd be tickets who right now can't get them without going to the secondary market. Other franchises (again - the Sox as an example) will see more empty seats. If Cuban is worried about this impacting the Cubs, I am pretty sure it will wipe out some franchises (KC? Pittsburgh? etc.) and have a severe impact on the competitiveness of others. As much as we have a huge discrepency between the haves and the have-nots already, I only see that getting larger and larger if what Cuban discusses happens.

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->I had no intentions of trying to outspend the Yankees or Red Sox. There was no reason to. I didnt have to beat either of those teams unless I made it to the World Series. The only teams I had to be better than were those in the National League, and more importantly, those in my division.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

This one I don't buy. Cuban knows the game is not about who spends more, but about who wins more. He would be buying this (among other reasons - like to make money) to get a WS Ring as the Cubs owner. He wouldn't settle for being the best team in the NLC or in the NL. He would have, if not immediately, very quickly, realized that he was competing against NYY and BOS. At least Cubs fans would hope so.

That said, Cuban would have been refreshing in a town who's roads are littered with long tenured weak owners. The Rocky Wirtz regime is a refreshing change from the old man. The Bears seem likely to never change hands. I'm still only lukewarm to Reinsdorf - between both franchises. As much as he has won 6 titles for the Bulls and 1 for the Sox, I can't help but wonder if we wouldn't have done that without Reinsdorf. The Bulls titles fit squarely on MJs shoulders. And the Sox championship may have been nothing more than a fluke. They eeked in to the playoffs, and had an amazing run of SP through the post season. Before this group of owners, the Bulls, Sox, Cubs and Hawks ownership was even worse. I'm hoping whomever gets the Cubs out of Zell's hands is as interested in winning as Cuban is. This town is a better place when our teams win.

[kbwsb]

Best analysis of the situation I've read.