The Out Route

We sort of missed the boat on this yesterday (sorry), but rumors of Mark Cuban buying the Cubs have gone crazy.

Not so fast, says the mothership:

Before everyone goes nuts about Mark Cuban possibly owning the Cubs, take a step back. Sources our telling me that it's not happening -- at least not now.

Radar Online reported that Cuban was set to offer $625 million for the baseball team owned by the Tribune Co. That would be at a tremendous premium over what Forbes valued the team at ($448 million). Despite who the Cubs are, I'd be surprised to see the team go for that price given the huge payroll the Tribune just committed. Since contracts are guaranteed in baseball, a new owner would definitely calculate the incoming costs moreso than say in football where only the signing bonus is guaranteed.

I'm not really down with all the financial talk. Premium? Payroll? Contracts? And what's this "$" thing? All I know is that the Cuban's efforts can be better spent elsewhere. It's not as if the Cubs are cash-strapped -- they spend it quite well every year. Their problem is that they spend it the wrong way, including their manager. Cuban is not a "baseball guy," so he could not help the team in that regard. He's also good for stirring up interest, fan support, and publicity. Those aren't exactly problems that the Cubs have. He needs to go someplace that has dwindling support and is afraid to spend big. That's why I thought he'd be a perfect fit for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I love Cuban, and I believe the more teams he owns the better it is for sports in general. But it's gotta be the right fit, and Chicago isn't it.