With the leading $1.3 billion bid in the Tribune Co.'s auction of the
Chicago Cubs, Mark Cuban, the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks,
could become the newest member of an elite fraternity, Major League
Baseball's owners group. And although some of the recent members may be
unaccustomed to Cuban's antics that have generated controversy and
fines, he'd certainly fit the mold of MLB owners of the past.
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Baseball has been home to a number of colorful owners --
some of which have seen harsher penalties than the $1.3 million in
fines the NBA has handed Cuban over the past few seasons. For starters,
there's the once-irrepressible New York Yankees owner George
Steinbrenner. Although The Boss, who has effectively given control of
the team to his sons, did tone down his behavior over the past few
active years -- he actually congratulated Yankees' archrival the Red
Sox after the 2004 American League Championship Series -- he still
leads the league in controversies and fines. In fact, Steinbrenner not
only received financial penalties for outspoken antics, he was actually
kicked out of baseball twice: In 1974 commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended
him for 15 months after his conviction (he was later pardoned by Ronald
Reagan) for illegal campaign contributions to the Richard Nixon
re-election campaign; then again in 1990 he was banned for life by
commissioner Fay Vincent for buying "dirt" on one of his own
high-priced players, hall-of-famer Dave Winfield. "Life" lasted until
1993 when he was reinstated.
Compared to The Boss,
Cuban is a shrinking violet. Still, the two also share a willingness to
spend. For years, the Yankees have had the highest combined salary of
any baseball team. Similarly, the Mavericks have one of the highest
combined salary in the NBA. There is one difference, however:
Steinbrenner won six World Series titles during his tenure; Cuban is
still waiting for an NBA championship.
Still, while Cuban may resemble Steinbrenner, neither can
beat Marge Schott, a car dealership owner, for controversy. The late
Cincinnati Reds owner wasn't just a loudmouth, but a bigot, admitting
at one point that she owned a swastika armband.
Besides, in the event that MLB owners are concerned about
Cuban's loudmouth antics, he has found an unlikely ally supporting his
bid: NBA commissioner David Stern. Maybe Stern figures he'll have less
time for basketball. - Matthew Wurtzel
