Mark Cuban would be good for baseball, depending on the team

Mark Cuban recently stated that he has been asked by many Dodger fans to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers even though the Dodgers have not been put up for sale despite the ugly divorce between Frank and Jamie McCourt. And you know what, while he’ll likely never own a MLB franchise because the current owners will never allow it, he really would be a great owner for a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cuban has expressed interesting in buying his hometown Pirates and I think it would be something great for baseball. The man clearly loves to win and will spend money when he deems it necessary for his team to succeed, just look at the Dallas Mavericks. Before Cuban purchased the Mavs, they had a winning percentage of .400 and a 21-32 record in the playoffs. From the year he bought the franchise in 2000 and up to 2006, the Mavericks were winning 69% of its games and reaching the playoffs every season and even getting to the NBA Finals. Cuban also provided many new features to not only fans to increase attendance but to also the facilities his new team would use in hope to increase winning.

To the fan’s seat, Cuban added an Internet connection -- easier to send an e-mail. Cuban’s e-mail address can easily be accessed by glancing at the massive, one-of-kind scoreboard. Dangling 35 feet above the playing floor (it could hold 75 Suburban-sized vehicles), it has 8 sides. Each side has a HDTV (high definition) screen that projects an image 400 per cent clearer than a traditional television. These clearer than life images can be downloaded and taken home. Of course, the businessman-owner had a reason for the HDTV projection -- his newest technology investment found him the owner of the only HD television network. With the network in place Cuban is only waiting for manufactures of TV’s to catch up. For those who have the newest in television, Directv’s channel 199 broadcasts Cuban’s shows.

For the women he ordered more restrooms built to eliminate lines. It’s impossible to spend money standing in line -- in and out to the concession stand. Cuban also offers females the only classroom in the NBA. It hosts NBA Basketball 101 for Women. Held in the arena, it features a compete tour and a dinner. Then the invitees are broken down into small groups for a detailed two-hour class. Cuban used his past college bartending experience to make sure the 750 kegs of beer used for home games were computer programmed to insure that a concession spigot never slows down. The 150,000 square foot roof is supported only at the building’s four corners so no fan will have an obstructed view. Since the arena is also used for hockey, concerts and other venues, a unique hydraulic retractable seating system was installed. After a circus performance is concluded the arena is re-programmed for a basketball game and the floor area and seating are totally reconfigured in a brief period. Time is money.

For the team Cuban ordered a private practice gym to be built 30 feet underground and a first-class locker room. He designed each player’s locker to include an entertainment center complete with satellite feed, and Internet access.

He installed DVD and VHS players along with a Sony PlayStation, stereo receiver, and a television. Each player was given a laptop computer.

He built a nearby state-of-the-art television control room. They continually digitize game tapes to produce CD’s. The coaching staff and players are provided with custom produced works of their own play, or an opponents’. Players state they "can look at a move a particular guy makes, or a play a team runs, by just popping a tape or disc in".

Final cost of the arena - $420 million. In Cuban’s view, going first class takes a little extra money.

-HoopsHype Article


So if Cuban would buy a team like the Pirates, a team with great tradition but stuck with ownership not inclined to win any time soon, he would likely be able to supply the resources to turn the team around and get them back to the promise land that is the MLB post-season.

I understand how much the current owners don’t want Cuban in their exclusive club due to the antics that he displays at NBA games courtside but for a group of men who really care about the bottom line, Cuban purchasing the Pirates would do wonders for their pocketbooks. Bringing a winner to a city that hasn’t experienced a winning season in 17 years would certainly increase attendance and increase media coverage and in turn increase revenue that is shared by the MLB owners. As long as the right team is put up for sale, the owners need to ask themselves if they can live with the antics of a Mark Cuban to earn the extra revenue they will receive through the revenue sharing system that Major League Baseball has established.