In our country's history of bizarre endorsements, I don't think Peter Gammons calling Mark Cuban's purchase of the Cubs a "great fit" is quite as shocking as say, Hunter S. Thompson rising from the grave to declare the need for another four years of Dubya, but it's pretty bizarre. Gammons is as old school as it gets in baseball, but according to his most recent blog post, he wholeheartedly endorses Cuban as Cubs owner, despite the possibility that there may be forces (
But there is increasing speculation that Sam Zell, the chairman and chief executive officer of the Tribune Company, is not going to allow the Commissioner's Office to puppeteer the sale, and that Mark Cuban is in this thing far deeper than Selig and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf want to believe. NBA commissioner David Stern has told those associated with Cubs that Cuban is one of the NBA's best partners, and everyone appreciates that Cuban understands fans and marketing, and is one of the creative pioneers of the world of new media and would create a tremendous buzz throughout baseball that would be nothing but beneficial to the industry.Nothing about Cuban is surprising anymore ... except perhaps that David Stern is giving him positive reviews. I kid, I kid. Kind of.
Cuban and Stern have gone head to head on plenty of stuff in his tenure as Dallas Mavericks owner, but the fact that he turned the team around and continues to be an innovative owner, desperately trading for Jason Kidd aside.
As Prez pointed out too, such an endorsement from Gammons is pretty crucial, considering that his opinion holds a hefty amount of weight, especially with the most staunchly old school fan of baseball.
Whether it convinces Selig and the rest of his semi-anonymous philandering miscreants to actually take a risk, well, that remains to be seen. But Gammons putting his vote out there for Cuban to get the Cubbies is still a pretty strong statement. And should be welcomed by anyone that cares about baseball's ability to evolve.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-11-2008 @ 10:03PM
T said...
I bet that instead of Mark Cuban, Bud Selig probably prefers a sixty-something year old owner that would be virtually anonymous and would let others publicly run the team. Selig wouldn't want an owner that would rock the boat like Cuban.
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8-12-2008 @ 12:07AM
Moonshine Mike said...
Gammons but be 'old school' but he's not 'establishment' in how he approaches his reporting or his opinion of the health of the game itself. The only 'old school' people who care about Cuban as owner are the current sitting owners.
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8-12-2008 @ 6:11AM
claytor said...
Normally when i hear the words Peter and Gammons, especially when placed next to each other, my stomach turns.
This guy has endlessly taken potshots at my hometown Orioles every chance he gets, and it irks me.
That being said....hes dead on here. I wholesomely concur.
The Mavericks were the dreck of the NBA for years, always akin to being banished to Alaska should you wind up traded there. Cuban has made tremendous strides in turning a perennial doormat into a yearly contender with a thriving fanbase, and unlike most owners, pays attention to what the fans want, simply because he never forgot the basic premise of sports: being a fan first and foremost above your position.
Personally, it wouldve been cooler seeing him land the woeful Pirates, his bankrolling and PNC would be a dream matchup, but hell do just as nicely with the Cubbies.
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8-14-2008 @ 1:28AM
cubsfanslastwish.com said...
Everyone has cuban wrong. Just because he is an involved owner and in the spot light sitting in the stands and not being a stuck up owner the press gives him a hard time. At least hes not afraid to speak his mind about bad calls. At least you know hes an owner that cares about the fans and putting the best product on the court or hopefully the field!
Go Cubs Go!
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