MLB Soccer 1

If Tom Hicks set himself out to be the most hated man in Liverpool, he's doing a heck of a job.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Hicks assured fans of the two American sports teams he owns -- the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars -- that he won't take money out of those franchises to help Premier League club Liverpool FC, which he bought with George Gillett a year ago. Hicks reportedly said the following:

"People are worried that I might take money away from the Rangers to go to Liverpool. But it is just the reverse. Liverpool is going to throw off lots of extra money which, if I choose to, I can use for the Rangers or the Stars."

Yes, Liverpool supporters will be thrilled to hear that their storied club, which hasn't won an English league title since 1990 and is currently on shaky financial ground in part because of Hicks, will become a conduit for helping some hockey team in Texas win a Stanley Cup. I'm sure the scousers will celebrate that trophy with pride.

This is not going to end well, folks. Brace yourselves.

Previously at FanHouse:
Liverpool Fans Rage Against American Owners
Fate of Liverpool Hangs in the Balance
Sorry, No Photos

In a revelation that might have the no-name GM's of the MLS running for cover, Lion In Oil reminds us today that Oakland A's GM Billy Beane is soon going to be trying his hand at running the San Jose Earthquakes while still taking on Oakland A's duties, a ballsy career move if ever there was one.

"Billy is going to be deeply involved in soccer for us," said Lew Wolff, managing partner of the A's and now the Earthquakes.

"We're actually looking at some of Billy's concepts on how to evaluate players. We're trying to find out how we can apply some of Billy's thinking."

In the community of veteran baseball executives and scouts, in which Beane is not beloved, this will seem like so much chutzpah: The genius still hasn't won a World Series, "Moneyball" canonized him and now he thinks he can run two teams at the same time.

While Beane is about as much of a celebrity-GM as one can be -- he is both praised and maligned for his imaginative and unconventional approach to his work (just like Paris Hilton!) -- there's little doubting the man's talent. To take a team with such consistently low payroll and have them competing for titles yearly is impressive in and of itself. Applying that approach to the less talent-saturated, even-salaried world of Major League Soccer would not only provide Beane the breathing room he's always desired with the A's, but it would cement his organizational genius for years to come.

If Beane fails, well, there's always the next Scott Hatteberg.