Why Baseball Is Stupid (part 1)
While I am not exactly the official barometer for public opinion in this fine country, I'm entitled to my rants. The fact of the matter is, I watched college football this past weekend. And pro football. And a lot of soccer. And no baseball. I checked out the Royals box score for yesterday's game in the newspaper, but that's about it. Not good, considering the season is almost over.
While my title would lead one to assume that there are numerous reasons that baseball is stupid, today I choose to focus on one. Namely, ownership issues. As it so happens, the long-suffering Chicago Cubs are up for sale. Many people would like to purchase said team, as it is one of the most popular American teams in any sport. Word on the street is that one of Bud Selig's pals (Bud Selig = Commissioner of Major League Baseball) is the front runner to purchase the team. Which would be fine, if he was the best candidate. Alas, he is not. The best candidate is being blacklisted, shunned and punked by baseball's inept good ol' boys network. Who is this masked man, you ask?
Mark Cuban. Only the best owner in all of professional sports.
Cuban currently owns the Dallas Mavericks. He sits courtside, he blogs on a regular basis, he outwardly speaks his mind, sometimes he even argues with the refs. He spends a ton of money on his team, as he wants to win so badly. He's what I like to call, "The Benign Villan". While he always has people talking, he knows where the line is and is smart enough to sprint up to it and skid to a screeching halt before he crosses it. It makes for good radio and good times for the fine people of Dallas. In many ways, he reminds me a lot of Chad Johnson.
And yet, Bud Selig doesn't want to let him into the club. You can hardly blame Bud. He is not a very good commissioner, and has rarely shown the vision and foresight necessary to stop baseball's ever falling popularity. It would be an intimidating prospect to have a young and boisterous owner in one of the most visible markets in the league. But it would be very good for the league and for the city of Chicago.
And yet, it is destined not to happen.
And that is one reason why baseball is stupid.
Fair Dinkum
While my title would lead one to assume that there are numerous reasons that baseball is stupid, today I choose to focus on one. Namely, ownership issues. As it so happens, the long-suffering Chicago Cubs are up for sale. Many people would like to purchase said team, as it is one of the most popular American teams in any sport. Word on the street is that one of Bud Selig's pals (Bud Selig = Commissioner of Major League Baseball) is the front runner to purchase the team. Which would be fine, if he was the best candidate. Alas, he is not. The best candidate is being blacklisted, shunned and punked by baseball's inept good ol' boys network. Who is this masked man, you ask?
Mark Cuban. Only the best owner in all of professional sports.
Cuban currently owns the Dallas Mavericks. He sits courtside, he blogs on a regular basis, he outwardly speaks his mind, sometimes he even argues with the refs. He spends a ton of money on his team, as he wants to win so badly. He's what I like to call, "The Benign Villan". While he always has people talking, he knows where the line is and is smart enough to sprint up to it and skid to a screeching halt before he crosses it. It makes for good radio and good times for the fine people of Dallas. In many ways, he reminds me a lot of Chad Johnson.
And yet, Bud Selig doesn't want to let him into the club. You can hardly blame Bud. He is not a very good commissioner, and has rarely shown the vision and foresight necessary to stop baseball's ever falling popularity. It would be an intimidating prospect to have a young and boisterous owner in one of the most visible markets in the league. But it would be very good for the league and for the city of Chicago.
And yet, it is destined not to happen.
And that is one reason why baseball is stupid.
Fair Dinkum