Cuban and the Cubs

Cool Wrigley Video

CubanandtheCubs.com Girls Cause a Stir at Wrigley - Watch more free videos

Why look like everyone else at Wrigley, get your Cuban and the Cubs tee shirt at Merkle’s today, or order on line at CubsTeeShirts.com!

Sad day in Chicago...No Cubs for Cuban

The race is over folks...Tribune has made their decision, Ricketts is the man behind the Cubs...READ MORE.

We made a good run, but fate has spoken...bring on the new professional football league! Perhaps this site becomes CubantheVick? Hmmm...

Mark Cuban Speaks up About Cubs Deal

It’s been pretty hush, hush from the Cuban camp until this win the high-visible Mavericks owner added a new post to his blog, The Cubs…READ IT.

Reading this post brought me back to why I started the Cuban and the Cubs campaign in the first place, because I like the guy, and I have never even met him. He is a straight shooter, speaks his mind, and is an innovator; all things I admire in someone’s character. Of course there are some byproducts that would come my way because of this campaign, but for the most part, I really wanted Mark in Chicago; they seem like a great fit, and this town could use a guy like him.

Perhaps it is in the cards, perhaps not, regardless, the ensuing deal is still up in the air.

Testing Shows that Plaxico Burress is Genetically Predisposed to Make Poor Decisions

Genetic testing and Plaxico Burress are two huge stories in the media this week. Let’s bring the two together shall we?

The NYT published an article this week, Born to Run? Little Ones Get Test for Sports Gene, that reports that parents are excited about the option to discover their child’s athletic aptness through genetic testing. I thought we used tryouts for that?

When I was kid, I learned by doing. I had a pretty good idea of where my talents lied by learning from my older brother, and my father. If they were good at a particular sport, there was a good chance I would be too. I was not worried about my genetics. I simply worked hard and had fun. Being a pro was the furthest thing from my mind, as I knew that was not in the cards.

Did you know that the odds of becoming a professional athlete are 22,000 to 1? You have a better chance of winning an Academy award than you do becoming a professional athlete. So, why are parents excited about using genetics to exploit their child’s athletic potential? The answer; because now they can and our “achievement first” attitude is too powerful to suppress. Check out this article in response to the NYT article, Sports Genetic Testing—Winning at what cost?. It speaks to the parenting side of this new-found science.

Jump to 2028
Below is what I foresee happening in the future if parents go crazy for genetic testing;

Coach Smith gets a call from Jimmy’s mom. Jimmy did not make the basketball team despite his genetic testing results that showed that we was predisposed to excel in hoops.

Mary: Coach Smith, this is Mary, Jimmy’s mom. Jimmy told me that he did not make the team today. I find this news very hard to believe considering his genetics. Did you know that he scored extremely high on his genetics test for basketball?

Coach Smith: Yes, his father was sure to tell me before and after every practice.

Mary: So, you then that he has the genetics to be a great basketball player, probably even become a professional.

Coach Smith: Perhaps, but his skills do not match his genetics and his effort level was far below many of the other kids trying out.

Mary: Coach Smith, Jimmy deserves another chance. You simply can’t ignore his god-given talents. Don’t you want someone on your team that is built for basketball?

Coach Smith: No, considering this a travel team for 12-13 year-olds, I want a kid who works hard, listens well, and most of all, wants to have fun. Unfortunately, your son did not meet those criteria, genetically.

Mary hung up.

Coach smiled, then frowned.

Not a very promising outlook, but I am sure that I am not that far off.

Now, what if Plaxico’s family brought him in to test his genetics? Of course they would discover that he was designed to be a superior athlete, which he is. But, perhaps there were some genetic defects identified that could pose a problem for him later life. Maybe these defects had to do with his decision making abilities and he would need mentoring and character development to overcome these obstacles. What would happen if Plaxico decided to just ride out the athletic talent thing and bypass all else? I think we know the answer; amidst a Superbowl championship, millions of dollars in his pocket, and fame, Plaxico goes to a nightclub, fumbles with his gun in his pocket and shoots himself in the thigh. A week later, he is suspended for the rest of the season and facing a minimum of 3.5 years in jail, and probably miss the opportunity to win back-to-back Superbowls. Maybe Plaxico should have worked on his character.

I think we can agree that both scenarios are not optimal. While understanding our assets from a genetic standpoint seems attractive, I am sure that it would decrease the urge to take risks and learn something new. One thing that society has seemingly shied away from is learning from failure and risk.

I Leave you with this quote from JFK, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

Sionara Cuban! Mark Cuban Fails to Submit Final Bid for the Cubs, or is it Just Under Wraps?

Have our dreams have been crushed by Mark Cuban's inaction today? Or, is Cuban just staying on the down-low? 

On the final call for bids to buy the Cubs, Sam Zell received three bids. Supposedly, none of them were from our beloved Cuban from Dallas, but what if Cuban was stealth about his bid and snuck it by the media. Considering all that has been going on in the media around Cuban, maybe he did sneak a bid through, but kept it under wraps. I have a hard time believing that Cuban would go quietly considering all that he has invested (time and $) in courting the Cubs.

Stay Tuned. I am waiting this one out until the fat lady sings and all I see are skinny chicks around me.

The Email Heard Around the World, SEC, Norris, Cuban

I love to see that my civil servicemen are hard at work making America a better place. Check out an email thread between our beloved SEC and Mark Cuban...VIEW THREAD.

How about some other fishy facts related to the latest charge against Mark Cuban.

This excerpt speaks to how the email thread above came to be;

An interesting twist to this is the timing of the SEC’s complaint. The complaint comes some five years after Cuban’s stock sale. While it might well be just a coincidence, according to the New York Times the complaint came after a lawyer for the SEC sent Cuban a letter questioning his patriotism for helping with the distribution of a documentary entitled “Loose Change,” which claims that the 9/11 attacks were an inside job planned by President Bush and other U.S. officials. The SEC lawyer proceeded to report (rat on) Cuban’s involvement with the film to SEC Chairman Chris Cox. The SEC then filed its insider-trading complaint against Cuban.

This excerpt speaks to a situation where the SEC decided to be more hush, hush about certain circumstances;

McCain'sFinance Mgr. is a Felon!
By Steve Duskin - Unexcited - Mar 20th, 2008 at 10:13 pm EDT
The Bribee just got sentenced yesterday. Malek settled with the SEC (which has become a toothless lapdog under Christopher Cox, who WROTE the law that keeps you from suing corporate wrongdoers, by the way) a couple of years ago, admitting to acts which are clear Class 1 felonies. But, did Gonzales' DOJ investigate or prosecute? Of course not! Why not? Because Freddie Malek was a partner with George W. Bush in the Texas Rangers, and is the fixer who brought in Tom Hicks' money and got the Arlington City Council to assume ALL the risk of a new stadium!

All quite interesting tidbits. I am still looking for curious connections and conspiracies, so let me know if you have some insight.

Want to give Jeffrey Norris an earful? EMAIL HIM

Cuban Charged with Insider Trading

Wow...speculation is running rampant. Hundreds of outlets are pushing a variety of stories around the SECs charge against Mark Cuban, so who's to know what is fact. We do know he has been charged, but we do not know if he is guilty. In order to be fair, always get a broad scope of data so that you are well-informed, and don't jump to conclusion; charge does not mean guilty. With that, I offer a link to Brian Cuban's perspective on the allegations against his brother...My Brother is not Martha Stewart.

More links of interest

The Wall Street Journal announced today that Mark Cuban has been charged by the SEC for insider trading related to the sales of mamma.com...DETAILS

Cuban's response at BlogMaverick.com; “I am disappointed that the Commission chose to bring this case based upon its Enforcement staff’s win-at-any-cost ambitions. The staff’s process was result-oriented, facts be damned. The government’s claims are false and they will be proven to be so.” READ MORE

Tribune Desperate to Sell the Cubs

It was reported yesterday that the Tribune has set a deadline (11/26) on the final bidding for the unlucky Chicago Cubs. After losing $121M in the 3rd quarter, Zell is looking to unload the Cubs to help with the dramatic loss in revenue. What does this mean for Mark Cuban?

Despite rumors that Mark Cuban has no chance at buying the club, Cuban will most likely be the highest bidder again, but perhaps well short of the previous bid of $1.3B considering the decrease in value over the past couple of months. Seems Zell’s risk of waiting to see if the Cubs would win the World Series backfired, and instead is currently swimming in an economy that weakens daily.

What should we expect?
Who knows!? We do know that the incestuous MLB organization is rooted in old school politics, and a flamboyant, progressive Mark Cuban is considered a threat to the even-keel league. However, the league is in jeopardy with its lopsided support, and Mark Cuban may just have the innovative ideas to help broaden the success of the league.

With that, we may be able to assume that the next owner will be Tom Ricketts’, if he bids. Or, Selig’s boy Canning may try to short bid again knowing that Selig will get the MLB owners to vote against Cuban (if he is the highest bidder). Either way, Zell is not going to get his $1.3B for the Cubs. Time will tell folks.

Special Note: if you remember back in September, I wrote a letter to Senator George Mitchell and he responded in kind, expressing that we would keep an eye on how things progressed. I recently emailed the Senator and identified the media rumors that the MLB would stunt Cuban’s bid. His administrative assistant (per George) thanked me for the note and ensured me that he was still following the progress.

Wouldn’t that be something if the Senator stepped in and mediated in Cuban’s defense? Stranger things have happened; Jesse Ventura was a governor!

Mark Cuban’s Thoughts on the Chicago Suntimes’ Claim

I mentioned in yesterdays post…BS; the claim of the Chicago Suntimes that the MLB will not allow Mark Cuban to buy the Chicago Cubs. Cuban agrees;

"There's no reason to comment on anonymous comments from unsolicited sources. I mean it's ridiculous," Cuban said. See article here.

I say again, talk to me when the MLB announces the new owner of the Chicago Cubs. In the meantime, quit printing claims without naming sources. Or, get someone who will go on record.

WEAR your support for Mark Cuban as the next owner of the Chicago Cubs; GET YOUR CUBAN AND THE CUBS TEE

No Cuban for the Cubs, Source Says

Just when you thought the rumor mill was closed, Chris De Luca of the Chicago Suntimes claims to have sources that support September’s claim (Chi-Ball) that Mark Cuban never had a chance to buy the Cubs, but rather, as simply a pawn. Once again, however, they fail to name names.

What’s the Truth?
Only Sam Zell, and perhaps a select few, really know the truth about the bidding process. Let’s say the claims are fact, Zell still is not going to get what he wants unless he actually sells to Cuban. So, if his goal was to raise the bidding amount by getting Cuban involved, it worked, but it backfired because he will not get the 1 Billion he is looking for without him…especially in this economy.

If not Cuban, then Who?
Tom Ricketts, of course! Unfortunately Ricketts is not stable anymore as a buyer. The funny thing is in an economy like this one Cuban is the most viable option, through his net worth and real assets. Plus he has the popular vote; the electoral (Selig and his cronies) vote will have major influence however.

In the End
If the Cubs sell this year, I bet it is Mark Cuban as the buyer. What started as a business tactic to raise the value (sound familiar, Wallstreet) of the Cubs will most likely turn into the sale of the Cubs directly to the pawn. Zell wants cash, Zell needs cash, Zell will go to the highest bidder, whoever that may be.

Sit and wait…Chis De Luca, name your sources! Email me.

Fitzy's POV of Game 5