Publicity 101

With Mark Cuban’s recent announcement that “hey, I’m still interested in the Cubs,” it got me wondering whether or not this Joe-Six-Pack’s wet dream had a snowball’s chance in hell of happening. My answer? Of-fucking-course not. So why is Cuban so intent on letting everyone within earshot know that he’s willing to “pull out all the stops” in pursuit of the Cubs?

There are only a few possible answers as I can see.

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1. He thinks he may be able to totally overwhelm Zell with an offer that simply cannot be refused. Its fairly well known that MLB strong armed their way into getting John Henry’s bid for the Red Sox accepted (even though it wasn’t the highest). Maybe Cuban thinks if he offers a ridiculously high bid for the Cubs AND makes it well known in the media just how much more he offered than any other bidder, he couldn’t be denied. The Tribune’s financial woes are such that it is possible that they couldn’t justify denying such an overwhelming (and very public) bid. Furthermore, given that MLB has been Congress’ bitch for the last two years or so, denying a bid that is significantly higher than any other for no other reason than the guy making it doesn’t belong to Skull and Bones might get them another round in front of the humble Senator from Iowa. I’m sure they’d like to avoid that kind of hassle.

2. He wants the publicity so he can market his other companies, like HDNet, 2929 Entertainment and Landmark Theatres. I’m not really sure what kind of cross-promotional advantage his public pursuit of the Cubs would bring to these companies, but who knows.

3. Ego. Its obvious that Cuban enjoys being in the spotlight, and why wouldn’t he? He’s beloved by practically every fan of professional sports, and has the perfect reputation: the everyman who gets rich overnight. The guy is Mr. Deeds, even down to the $5 haircut. There is no better way to promote himself than to mount an aggressively public campaign for one of the ten most recognizable sports franchises in the world. Even if (when) his bid gets rejected, it becomes just another example of the Old Boys Club keeping the average guy out, and his reputation grows.

Regardless, #2 and #3 are far more likely reasons behind Cuban’s bid for the Cubs. But what if he were to actually succeed in his bid for the team? Would it really make a difference on the field?

Most likely, while he’d make it a hell of a lot more fun for the average fan (and make our job a whole lot easier), the actual on-field impact would most certainly be minimal, at least in the short-term. The team has a large number of long-term salary commitments, and free agency is more likely to bring a player like Barry Zito than Vladimir Guerrero (I had to look hard to find the last free agent who actually has lived up to his contract).

If he were willing to spend even more money to upgrade the scouting department and hire a competent statistically-inclined GM, the impact would come in the long-term. Renovations of Wrigley Field would also be a long-term process whose benefits wouldn’t be immediately apparent (and would probably cost him a little goodwill in the process).

So while Mark Cuban’s pursuit of the Cubs is fun for fans and columnists, the likelihood of a successful bid is minimal, and the impact of a successful purchase by Cuban is more likely to be in the public relations department more so than on the field, at least in the short term. But hey, it would be fun to read blogmaverick over the next few years. Maybe his online chats could rival Muskat’s or Sullivan’s in their pure stupidity.