Thursday Hicks Debates

Jeff e-mailed me this yesterday after our newest rant about the idiocy of Tom Hicks, most recently on Norm’s show:

How come when Mark Cuban is on your show and says he has realized he needs to spend more wisely and cut payroll you didn't say those comments you make about Hicks to him?

Regards,

jeff

So, I needed more clarification:

Are you asking why we don't ask Cuban about Hicks or why we don't badger Cuban about spending? I think the answer to both is obvious - Hicks has nothing to do with Cuban and Cuban has spent more than anyone this side of Steinbrenner, but I was curious what you meant-

So, Jeff sent me his response:

Thanks for you answer. That is where I was going. Cuban has spent and for what result? No championship. Then said he realized it wasn't the way to go. Yet, you and your partner yuck it up with him and jump on Hicks for the exact same thing. You are being a total hypocrite. Go listen to the tapes. BTW when did it start being wrong for a business owner to not worry about the bottom line.

Jeff

I wanted to respond to this guy on the blog, because despite the fact that there are many, many legions of fans that agree with us about Hicks, there are plenty that think like Jeff does: that since Hicks is the owner, he has the right to run his team any way he wishes.

I disagree. Oh sure, it is not illegal to pocket profits and not care about winning. If that were the case, the Bidwell family would have had the Cardinals stripped from them many years ago.

But, I believe there is a responsibility to the community to reinvest a reasonable amount of your profits back in your organization. Tom Hicks passed that test with flying colors for many years. In fact, Hicks used to be in the same category as Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban as “owners who would stop at nothing to win”. That is every fan’s dream. An owner who likes money, but loves winning. If they didn’t, they could make money in real estate. But, they got in sports because they are obsessed with the business of winning.

But, in 2004 and 2005, it has appeared Tom Hicks’ goal was to make back that which he lost in previous years. Winning was not nearly as important as a profit. Now, it is really easy to talk winning, but it should not be forgotten that since trading Alex Rodriguez, some 20 months ago, no player from outside the organization has been signed to a significant contract of any kind.

How does this relate to the summer of Cuban where he shed huge dollars by sending Michael Finley away? A summer where he apparently has learned spending the most will not help him catch the Spurs? A few things:

1) You cannot compare the two, since Cuban has spent as much money as any franchise in the sport. It would be similar to Hicks spending more than the Yankees, without the Yankees revenue streams. Cuban has taken MAJOR losses, and if you check his math, which I have, it is easy to see that he has lost tremendous amounts of money. Meanwhile, if you check the math on Hicks, it is highly debatable that a team could come close to losing money with anything below a $80 million dollar payroll.

2) Cuban talks a good game (about saving money), but we all know he won’t have the self control not to spend more money when the right deal comes along. He is obsessed with winning, to a point that he can’t say “no” to a Juwan Howard deal or a Raef Lafrentz deal or an Antoine Walker deal. He always makes deals for basketball reasons not financial reasons. That is what you want from an owner. And despite his supposed new ways, I will believe it when I see it.

3) Third, and to me the biggest difference between Hicks and Cuban, is that Cuban does what he does, and then properly communicates his message in such a way that you actually believe him. Meanwhile Hicks says things like, “the owner has to stop writing checks” and “unfortunately, it worked, the Stars won the Stanley Cup”. The more he talks, the less you believe what he says.

And finally, to that idea of “shouldn’t an owner be allowed to run his business any way he want?” Shouldn’t a profit be allowed? Yes. When you sell a team for a $100-$500 million profit, you will realize the dollars that you always hoped for. Year to year losses are very common, but overall profits are amazing. The Vikings were sold a few months ago for $600 million dollars, after the owner, Red McCombs had bought them in 1998 for $246 million. This is pretty common these days on the sales of sports franchises.

In fact, if you no longer want to spend on your team, sell it! Then, you get your money, and your fans get a competitive team that wants to reinvest its major revenues in the product.



I really don’t want to write much about this, but the sad piano is playing, as our buddy Gabe Kapler suffered a substantial setback last night.

the Achilles blown out in Toronto …

Then, in the fifth, Kapler reached on an error. Would everything have been different if he hadn't reached base? Or was the injury something that was building inside his leg, the tendon weakening, ready to explode, perhaps later in the game? He'll likely never know, but he won't forget how the injury occurred.

The next batter, Graffanino, launched a ball to left that was anything but a no-doubter. Kapler reached second gaining steam as the ball cleared the fence, then crumpled.

''I've never in my 18 years seen a home run and seen a guy blow out at second base," Wells remarked.

Revo takes Hicks spending on again …

Suddenly, I find myself fretting that the Rangers' crop of young pitchers is having too much success in September.

How's that for a flip-flop?

Seriously, we really do have to worry. It's entirely conceivable that Tom Hicks, who just this week admitted publicly that the Rangers have become "a very profitable team" again, will use the surprising September performances of Kameron Loe, Juan Dominguez and even R.A. Dickey to rationalize not signing free-agent pitching this off-season.

"I don't think that will happen," general manager John Hart said Wednesday while he watched the Rangers and Orioles wrapping up their series on another scorching late-summer afternoon in front of a handful of sun worshipers at The Ballpark in Arlington. "Had a money-pitcher been there at the [trade] deadline, Tom wasn't blinking at that."

Here is the new NHL rules video …If they call it like they claim they will call it, there will be 30 power plays per game!

ESPN grabs Baseball for 8 more years …More money for Tom Hicks not to spend…

Galloway on Mack Brown …

Funny email of the day:

Subject: Which one of these is a sign of the Apocolypse or are both?

Breaking News: A federal judge in San Francisco has declared it
unconstitutional to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools.

ALERT SPORTS: Cowboys QB Drew Bledsoe named NFC Offensive Player of the
Week. Click here for details.