Big Shiny Official Announcement!

So Drayton will be holding a press conference this afternoon at 2:30 to address his selling of the Astros.

And Zach Levine has confirmed that Cuban ain't interested. And let's face it, that would have been awesome.

Jim Crane: Not pursuing the Astros

David Barron talked to Jim Crane, who has now been linked to the sale of three MLB teams, and owns exactly as many as you and I do.

Crane:
“I’m interested in baseball under the right economic conditions. The opportunities (to purchase a team) come up so seldom that you have to weigh each opportunity as it is presented, and right now I don’t think there is an opportunity unless something changes...

...“We’re not pursuing the Astros at this point. ... What happened with Drayton (in 2008) didn’t go off well. I certainly respect Drayton and wish him the best. He’s a great guy and sometimes deals just don’t work. I think for a while that might have been held against us, but we tried to conduct ourselves in a professional manner and respect the rules, and that is how we will continue to do things.”

Hey, but what about Mark Cuban?
Cuban, asked if he were interested in pursuing the Astros, said in an e-mail message, “No interest in pursuing the Astros. I hope if the opportunity arises that Jim Crane does pursue it. Having gotten to know Jim, he would be great for the Astros and the fans would love him.”

Drayton:
McLane said the sale of the Astros “is not something that we are pursuing. Teams that want to sell make a public announcement and then they have some sort of bid process, and that is not something we are contemplating at all.”

What Mark Cuban's ownership of the Cubs would look like

Hey, thank God MLB doesn't really and truly care about the fan as there is "no chance" that Mark Cuban will own the Cubs.

So let's look Cuban's business model with the Mavericks under his watch as owner/booster....

1. Complete connection with the fans. To my knowledge no owner had ever put his e-mail address on his website to allow fans to contact him.

2. Total attention to the running of the team. With the Mavericks, Cuban hired special coaches for offense, defense and shooting.

3. Revenue actually gets put back into the team. No using revenue to improve the owner's quality of life, Cuban puts everything back into the team.

What this would mean for the Cubs:

1. The Cubs have dealt with a faceless corporation as their owner (this mythical, Hearstian "Tribune.") Having a very public, very charismatic, very transparent owner would only energize their limping, devastated fan base.

2. Remember Don Zimmer in a Cubs uniform? That was funny. You can bet there would be specialists and coaches for starters, relievers, infielders, outfielders and catchers. The coaches might even get coaches, who would then be coached themselves. The Cubs would be transformed into a sleek, aerodynamic machine.

3. The Cubs' revenue stream - which is massive - would no longer be solely devoted to Jay Mariotti's eyebrows (I actually can't remember if Mariotti was with the Sun-Times or the Tribune. It doesn't matter - that was funny) and keeping the dark specter of bankruptcy off of the media giant's doorstep. Cuban would sink all profits back into the Cubs, not into buying a plane, and I'm talking to you, Kansas City Royals. Which would be scary.

So what does this mean for the Astros and the rest of the National League? It would be bad. Under Cuban, the Mavs have managed to fill needs, not just get guys because they're (a) available and (b) expensive. We don't need to go in to how basketball is different than baseball (three guys can dominate a basketball team, the Cubs know that three pitchers can't help a baseball team when they can't hit (see: Playoffs: 2008). However, rather than throwing money at anybody available, you could count on the GM Jim Hendry having all resources at his disposal.

Now I thought that this might be the year the Cubs actually did it. What you're seeing from Cubs fans, for the first time, is fear of next season. They don't want next year because this postseason was devastating for them. Not that I mind. But Mark Cuban buying the Cubs would energize that fan base so that they could actually look forward to next season, rather than wish they had never been born.

So, thanks Bud!