Major League Baseball is the good old boys club. Think country club, politics, and old money. I suspect if the league knew what they were getting with George Steinbrenner he never would have been allowed to purchase the Yankees from CBS in 1973. Now that he is gone I doubt we will ever see someone like him – at least in baseball – again. Of course, things change quickly in the modern sports world and I could be eating those words as early as August 4th. On that day Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will be one of the bidders in an auction to buy the currently bankrupt Texas Rangers.

From afar I am a fan of Mark Cuban. He is a self made billionaire that possesses vision, guts, and the ability to make ideas become reality. Unlike most of the privileged that get handed positions in corporate America and politics, Cuban paid for his education by collecting and selling stamps. In other words, this isn’t George Bush, Jeff Wilpon, or even the great Steinbrenner who was born into wealth.

Of course, our society doesn’t like people who challenge the status quo. It’s far easier to sit back and play it down the middle (Bud Selig’s favorite position) instead of doing what may not be popular, but is right. That is why in David Stern’s NBA he has been fined a grand total of $2 million dollars for violations that range from calling out officials to jawing with opposing players. He is living the dream of every fan: owning a professional sports team. Instead of just using it as a tax write off, or country club talking point, he actually cares about winning. I can tell you that many don’t believe the majority of Selig’s stable of “approved” owners have that in their yearly agenda.

If George Steinbrenner pulled baseball into a new era of free agency, I could see Mark Cuban proving that you don’t need to be in New York, Boston, or Los Angeles to get the top players or win it all. Look at this excerpt from a column by Henry Abbott on ESPN

Recent reports of the Maverick organization losing vast quantities of money do little to dim Cuban’s star in the minds of players. He has built his brand over a decade, as a loud and loyal owner who will do anything in his power to win, including emptying his relentlessly deep pockets.

Cuban says there is a cardinal rule in being the kind of owner who appeals to free agents: “Never quit on a season to save money … free agents who place a priority on winning don’t want to go to teams where there is a history and significant risk that if things don’t go according to plan, the owner would demand a huge salary dump that kills the current and future for the team.”

Cuban has gone to great lengths through the years to treat his players with respect. That starts with a famously classy locker room and plane, but continues to meaningful things like helping Avery Johnson transition from player to coach, being the de facto president of the Dirk Nowitzki fan club, and developing meaningful relationships with many of his past and present players.

How can you not want someone like that in your league? What player would not want to play for an owner like that? If there is anyone that could give the Yankees a run for their money I believe it would be Cuban. Do you realize how few teams in this sport have owners that believe in what Mark Cuban does above?

The real issue is fear. Just like George Steinbrenner forced the other owners to step up their game so too would Cuban owning the Texas Rangers. I bet Cliff Lee is no shoo-in to leave if Cuban was the owner. You would hear the Texas Rangers name bandied about with all the top free agents. I bet they would be more of a player for big names than the Mets, who reside on better real estate and have their own network. Perhaps that is an indictment on the Wilpon’s, but it shows you the kind of person you would be dealing with.

I have nothing against Chuck Greenberg, who I know very little about, and I believe Nolan Ryan should be a part of the organization regardless of the owner. I have to go with what I know and I see an owner that took the worst NBA team of the nineties and turned them into contenders. If not for a few bad calls in Game 3 of the 2006 Finals they probably would have been champions.

Bud Selig has done very little to advance baseball during his tenure. If not for “right place/right time” he might go down as the worst commissioner in the history of the game. Any advances were done a day late and all failures were the result of “head in the sand” management. Fortunately baseball is a cash cow with some of the most loyal fans in all of sports. When you land on an oil field it’s very hard not to be successful. Unlike Selig, Cuban had to work for everything he’s accomplished. If more owners had that mindset the Yankees wouldn’t have the same huge advantage they enjoy today.

I wouldn’t count on seeing Mark Cuban named the owner of the Texas Rangers- even his own lawyer expressed pessimism about completing a deal- but I do believe he would be the perfect fit for the Texas Rangers. If anything he could help drag baseball into the next phase of its existence, unwillingly of course. Just like the league needed George Steinbrenner in 1973 it needs Cuban now. The problem is they may not have the guts to admit it.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Chuck Greenberg, Dallas Mavericks, George Steinbrenner, Jeff Wilpon, Mark Cuban, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nolan Ryan, Texas Rangers