For the Cubbies, Mark Cuban Is Ready to Put a Billion Where His Mouth Is

Mark Cuban has never shied away from spending money. Take for instance, his recent arbitration case against former Dallas Mavs coach Don Nelson. Cubes lost out on $6.3 million but insisted that he was pleased with the outcome because the truth about Nelson apparently came out during the proceedings. That, friends, is some freakin' expensive truth right there.

Cuban is once again ready to open up his wallet, this time for a greater cause than truth: He'd like to purchase everyone's favorite cursed baseball team, the Chicago Cubs. And Mark is ready to spend a ton of scratch, so sayeth a story in the NY Times today.

Cuban is reported to be the top bidder, at nearly $1.3 billion, but the auction will begin soon, after the applicants and their bankers delve further into the assets books.

“The Cubs are an amazing franchise and brand,” Cuban wrote in an e-mail message. “I think the owner of any major sports franchise has two jobs: first, it’s to work hard to win a championship year after year, and second, to be the caretaker of the franchise in the community.”

As the old axiom says, you gotta spend money to make money. Or something. And honestly, if someone is ready to fork over more than what some countries make in an entire fiscal year for a baseball team, then God bless them.

Alright, that's it for me this weekend. Thanks again for all the tips and encouraging emails. Matt Sussman and his special live-blogging machine (read: his delicate fingers) will be with you tonight on this here website, taking you through the Colts/Redskins exhibition game. He's expecting you at 8pm sharp; pants are optional.

Cuban Wants Cubs, but Will Baseball Want Him? [New York Times]