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Cuban Expresses Interest
In Owning Pirates |
Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, a Pennsylvania native, during Friday’s Pirates-Cubs game said that he “would be interested in investigating buying the Pirates if they became available,” according to Paul Meyer of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Cuban also said that he would be “amenable to joining the Pirates’ current ownership group -– if asked –-if there were a risk of the baseball team leaving Pittsburgh.” Pirates Managing General Partner Kevin McClatchy said in a statement, “There’s no chance of the Pirates moving away, so it’s really a nonissue.” Cuban: “If they ever decided to sell, I’d definitely be interested in taking a look. But I’m certainly not the type to be proactive about it because that’s not fair to Kevin.” Cuban added, “It’s something I’d consider. Like I said, I’m a Pirate(s) fan.” But Cuban said, “There was an article in [Friday’s Chicago Sun-Times] about me buying the Cubs. ... Wherever I go, someone’s going to speculate” (
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/16). In Pittsburgh, Joe Starkey wrote Cuban “sure did make [McClatchy] squirm. ... So much for the notion that nobody would want to buy this pitiful franchise.” Starkey noted the difference between the Pirates’ “miserly ownership” and Cuban’s success in turning around the Mavericks, and wrote, “Do everyone a favor, Mr. McClatchy, and give [Cuban] a call” (
TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 7/17).
