Reds Round Table: The All-Star Game and Other Baseball Info

And now a topic that even though it has been quiet as of late, I felt the need to bring it to the masses again. Much has been made about the situation involving the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, I’m thinking if we see the same end that we witnessed lst season involving the Texas Rangers (ie: bidding for a team tied up in bankruptcy), we may once again see Mark Cuban try to become the owner of an MLB team. So gang, how do you feel about Cuban being an owner?

Ronnie Ginter of Big Red Redemption offers up how he feels about Cuban in baseball.

Cuban may be one of the most outlandish people on the face of this earth but he does a phenomenal job putting a great product on the field/court. He’s proven that he knows what it takes to be a competitor in professional sports even though he may seem larger than life. So when it comes to him owning the Dodgers I say “Why the hell not!?” Frank McCourt had absolutely no business owning one of the most storied franchises in professional sports and now MLB has to pay for it. Mark has the money, he loves his fans, and he has a passion and pride that I think without a doubt will help this sport. Think about it who wouldn’t want to see an owner in the middle of the diamond spraying his players with Champaign or giving a player a shaving cream pie to the face?

I have to admit something here. When I developed this particular topic, I knew Alex Apple of BRM would be a good person to ask. He attends TCU and is close to how Cuban affects an area. This is something to keep in mind when you read his POV.

Mark Cuban would be a terrific owner for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He would be good for baseball. Mark Cuban has poured his heart and soul into the Dallas Mavericks. He has put all his revenue back into the team, and he was rewarded with a title. Mark Cuban would put a lot of money into the Dodgers and one of baseball’s most storied franchises would be exciting again. I think he needs to be let into baseball because he has proven that he is a terrific owner.

The Dodgers is at least the fourth team that I have heard linked to Cuban. Pittsburgh, the Chicago Cubs, the Texas Rangers (just last year. He was bidding on them!), and now, the Dodgers. With Cuban’s personality in LA, itspractically a win-win situation in my book.

Today’s final topic sounds easy, but it really wasn’t. I asked each panelist to put on the GM hat. You can make a deal for any player with NO restrictions. Who ya got?

Now, some did define only one player. Others submitted a list or a set of circumstances in who they would select.. To me, themost telling answer came from Chad Dotson of Redleg Nation.

If I’m the GM of the Reds, I go for Roy Halladay, and it isn’t even close. We haven’t seen many pitchers who can do the things he has been doing, and he would immediately push the Reds into the upper echelon.

If I’m the GM of just a random team, I’d think of someone like Buster Posey (assuming his injury isn’t going to limit him forever). Also,
let’s not forget Joey Votto, who is young and just mashes the ball as consistently as anyone around.

Halladay was a popular choice. No surprise there at all. But Justin Hamilton of BRM has another pitcher in mind.

I’m a believer in building with youth and starting a team with great pitching so I am going to deal for the Tigers’ Justin Verlander. He of the two no hitters is only 28 and has progressed to the point of superstardom especially with his spectacular start to 2011. There is everything you’d like in a long term ace pitcher: durability (averaged over 32 starts and 163+ IP per season in the prior 5 seasons), strikeout stuff (1st and 4th in the AL in Ks in 2009 and 2010 respectively), winning ability (95-56 career W-L), and age. It might not be a flashy pick but it’d definitely be one that’d pay dividends to a team.

Are you floored by that? If you are, then read it again and I believe your view may be altered a little…

Part II is now in the books and tomorrow we will get down to discussing the Reds. I may hear an earful from some of these folks…or they may hear from each other after reading the responses.

And do not forget that for the weekend, I will have a special best of where I provide other opinions from all three parts.