Mark Cuban, the owner of the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, said Thursday that he plans to participate in the bidding process for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The process could begin next week, when the investment bank handling the sale of the Dodgers is expected to provide prospective buyers with confidential financial data in a bid book.
He “will see a book,” Cuban wrote in an email.
Cuban told the Los Angeles Times last month that he had inquired about buying the Dodgers but “wasn’t interested” at an asking price of at least $1 billion.
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt subsequently agreed with Major League Baseball on a deal in which he would sell the team and its stadium but keep the surrounding parking lots, subject to a lease that would guarantee the new owner could use the lots on game days.
As part of his due diligence, Cuban said, he would explore whether the exclusion of the parking lots might reduce the purchase price of the team.
He “will take a look and determine if one impacts the other,” Cuban wrote.
Cuban previously pursued the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. He said last month he would not be interested in the Atlanta Braves if that franchise were put up for sale.
“I like franchises that need a lot of help,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The Braves have a great franchise.”
VALENTINE’S DAY
Bobby Valentine took over as manager of the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, being introduced at a news conference at Fenway Park attended by owner John Henry and his wife, by Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino, by an entourage of friends from Stamford, Conn., by dozens of team employees and by about 100 members of the media, many of them from New York outlets that covered Valentine in his days with the Mets.
“It’s more than a special day. It’s the beginning of a life that’s going to extend beyond anything I thought of doing,” said Valentine, 61, who agreed to a two-year deal with club options for 2014 and 2015. “The talent level of the players we have in this organization is a gift to anyone, and I think I’m a receiver of this gift.”
Valentine, who also managed the Texas Rangers and who guided the Chiba Lotte Marines to the 2005 Japan League championship, brings to Boston a reputation as a polarizing figure who wasn’t afraid to criticize his players publicly – something former Red Sox manager Terry Francona never did – and who bickered with his boss at the Mets. But he takes over a team with a bit of a reputation problem of its own: After going 7-20 in September to miss the playoffs by one game, the Red Sox have been hounded by reports that players drank beer and ate fried chicken in the clubhouse during games instead of sitting in the dugout to support their teammates.
SURGERY FOR RIVERA
New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera says he will have surgery today to remove polyps from his vocal chords.
Talking at a charity event in New York, Rivera said the operation at New York-Presbyterian Hospital will prevent him from speaking for a week.
“I don’t like surgery, but the sooner, the better,” Rivera said.
Rivera, who turned 42 on Tuesday, had 44 saves this season to increase his career-record total to 603.
SHORT HOPS
The Rangers traded catcher Taylor Teagarden to the Orioles for minor league pitcher Randy Henry and a player to be named. … The Dodgers signed former Mariners infielder Adam Kennedy to a one-year contract worth $800,000. … Marlins left fielder Logan Morrison will have arthroscopic surgery Monday to repair a lingering knee injury.
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