It is clear that Tom Hicks is turning into Ross Perot Jr. – at least his pattern of ownership seems to be very similar.
If you recall, Perot lead the group that bought the Mavericks from Don Carter. Shortly after that, the Mavs spiraled downward until they were the laughingstock of the NBA. ESPN even flashed “Mavericks highlights – turn away!” on the screen during Sportscenter to alert fans to the horrible basketball that was about to be shown. Perot was all about real estate development and didn’t know anything about creating a winning basketball team. He (with Hicks as a partner) later developed the very successful Victory Plaza around the American Airlines Center after he sold the team.
Hicks now seems to be totally immersed in developing Glorypark between the ballpark and Jerryworld. Just as Perot always had more of a knack for real estate than the pick and roll, Hicks seems to be devoting more and more resources to development and less to winning. Our only hope is that there is a passionate baseball fan that can convince Hicks to sell the Rangers. This guy would have to overpay, because Hicks would not like the idea about “selling low” now that the Rangers are abysmal. The longer he waits, the worse the Rangers will get. They have in no way hit rock bottom, but that could be coming in the next year or two. I would suggest the time to sell would be immediately. In other words, the Rangers need to find their Mark Cuban. Say what you will about Cuban, but the Mavericks would not be where they are without him. I am not saying it should be Cuban, just someone like him. Surely there is a passionate baseball fan with hundreds of millions of dollars to invest.
Remember when Hicks bought the Rangers? Everyone was excited because the perception was that the previous ownership did not have the money to pursue high dollar free agents. Everyone thought Hicks would spend what was needed to bring a winner to Arlington. One of the first things he did was sign ARod to the largest contract in baseball history, paying him tens of millions of dollars more than anyone else would. On the ticket they extolled Hick’s greatness with a song about his “big 12 pounder” implying that Hick’s had the stroke to get whatever the Rangers wanted.
Unfortunately, in baseball, you have to be smart as well as rich. Proof of this is George Steinbrenner, who annually spends twice as much as virtually every team in baseball, but has not won a world championship in this millennium. When Hicks bought the Rangers, they had a strong minor league system which regularly churned out top position players, particularly Latin players. Hicks ignored these assets and like any other asset they depreciated until now they are in a very sorry state. Hicks inherited a quality GM in Doug Melvin, but later fired him to hire “the smartest GM in baseball” John Hart. After dabbling with Grady Fuson, Hicks hired the youngest GM in baseball history who has made mistakes of the highest magnitude in both hiring and trades.
Hicks bought the best soccer club in England and they promptly lost their first championship match under him. He commented about how the fans were so loyal and passionate as compared to the US teams he owned. Be careful what you ask for. I am sure those fans are feeling the same way Rangers fans did back when. They expect him to get them the players they need to be perennial champs. How long will it take for them to realize that this won’t happen? If his poor management skills rear their ugly head in Liverpool, those fans will be calling for Hicks’ head and he may not feel so comfortable traveling in the UK.
Mr. Hicks – please see the handwriting on the wall and sell now, before the Rangers hit rock bottom with your continued mistake-ridden Ross Perot Jr.-like leadership!
If you recall, Perot lead the group that bought the Mavericks from Don Carter. Shortly after that, the Mavs spiraled downward until they were the laughingstock of the NBA. ESPN even flashed “Mavericks highlights – turn away!” on the screen during Sportscenter to alert fans to the horrible basketball that was about to be shown. Perot was all about real estate development and didn’t know anything about creating a winning basketball team. He (with Hicks as a partner) later developed the very successful Victory Plaza around the American Airlines Center after he sold the team.
Hicks now seems to be totally immersed in developing Glorypark between the ballpark and Jerryworld. Just as Perot always had more of a knack for real estate than the pick and roll, Hicks seems to be devoting more and more resources to development and less to winning. Our only hope is that there is a passionate baseball fan that can convince Hicks to sell the Rangers. This guy would have to overpay, because Hicks would not like the idea about “selling low” now that the Rangers are abysmal. The longer he waits, the worse the Rangers will get. They have in no way hit rock bottom, but that could be coming in the next year or two. I would suggest the time to sell would be immediately. In other words, the Rangers need to find their Mark Cuban. Say what you will about Cuban, but the Mavericks would not be where they are without him. I am not saying it should be Cuban, just someone like him. Surely there is a passionate baseball fan with hundreds of millions of dollars to invest.
Remember when Hicks bought the Rangers? Everyone was excited because the perception was that the previous ownership did not have the money to pursue high dollar free agents. Everyone thought Hicks would spend what was needed to bring a winner to Arlington. One of the first things he did was sign ARod to the largest contract in baseball history, paying him tens of millions of dollars more than anyone else would. On the ticket they extolled Hick’s greatness with a song about his “big 12 pounder” implying that Hick’s had the stroke to get whatever the Rangers wanted.
Unfortunately, in baseball, you have to be smart as well as rich. Proof of this is George Steinbrenner, who annually spends twice as much as virtually every team in baseball, but has not won a world championship in this millennium. When Hicks bought the Rangers, they had a strong minor league system which regularly churned out top position players, particularly Latin players. Hicks ignored these assets and like any other asset they depreciated until now they are in a very sorry state. Hicks inherited a quality GM in Doug Melvin, but later fired him to hire “the smartest GM in baseball” John Hart. After dabbling with Grady Fuson, Hicks hired the youngest GM in baseball history who has made mistakes of the highest magnitude in both hiring and trades.
Hicks bought the best soccer club in England and they promptly lost their first championship match under him. He commented about how the fans were so loyal and passionate as compared to the US teams he owned. Be careful what you ask for. I am sure those fans are feeling the same way Rangers fans did back when. They expect him to get them the players they need to be perennial champs. How long will it take for them to realize that this won’t happen? If his poor management skills rear their ugly head in Liverpool, those fans will be calling for Hicks’ head and he may not feel so comfortable traveling in the UK.
Mr. Hicks – please see the handwriting on the wall and sell now, before the Rangers hit rock bottom with your continued mistake-ridden Ross Perot Jr.-like leadership!
RAFA 
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