As we sit around waiting to see how Tom Hicks is going to extract himself from his debt problems and finally get the deal done to sell the Ranger, Maury Brown runs down all of the reasons why Hicks has essentially become persona non grata in baseball circles. The upshot: by failing to make his payroll, giving A-Rod $250 million, failing to make deferred compensation requirements under the CBA and other assorted financial shenanigans he has alienated the league, the other owners and the union. And now that his incompetence has gummed up the Rangers sale, he’s angering Chuck Greenberg, Nolan Ryan and any number of banks.
Not his unpopularity is a function of his recent money problems. For my part, Hicks jumped the shark in August of 2002. Let’s set the scene: Hicks owns a Rangers team with the second highest payroll in baseball. He has recently signed Alex Rodriguez to a contract paying him $100 million more than the next highest bidder. He has given Chan Ho Park $65 million, Juan Gonzalez $24 million over two years and even found $7.5 million for Todd Van Poppel of all people.
Then, in the midst of contentious collective bargaining negotiations with the players union he sat on the deck of his yacht in San Diego harbor and said “for the good of baseball, we need to have cost-containment.” I pictured him saying that while eating panda steaks and wiping the corners of his mouth with bearer bonds.
I don’t wish misfortune on anyone, but if there is to be misfortune in the world, better it fall on a guy with the chutzpah of Tom Hicks than someone else.
