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Cuban also has eye on Penguins
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Although there is no indication Dallas billionaire Mark Cuban will be buying his hometown Pirates anytime soon, he could be coming to a new arena near you as a limited partner in the Penguins' new ownership group.
"I have told several people who have contacted me that, although I wouldn't be the lead, or largest investor, I would kick in some money if it would help," Cuban wrote in an e-mail interview.
Cuban, who has owned the NBA's Dallas Mavericks since 2000, first expressed interest in buying into the Penguins when Mario Lemieux brought the franchise out of bankruptcy in 1999. He backed out after not being comfortable with Lemieux's ownership group.
Lemieux put the Penguins up for sale earlier this year.
"My first interest [in the Penguins] was pre-Mavs. A lot of things have changed," Cuban said.
"One of the things I have learned and what I told some folks in Pittsburgh who asked me about the Pens is that I don't have the patience or personality to deal with having to fight for a new arena. It's going to take someone who sees value in doing that part of the deal, and that's not my skill-set."
There's one other reason Cuban won't jump into the Penguins with both feet:
The possibility of owning the Pirates one day.
"In all candor, should it come down to it, I couldn't deal with owning three teams," he wrote.
First Published April 25, 2006 12:00 am
