Bud Selig must have a boner: Mark Cuban won't own the Cubs

Bidding for ownership of the two-time defending NL Central champion Chicago Cubs is coming to an end with a resolution possibly coming as soon as spring training.

However, the bidding will go on without Mark Cuban. The fan-favorite who also owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks is not among the finalists, which likely will anger Cubs fans who were hoping the competitive and fan-friendly owner would be able to put forth enough financial and emotional support to push the North Siders to their first World Series title since 1908.

The three perspective buyers (not named Cuban) are Chicago real estate investor Hersch Klaff, the Ricketts family (who founded Ameritrade) and Marc Utay, a New York private investor and Chicago native.

The one thing that sticks out tome about each of these potential buyers is the lack of a sports or baseball background. To the average eye, it looks as if Tribune Co. is looking to sell the team to a mirror image of itself. Which awakens the fears of Cubs fans that ownership will revert to its ways of piss poor team management and a shrinking budget.

As for Cuban, he's got a lot to say in his blog in which he touches on the possible conflict between he and White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, how the financial crisis reared its ugly head to pester the sale and other things.

The most damning statement came at the end of his blog, which is how I will also close this offering.

"So when it came down to it, I did what I thought was the only smart thing to do. I asked for an extension. I knew that if they got the money they wanted for the team, well my bid was not going to be high enough anyway. if they didn't, or the other bidders couldnt come up with their money, they would come back to me.

I'm still waiting."

As are Cubs fans, Mark.