Gene J. Puskar / AP

Matt Holliday has averaged 32 homers and 113 RBIs the past three seasons.

Q: What is MLB’s concern with having Mark Cuban as an owner? It seems to me that he would be a breath of fresh air that MLB desperately needs to get the ‘next-gen’ fan base on board.
— Will

A: Interesting point, Will. MLB doesn’t seem too concerned about catching the younger generation, does it? Not with playoff game starting times so late that most kids can’t watch the sport’s pinnacle event.

Cuban, pardon the pun, is a maverick and a baseball outsider – and that’s not usually the combination that puts a person in good standing with Bud Selig and his tight ownership fraternity.

The sport has been taking in gigantic revenues — increasing from about $1 billion in 1995 to more than $6 billion annually — so this is a conservative bunch not looking for a dynamic, boat-rocking personality such as Cuban.

That said, the proposed Cubs ownership change — now almost two years running — has become as muddled as ever with the economic recession.

As part of a selloff of Tribune Co. assets, owner Sam Zell is hoping to keep a 50-percent stake in the Cubs, as opposed to the 5 percent he had been looking to retain. With a proposed sale price that could approach $1 billion, this is huge difference. We are expected to get a better idea of who really can pony-up at the level later this month.

Here’s what I’d like to see — Cuban get the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs are going to be a financial success no matter who owns them, but the Pirates — downtrodden since the early 1990s — need an owner willing to lose some of his own vast fortune to turn things around. 

Q: When will the Cardinals be a playoff contender?
– Matt, St. Louis

A: Simple answer here, Matt. The Cardinals always are playoff contenders. Why would you think otherwise? Just because of a 2008 season that despite numerous pitching injuries, saw the Cards stay in the race until mid-September?

The Red Sox have won two World Series, and the Braves and Yankees had double-digit runs of consecutive playoff appearances stretch into this decade. But it’s hard to knock the Cardinals’ recent track record.

They have a World Series title, two pennants and five division titles (plus one first-place tie and playoff appearance as the wild card team) since 2000. That’s an impressive run, to say the least.

As for the short-term future, the Cardinals have to get Chris Carpenter back healthy if they expect to return to the playoffs in 2009. That could be complicated by a recent but relatively minor elbow surgery. After re-signing Kyle Lohse, if they also don’t keep Braden Looper, they must add another starter unless they believe Mitchell Boggs or Jaime Garcia is ready.

A quality left-handed reliever is another need, they have to settle the middle infield situation (and that could be done in part by re-signing Felipe Lopez) and they have been looking to add a big bat  hence the Matt Holliday rumors before he went to Oakland — to better protect Albert Pujols.

They could part with Ryan Ludwick, as top prospect Colby Rasmus should stick in the majors at some point next season.

But no matter what they do this winter, I imagine Tony La Russa and Co. will be a player in the NL Central next season as long as their star players are healthy.

Q: Who should toss out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium II?
— Jim, Colorado Springs, Colo.

A: Wow, that’s a good question – with so many possibilities -- from the many living ex-Yankees greats to Barack Obama to Joe Torre (OK, just kidding on the last one).

But I do feel that it’s time George Steinbrenner get his just due as the best owner in professional sports, and that we get past the notorious ‘Boss’ stuff – before it’s too late.

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