Lunch date between Tom Hicks, David McDavid could lead to partnershipBy JIM REEVES
revo@star-telegram.com
SURPRISE, Ariz. — For most of his life, David McDavid has had an itch he’s never been quite able to scratch.
Maybe he can do that with the Texas Rangers.
While the Rangers were in the process of counting down their dwindling days in the Arizona sunshine here Tuesday, McDavid and Tom Hicks were having lunch at Hicks’ offices at The Ballpark in Arlington, the initial meeting in what could bring McDavid aboard as the minority partner Hicks has been hoping to find.
Whether that might also include a share of the Dallas Stars as well remains to be seen, but there are certainly indications in McDavid’s background — he has talked to Hicks about buying the Stars in the past — that indicate that could happen, too.
"I don’t know what I have an interest in right now, or even if I have an interest in anything," McDavid said by phone Wednesday. "Anything could happen, but it’s not my place to talk about this.
"Tom and I have lunch several times a year and we always talk sports. Yeah, we talked a little bit about what he’s wanting to do, but it was really a cursory conversation."
Hicks, responding by e-mail, also confirmed the lunch but said the conversation about whether McDavid might be interested in buying into the Rangers was "very preliminary."
A week ago Hicks said he would be willing to sell up to 46 percent of his 95 percent share of the Rangers, and he is also looking for minority investors in the Stars.
McDavid, who was a minority investor in the Dallas Mavericks with Ross Perot Jr. and Frank Zaccanelli from 1996-2000 until the franchise was sold to Mark Cuban, has long had a yen to own and run a sports franchise.
It began when he was only 18 and his father, also a Texas car dealer, was close friends with Bud Adams and Lamar Hunt.
"I watched them get the AFL started," McDavid said. "I guess that’s when I caught the fever. It was exciting watching all that unfold."
Besides the Mavs, which didn’t end well, and his known interest in the Stars, McDavid, who made his money selling lots and lots of cars through 17 automobile dealerships throughout the state, has also been mentioned as a suitor for the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic, and, most recently, the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers.
McDavid, 66, thought he had a deal in place with Turner Broadcasting System to buy the Hawks and Thrashers, along with Philips Arena back in 2003, but Turner wound up backing out and selling to an eight-man consortium called the Atlanta Spirit instead. McDavid sued for breach of contract, won and was awarded $316 million last year. The ruling is under appeal.
It was McDavid who initiated the negotiations that ended with Perot Jr. buying the Mavs in 1996. McDavid, who owned around 12 percent of the team, was supposed to run the Mavs, hiring a general manager and coach. But once the deal was completed, McDavid was bypassed and Zaccanelli wound up running the front office. McDavid felt like he’d been betrayed.
"That was a disappointment, but that was a long time ago," he said. "I’ve put that behind me. My experiences with sports things haven’t been the greatest, but they have been profitable."
McDavid, who sold his car dealerships in 1997 for a reported $380 million, is believed to have invested around $15 million when Perot Jr. bought the Mavs and walked away with a cool $35 million when the team was sold to Cuban.
"I don’t know what my interest is in this right now. I’m a little older, a littler wiser," McDavid said. "But when done right, they can be profitable."
While McDavid’s previous forays in sports franchise ownership have been directed towards the NBA and NHL, McDavid said he loves attending games at The Ballpark in Arlington.
"I think baseball is terrific," he said. "It’s a great game."
He denied one report, however, that said Hicks gave him a personalized tour of The Ballpark during their meeting Tuesday.
"We didn’t take a tour," he said. "I did step out onto his balcony and take a look around. It’s a great view from there. I’ve been to a lot of games at The Ballpark. It’s as pretty a ballpark as I’ve ever seen."
Hicks did take McDavid over to say hello to team president Nolan Ryan. Ryan said he’s known McDavid for years but doesn’t know how much interest he has in partnering up with Hicks in the Rangers or Stars.
"I didn’t sit in on the meeting, so I don’t know what was discussed," Ryan said. "Evidently he had enough interest to come over and have lunch with Tom."
Ryan said he has given no more thought to whether he might have an interest in a minority share of the team. Earlier, Ryan had said he would wait to see whether another investor surfaced.
While McDavid’s background says he’s serious about owning a sports franchise, the way he was burned as a minority owner of the Mavs suggests that he would much prefer being a majority owner with some control over operations. With Hicks so far saying he intends to hold onto to at least 51 percent of his teams, that doesn’t appear possible with the Rangers and Stars.
It’s also highly doubtful that Hicks and McDavid got around to discussing financial details in this initial meeting. With speculation that
Hicks could be valuing the Rangers’ franchise alone as high as $650 million, money could be an issue here, too.It usually is.
Still, none of this changes the fact that McDavid has had a lifelong itch when it comes to sports.
This could be his last chance to scratch it, once and for all.
JIM REEVES 817-390-7760
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