Stealing home

Publicly, Hicks promises to spend whatever necessary--within reason--to turn the Rangers into a true contender. He talks of letting team president Schieffer, general manager Doug Melvin, and manager Johnny Oates go after a marquee player--to prove Hicks' dedication to the fans.

"I asked management half-jokingly what's the Eddie Belfour equivalent person they needed to take the Rangers to the championship level," Hicks recounts. "Of course, they said [Seattle Mariners pitching ace] Randy Johnson. I could have figured that one out."

He speaks of his willingness to lose a few bucks in order to win a few fans.
"I've told management the team doesn't have to be as profitable as they had projected when I bought the team," he says, "and if they work out something that's better, then that's fine."

He says all the right things and makes all the right moves. Which is exactly what he needs to do, especially after the debacle that was the 1997 season: Rangers fans have proven a most giving and forgiving lot, forking over tens of millions last year to watch the 1996 American League West champs stumble to a third-place finish.

According to Financial World, the Rangers made $87.7 million in 1996 in total revenues--including gate receipts and media and venue revenues--which was seventh in the major leagues. (The totals for 1997 aren't available yet.) The Ballpark in Arlington was also the most profitable ballpark in America, raking in $25.5 million.

After 26 embarrassing years, the Texas Rangers are only a few more losing seasons away from alienating even the most staunch supporters--especially with ticket prices increasing for the second time in two years. Hicks has given Schieffer, Melvin, and Oates permission to go outside their working purchase agreement, which should be finalized and signed early next month, if they can prove that a big-money player would make the team a contender.

He's asked what he'd do if Schieffer called him tomorrow and said he could deliver pitching ace Randy Johnson for $10 million a year. Hicks doesn't hesitate.

"I think that's what I'm hinting at--some gesture to the fans that we really want to take the next step," he says. "I've given them the OK to do that. If it works out. Now, they've got to work it out. They're the baseball guys."

Of course, Schieffer says he isn't going to spend Hicks' money till he's approved by Major League Baseball, no doubt fearing the reaction of small-market owners already worried about skyrocketing payrolls. It won't help Hicks' cause if he goes after a multimillion-dollar player: Already, several owners are threatening to quash Fox magnate Rupert Murdoch's purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers, which was scheduled to go before a vote this month until acting commissioner Bud Selig canceled the meeting, fearing he wouldn't get the approval.

Privately, Hicks worries that fans think his purchase of the Rangers is a World Series guarantee. Just look at what he did for the Stars--who went from near worst to first only a year after he became owner.

Shortly after Hicks bought the Dallas Stars for $84 million in December 1995--indeed, before the purchase actually went through, while he was still in the letter-of-intent phase--Stars president Jim Lites and then-coach and general manager Bob Gainey approached him about trading Corey Millen to Calgary for center Joe Nieuwendyk. Hicks agreed to the deal, even though it meant boosting the payroll before he'd even signed the final purchase agreement. He also OK'd the signings of right wing Pat Verbeek, defenseman Darryl Sydor, left wing Dave Reid, and a host of other free agents.

After the Edmonton Oilers humiliated the Stars in the first round of the playoffs last season--goaltender Curtis Joseph shut out the hapless Dallas team twice in seven games--Hicks told Gainey and Lites he wanted them to sign someone to replace Andy Moog; Hicks and team management also felt Roman Turek was at least a year away from becoming a dominant player. So in July 1997, they brought in free agent Ed Belfour and signed him to a four-year, $10-million contract; defenseman Shawn Chambers also signed at the same time to a four-year, $8-million deal.

In the fall, management also upped the salary of team captain Derian Hatcher and agreed to a $3.5-million, one-year deal with Mike Modano, who will certainly ask for millions more at the end of the season.

When Hicks bought the Stars, the team's payroll ranked among the lowest in the league at $18 million; as a result, the Stars were among the NHL's bottom-feeders, owning the 22nd best record in a league of 26 teams. Two years later, the Stars' payroll sits at a lofty $31.7 million, which is fifth in the league, and the Stars are the winningest team in the NHL, boasting a coach and a roster one misstep away from winning the Stanley Cup.

"I joke that the main contributions I made were saying yes when they asked for more money," Hicks says about his Stars, flashing what's either a smile or a grimace. "But it was a critical decision when we were still in the letter-of-intent stage to let them sign Joe Nieuwendyk, because I could have prevented that from happening. We knew what that was going to do to the payroll.