Who is the best owner in sports?

[legaleagle92481]

Here are my votes:

NBA:

(Tie) Jerry Buss (Lakers) and Peter Holt (Spurs)

NFL:

Robert Kraft (Pats)

NHL:

The Little Casers Pizza guy who owners the Red Wings Michael Illtich

MLB:

The Phillies ownership and John Henry of the Red Sox.

[Mark17]

Re: Who is the best owner in sports?

I think sometimes it's easy to just pick owners of teams that have won a lot recently. My biased vote goes to my hometown Twins, run by the Pohlad family. They're usually very competitive, while maintaining a fiscally sane payroll, and have consistently done the following:

1. Throughout the minor leagues to the Majors, they really emphasize fundamentals. You'll see the Twins win a few games during the season with their brains. Remember the 1991 World Series, Game 7, when the middle infielders decoyed Lonnie Smith on the bases, preventing him from scoring on Pendleton's long double to left? It saved the game and the Series.

2. The team doesn't have anything to do with selfish/problem players like Bonds, Canseco, Strawberry. Going back to the beginning of the Pohlad ownership, it's hard to think of any real jerks that have played with the Twins.

3. They have a habit of picking up quality veterans, like Baylor (1987, hit the big HR in Game 6 of the World Series,) Chili Davis and Jack Morris (key players in the 1991 Championship season,) and this year they have Jim Thome, who's been driving in a lot of big runs, and Carl Pavano, dependable veteran in their otherwise youthful rotation.

Bottom line, if your kid is a Twins fan, you can go ahead and get a jersey for him with just about any player's name on the back, and not have to worry about it becoming an embarrassment later on (I feel sorry for all the fathers who bought their kids Vikings jerseys of Culpepper or Moss a few years ago...) And when you like the players, and the way the organization is run, it's so much more fun to be a fan.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: Who is the best owner in sports?

Rocky Wirtz (Blackhawks)...his late father had made the Hawks an NHL laughingstock. Son Rocky took over, and the Hawks went from league joke to NHL Champs in roughly 3 years.

Dave Miedema

[2020mike]

Re: Who is the best owner in sports?

I would have to agree with Dave. Rocky Wirtz completely 180'd the Blackhawks. It seems like once he took control everyone of the old regime was ousted. To think in 2002 when I went to the United Center there was maybe 3-4 thousand people there, now you can hardly get a ticket unless you pay through the nose. Heck the AHL Chicago Wolves enjoyed stadium packed years thanks to Bill Wirtz and his refusal to put home games on tv and field a competitive team.

[woody1351]

Re: Who is the best owner in sports?

i would have to say rick hendrick. 241 wins and 227 poles in 27 years. 13 championships. jimmie johnson has won the last 4 championships.