Five Reasons To Hate Tom Hicks

Everybody hates Alex Rodriguez. When you read about A-Rod's huge contract with so little results, you ask "What idiot would write that check?" Well, that idiot was Tom Hicks, who's even admitted that was a dumb move. But if you think you can give a mulligan, you'd have to look into the full history of a man hated in at least four cities and on three continents. More after the jump...

Texas Rangers

"The only pleasure I get out of the Sports section these days is checking the American League standings and seeing the Texas Rangers in last place. ... Ho ho. Good ol' A-Rod, eh? Money means nothing to those jackass thieves in Texas."

Those words were written by Hunter S. Thompson during his tenure at ESPN's Page 2 in July 2001. Hicks bought the Rangers in 1998, and immediately won back-to-back AL West titles. But prior to the 2001 season, Hicks personally negotiated a 10-year, $252M contract with Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez. The high-cost long-term contract was immediately criticized. For three years, the Rangers finished dead last in the AL West, made worse by the fact the Mariners finished 116-46 in their first season without A-Rod, tying the MLB record for wins. After three seasons going 216-270, the Rangers tried trading away Rodriguez, but his huge contract limited his options. After a trade to the Red Sox was nixed because Donald Fehr's union didn't want A-Rod taking a pay cut, the New York Yankees traded Alfonso Soriano for him, placing him in a market known for relentless tabloids and being one of ESPN's obsessions.
For the next six seasons, the Rangers finished at or near the bottom of the AL West. After declaring bankruptcy, Hicks sold the Rangers to an ownership group that included Nolan Ryan. After the sell, Texas won two straight pennants.

Dallas Stars
Give credit where credit's due: after Hicks bought the former Minnesota North Stars, they won the 1999 Stanley Cup. But after losing to the New Jersey Devils the next season, the Stars had an on-and-off run. After failing to make the playoffs in 2002, they often lost in the conference quarterfinals, save a couple of appearances in the semi's. They did manage to make the conference finals in 2008, but lost to the Red Wings in their last playoff appearance. The next season, they signed controversial NY Ranger Sean Avery, but dealt him after one month, and the team failed to make the playoffs. Hicks' financial problems hurt the team in later years, and in 2010 the Stars' coffers were so low they were $11M under the cap and finishing dead last for two straight seasons. After declaring bankruptcy, Hicks sold the Stars to a Vancouver businessman, and the team still struggles with no playoff appearances and diminishing attendance.

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista
Hicks investment firm Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst purchased the Brazilian football side after winning their championship in 1998. The team repeated in 1999, and added a FIFA Club World Cup, but the team started selling off team players. They then angered supporters by announcing the team's historic black-and-white kit would be changed. As financial problems and fan opposition plagued the team, Hicks sold out, and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst sold to another investment firm.

Liverpool FC
Not done with soccer, Hicks and Canadians owner George Gillett purchased Liverpool FC, promising a new stadium and silverware. After winning the 2005 Champions League and 2006 FA Cup (sensing a pattern?), Liverpool lost the 2007 Champions League final. The years began to get leaner, finishing 7th in 2010. Hicks got into a spat with then-manager Rafa Benítez over transfers, and Hicks said publicly it was time "to quit talking about new players and to coach the players we have" Their poor leadership made them unpopular with supporters. When one e-mailed to complain, Hicks' son Tom Junior responded "Blow me fuck face. Go to Hell. I'm sick of you." Eventually, both Hicks' and Gillette's financial problems came around again, and creditors took the two to court to sell the team to avoid administration, which comes with a hefty points penalty in the Premier League. Against their will, the team was sold to the Boston Red Sox ownership in 2010. After a promise of breaking ground on a new stadium within 60 days of their purchase, Liverpool still plays at Anfield.
Ironically, George Gillett had his own infamous ownership in NASCAR during this time. Having purchased a majority share of what would become Richard Petty Motorsports (with the famous 43), his financial problems became so horrible that their equipment supplier, Roush-Fenway Racing (yes, co-owned by Red Sox ownership) would only allow them access to their cars at Roush's shops until the checks cleared. At one point, an empty RPM hauler and a Roush hauler full of their cars sat on a racetrack's parking lot following a race on Sunday. The check cleared on Thursday, and the cars were able to be taken to Phoenix. Another irony? That track was Texas Motor Speedway, based in Hicks' hometown Dallas Metroplex.

Shreveport Captains
A longtime member of the famous AA Texas League, the Shreveport Captains (or Sports, as they known earlier), played in Northeastern Louisiana since the late 19th century. Among the players to come through Shreveport were Chili Davis, Dusty Baker, Rich Aurilia, Joe Nathan, Lance Niekro, and Jeff Kent. The team won seven league titles, and among their affiliations were the Pirates and the Giants. In 2002, Hicks and Mandalay Entertainment purchased the club, which would've been perfect being so close to Dallas. But it wasn't close enough for Hicks, who moved the team to the upper-class suburb of Frisco, about an hour north of Dallas. To add insult to injury, the new RoughRiders won the Texas League title in 2004. A semi-pro team took on the Captains mantle following the move, but they've also left, with no plans to bring baseball back to Shreveport.

Images courtesy withleather.uproxx, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, erojkitimao.blogspot, The Big Lead, and KTBS 3.