Mark Cuban rips Bud Selig and MLB 'mafia' on Tonight Show

Mark Cuban was critical of MLB commissioner Bud Selig's suspension of Alex Rodriguez on the Tonight Show. (NBC Universal/Getty Images) Dallas Mavericks owner

Mark Cuban was critical of MLB commissioner Bud Selig's suspension of Alex Rodriguez on the Tonight Show. (NBC Universal/Getty Images)

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has often made headlines for publicly criticizing the NBA and commissioner David Stern in the past. He had another commissioner squarely in his sights Thursday. Cuban, who made an unsuccessful attempt to buy the Texas Rangers in 2010, was highly critical of MLB commissioner Bud Selig and the league's 211-game suspension of Alex Rodriguez on the Tonight Show.

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When host Jay Leno asked Cuban to share his thoughts on Rodriguez's suspension, Cuban responded:

Horrible. I think it’s disgraceful what Major League Baseball is trying to do. It’s not that he doesn’t deserve to be suspended, he does …

It’s basically become Bud Selig’s “mafia.” He runs it the way he wants to run it. When I was trying to buy the Rangers, it was an open auction. And I sat in there with my good hard-earned money trying to bid and they did everything possible to keep me from buying the team. They had lawyers in there trying to change the rules, they had people trying to put up more money. It was horrible!

Cuban has had a less-than-satisfying relationship with Major League Baseball in the past. The billionaire has been a part of two failed bids to buy an MLB franchise. In 2009, his $1.3 billion bid for the Cubs was not included among finalists in the bidding. A Chicago Sun-Timesreport quoted a source saying, "There's no way Bud and the owners are going to let that happen. Zero chance." In 2010, Cuban was part of a group that included current Astros owner Jim Crain that pulled out of the bidding process for the Rangers, won by a group fronted by Nolan Ryan.